Gita 9.20

Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga

त्रैविद्या मां सोमपाः पूतपापा यज्ञैरिष्ट्वा स्वर्गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते । ते पुण्यमासाद्य सुरेन्द्रलोक- मश्नन्ति दिव्यान्दिवि देवभोगान् ॥

trai-vidyā māṁ soma-pāḥ pūta-pāpā yajñair iṣṭvā svar-gatiṁ prārthayante | te puṇyam āsādya surendra-lokam aśnanti divyān divi deva-bhogān ||

In essence: Even sophisticated ritualists who reach heaven are on a round-trip ticket - great merit yields great pleasure, but all merit eventually exhausts.

A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply

Sadhak-Guru Dialogue

Sadhak: "I don't understand. These people study scripture, perform rituals correctly, purify themselves - and they reach heaven! What more could anyone want?"

Guru: "Have you ever had a wonderful vacation?"

Sadhak: "Yes, of course."

Guru: "How did you feel when it ended and you had to return to ordinary life?"

Sadhak: "Sad, I suppose. Reluctant. Sometimes the return to normal life felt harder because I had tasted something better."

Guru: "Now imagine a vacation that lasts a million years, with pleasures beyond earthly imagination - and then you must return to ordinary existence, having exhausted the 'vacation fund' of merit. Would you consider that a satisfying arrangement?"

Sadhak: "I see the issue. But isn't some heaven better than no heaven?"

Guru: "That depends on your goal. If your goal is maximum enjoyment within the cycle of birth and death, then yes, heaven is the best destination within that cycle. But if your goal is to exit the cycle altogether - to reach a state from which there is no falling, no return, no exhaustion of merit - then even heaven becomes an obstacle. It can become such a pleasant distraction that you forget the deeper aspiration."

Sadhak: "But these practitioners worship Krishna! He says 'mām' - they worship Me. Isn't that devotion?"

Guru: "Look more closely. They worship Him through yajñas (rituals) but what they 'prārthayante' (pray for) is heaven, not Krishna Himself. It is like watering a mango tree but hoping for apples. The mango tree can only give mangoes; Krishna can only give Krishna. But if you ask Him for heaven, He will arrange for you to get heaven - and in getting what you asked for, you miss what you could have received."

Sadhak: "So the problem is not the ritual but the motivation?"

Guru: "Precisely. Ritual can be a vehicle for surrender or a technology for acquisition. The same yajna performed with the intention 'I want heaven' keeps you bound, while performed with the intention 'I offer this to You, seeking nothing but You' becomes liberating. Krishna is not condemning ritual here - He is revealing the limitation of goal-oriented worship compared to love-oriented worship."

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🌅 Daily Practice

🌅 Morning

Before your morning practice (whatever it is - meditation, prayer, yoga, chanting), pause and examine your motivation. Are you practicing to get something - peace of mind, good karma, heavenly merit, even spiritual progress? Notice this seeking without judgment. Then consciously shift: 'I offer this practice to You. I seek nothing but You. Whatever comes or doesn't come from this practice, let it be an offering.' This transforms goal-oriented practice into love-oriented practice.

☀️ Daytime

Notice throughout the day when you are performing 'spiritual' actions with ulterior motives. Being kind to get good karma. Being patient to appear spiritually advanced. Helping others to feel good about yourself. Again, notice without judgment - this is how the mind operates. But then consciously release the ulterior motive: 'This act of kindness is an offering, not an investment. I expect no return.' This is the beginning of karma-yoga that leads to liberation rather than heaven.

🌙 Evening

Reflect on what you are truly seeking. Is it heaven - a better condition, more comfort, less suffering, more enjoyment? Or is it the Absolute - truth regardless of comfort, reality regardless of what it means for your personal situation? Neither answer is wrong, but honesty about your current motivation is essential. If you find you mostly seek heaven (in whatever form), don't condemn yourself - simply recognize where you are. Then, if you are drawn to something beyond heaven, begin asking: 'What would it mean to seek You alone, without any demand for results?'

Common Questions

Is Krishna criticizing the Vedas and Vedic rituals here?

No. Krishna elsewhere declares Himself to be the Vedas (9.17) and the goal of all Vedic rituals. What He is critiquing is not the Vedas themselves but a limited application of Vedic knowledge. The three Vedas contain both karma-kanda (ritual action for worldly and heavenly goals) and jnana-kanda (knowledge for liberation). Those who master only the ritual portion and seek only heaven are using a small part of what the Vedas offer. It is like owning a vast estate and living only in the servant's quarters. The Vedas themselves, properly understood, lead to Krishna - but many practitioners stop at the intermediate goal of heaven.

If these ritualists are purified of sin (pūta-pāpā), why isn't that enough for liberation?

Being purified of sin removes the negative karma that would pull you down to lower births. But removal of negative is not the same as achieving positive realization. A clean slate is not the same as a written letter. These practitioners have cleansed their karmic record, but they have not transcended the karma-maker itself. They are sinless but not Self-realized. They have avoided hell but aimed only at heaven. Liberation requires not just purity from sin but knowledge of one's true identity beyond the individual who sins or performs virtue.

Should we stop performing rituals and prayers? What's the point if even successful practice only leads to temporary heaven?

Krishna does not say 'stop practicing.' He says 'practice with right understanding.' The same ritual performed for heavenly enjoyment binds, while performed as surrender to Krishna liberates. The answer is not to abandon practice but to transform its intention. Continue your prayers, your worship, your rituals - but offer them to Krishna without seeking anything in return. This is the shift from karma-yoga to bhakti-yoga. The external practice may look identical; the internal orientation makes all the difference. Those who practice seeking nothing but Krishna reach Krishna and never return to lower states.

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