BG 09.24 aham hi sarva-yajnanam... cited

Expressions researched:
"I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices" |"aham hi sarva-yajnanam" |"bhokta ca prabhur eva ca" |"hose who do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down" |"na tu mam abhijananti" |"tattvenatas cyavanti te"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "9.24" or "I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices" or "aham hi sarva-yajnanam" or "bhokta ca prabhur eva ca" or "hose who do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down" or "na tu mam abhijananti" or "tattvenatas cyavanti te"

BG Chapters 7 - 12

BG 9.24, Translation and Purport:

I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Therefore, those who do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down.

Here it is clearly stated that there are many types of yajña performances recommended in the Vedic literatures, but actually all of them are meant for satisfying the Supreme Lord. Yajña means Viṣṇu. In the Third Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly stated that one should only work for satisfying Yajña, or Viṣṇu. The perfectional form of human civilization, known as varṇāśrama-dharma, is specifically meant for satisfying Viṣṇu. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa says in this verse, "I am the enjoyer of all sacrifices because I am the supreme master." Less intelligent persons, however, without knowing this fact, worship demigods for temporary benefit. Therefore they fall down to material existence and do not achieve the desired goal of life. If, however, anyone has any material desire to be fulfilled, he had better pray for it to the Supreme Lord (although that is not pure devotion), and he will thus achieve the desired result.

SB Canto 5

SB 5.20.3-4, Purport:

"Devotees who worship the demigods with firm faith worship Me also, but not according to regulative principles." In other words, if one worships the demigods but does not understand the relationship between the demigods and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his worship is irregular. Kṛṣṇa also says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.24), ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca: "I am the only enjoyer of ritualistic ceremonies."

It may be argued that the demigods are as important as Lord Viṣṇu because the names of the demigods are different names of Viṣṇu. This, however, is not a sound conclusion, for it is contradicted in the Vedic literatures. The Vedas declare:

candramā manaso jātaś cakṣoḥ sūryo ajāyata; śrotrādayaś ca prāṇaś ca mukhād agnir ajāyata; nārāyaṇād brahmā, nārāyaṇād rudro jāyate, nārāyaṇāt prajāpatiḥ jāyate, nārāyaṇād indro jāyate, nārāyaṇād aṣṭau vasavo jāyante, nārāyaṇād ekādaśa rudrā jāyante.

SB Canto 7

SB 7.3.24, Translation and Purport:

Seeing Lord Brahmā present before him in the sky, carried by his swan airplane, Hiraṇyakaśipu was extremely pleased. He immediately fell flat with his head on the ground and began to express his obligation to the lord.

Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.23-24):

ye 'py anya-devatā-bhaktā

yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ

te 'pi mām eva kaunteya

yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam

ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ

bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca

na tu mām abhijānanti

tattvenātaś cyavanti te

"Whatever a man may sacrifice to other gods, O son of Kuntī, is really meant for Me alone, but it is offered without true understanding. I am the only enjoyer and the only object of sacrifice. Those who do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down."

In effect, Kṛṣṇa says, "Persons engaged in the worship of demigods are not very intelligent, although such worship is indirectly offered to Me." For example, when a man pours water on the leaves and branches of a tree without pouring water on the root, he does so without sufficient knowledge or without observing regulative principles.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

SB 10.40.10, Translation and Purport:

As rivers born from the mountains and filled by the rain flow from all sides into the sea, so do all these paths in the end reach You, O master.

Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself speaks on this issue of worship in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.23-25):

ye 'py anya-devatā-bhaktā

yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ

te 'pi mām eva kaunteya

yayanty avidhi-pūrvakam

ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ

bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca

na tu mām abhijānanti

tattvenātaś cyavanti te

yānti deva-vratā devān

pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ

bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā

yānti mad-yājino 'pi mām

(BG 9.25)

"Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, O son of Kuntī, but they do so in a wrong way. I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Therefore, those who do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down. Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me will live with Me."

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Renunciation Through Wisdom 1.8:

Lord Kṛṣṇa is like the life air and the soul of the massive body of the entire cosmos. In several places in the Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa makes this point—that He is the origin and cause of everything. Especially notable are 7.7, "There is no truth superior to Me," and 9.24, "I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices." Therefore, how can there still be any doubt that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord and that the living beings are His eternal servitors? We have forgotten this simple truth, and thus instead of using our mind and senses in the Supreme Lord's service, we ourselves are posing as little Supreme Lords and utilizing our mind and senses to enjoy this material world. This is māyā.

Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.10:

This same Lord Viṣṇu is, in fact, a partial expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the ultimate cause of all causes and the original Supreme Lord. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa is the receiver of all oblations and sacrifices and is the ultimate benefactor of all worship. As He says in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.24),

ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ

bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca

na tu mām abhijānanti

tattvenātaś cyavanti te

I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Therefore, those who do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down.

At the time of worshiping the demigods, the reason for placing Lord Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa, on the throne as the supreme enjoyer of the ritual or sacrifice is that the various demigods also worship Him and offer Him sacrifices. Therefore He is the Lord and master of all sacrifices.

Renunciation Through Wisdom 5.1:

Two things are indispensable for acquiring such a vision: first we must offer the results of all our activities to Lord Kṛṣṇa, and second, every action we perform must be done exclusively as devotional service to Him. We must constantly meditate on the fact that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the only enjoyer and proprietor of every action. As the Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.24-27),

ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ

bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca

na tu mām abhijānanti

tattvenātaś cyavanti te

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi

yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat

yat tapasyasi kaunteya

tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Therefore, those who do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down. Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform—do that, O son of Kuntī, as an offering to Me.

Considering everything material, some people make a show of renunciation and reject even those things that can be used in the Lord's service. This is futile. All objects in the material world are meant not for our enjoyment or gratification but for the Lord's service.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 7.16 -- Bombay, April 7, 1971:

Simply surrender unto Me. I shall take care of you." The whole Bhagavad-gītā is taught in that way. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca. In this way, in Bhagavad-gītā we'll find, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Personality of Godhead. So His instructions are there.

Lecture on BG 9.23-24 -- New York, December 10, 1966:

He's unbeliever. He has no faith in God. He's an unbeliever. So if we worship demigods as part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, then it is all right. But if we accept a particular type of demigod as He is the Lord, then that is irregular. That is not... That is not accepted here in the Bhagavad-gītā-avidhi-pūrvakam.

ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ

bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca

na tu mām abhijānanti

tattvenātaś cyavanti te

The Lord says, "I am the only enjoyer, beneficiary of all kinds of sacrifices." Ahaṁ hi bhoktā. Ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā. Bhoktā means enjoyer. Just like in the office, or in the factory, so many workers, they are working day and night, producing money, but who is the bhoktā? Who is the enjoyer? The enjoyer is the proprietor. They are not enjoyer. They are laborers. They are workers.

Lecture on BG 9.23-24 -- New York, December 10, 1966:

Similarly the, the, any kind of worship, any kind of sacrifice, any kind of charity, any kind of penance, any kind of austerity, any kind of philosophical discussion, any kind of meditation... There are so many things recommended for self-realization or the Supreme Absolute Truth realization. So Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "Of all those processes, the ultimate beneficiary is I am, Myself, Lord Kṛṣṇa." Ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā prabhur eva ca. "Master." Prabhu means master. Na tu mām abhijānanti: "People do not know Me," na tu mām abhijānanti, "that 'Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Enjoyer, the Absolute Enjoyer.' "

Lecture on BG 9.23-24 -- New York, December 10, 1966:

The real predominator is the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā prabhur eva ca. He's the predominator. Na tu mām abhijānanti. People, they do not know. They want to become predominator themselves. That is not possible. By nature, he's not so. I want to be predominator, but actually, I am being predominated by my desires, by my lust, by my anger, by my avarice, and so many good qualities. They are controlling me. I am angry. So I tell you something nonsense. You see? So that... I am predominated by the anger principle, kāma-krodha. So therefore one who knows that "I am not predominator; I am predominated..."

Lecture on BG 9.23-24 -- New York, December 10, 1966:

So my business will be to keep the citizens satisfied. Otherwise, next vote, I shall not get the post. So I am being predominated by the voting power. But I am thinking that "I am predominator." This is called illusion. Nobody is predominator. He's predominated by some other principle. Therefore, one who knows this, one who does not know, na tu mām abhijānanti, one who does not know, tattvena ataś cyavanti te, they fall down, under the illusion, cyavanti te. And one who knows that "I can never become the predominator, I shall always remain the predominated..." If I do not become predominated voluntarily by the Supreme Lord, if I do not surrender unto Him and voluntarily agree to be predominated by the Lord, then I shall be predominated by the elements of material nature, this kāma, krodha, lobha, lust, desire, anger, enviousness, so many things. They'll predominate me. The senses will predominate me. Actually, we are, at the present moment, we are servants of the senses. My senses dictate something. I am obliged to do it. I cannot avoid it.

Lecture on BG 9.23-24 -- New York, December 10, 1966:

He's thinking that "I am enjoying LSD," but LSD is killing him. This is the position. It's killing him. So because he does not know that who is the predominator, therefore cyavanti, he's falling down. He's falling down. So best thing is intelligence. Best intelligence is to accept Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, as the predominator and be predominated by Him. That is our natural life. One who does not know, he falls down. Na tu mām abhijānanti tattvena... Tattvena, by truth. Simply to know Kṛṣṇa, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa was somebody born in India, and He was very powerful and He was very intelligent. He has written Bhagavad-gītā..." But we do not know actually what Kṛṣṇa is. And this society especially meant to broadcast the knowledge about Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we have named particularly this society the Society for Krishna Consciousness. There is the... People do not know it. They are writing commentaries on Kṛṣṇa's book, but they are speaking nonsense because they do not know Kṛṣṇa. Tattvenātaś cyavanti te: "They fall down from the truth."

Lecture on BG 9.23-24 -- New York, December 10, 1966:

So here it is stated na tu mām abhijānanti: "People do not know that I am the beneficiary, I am the enjoyer, of everything. I am the Lord of everything. Therefore everything should be done for Me. Everything should be offered to Me. That will make him happy, peace." We are hankering after peace, but we do not know what is peace. We are unnecessarily, illegally claiming overlordship on Kṛṣṇa's property. How we can be in peace? The material agents, the material energy is there. Suppose if I encroach upon others' property, will it be peaceful? The police action is already there. Why the police is there? So that one may not encroach upon others' rights. Police is there. The law and, what is called, order, law and order department, department of law and order. So they are... Why that is? That everyone should be, I mean to say, free to enjoy his right. So you cannot encroach upon others' right.

Lecture on BG 9.23-24 -- New York, December 10, 1966:

Even a children, if he transgresses the law of nature, if he touches fire, the fire will not excuse because he is child. No. Ignorance is no excuse. Similarly, everything, the Prabhu, the Supreme Lord, God, is the proprietor of everything. Ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca. Na tu mām abhijānanti. They do not know that God is the proprietor of everything, so they are encroaching upon God's property, and nature is punishing. This is our position. You cannot avoid.

Lecture on BG 9.24-26 -- New York, December 12, 1966:

Prabhupāda:

ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ

bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca

na tu mām abhijānanti

tattvenātaś cyavanti te

Because we do not know God in fact, simply understanding, "Oh, there is God," and little more advanced, "God is our order-supplier," that is not sufficient. You must know God, I mean to say, tat, tattvena, in truth, tattvena. That tattvena, in truth, as it is explained by Lord Caitanya, that is the highest explanation. He has given the fullest information. Of course, it is not possible to understand God to the fullest extension, but as far as possible as a human being can understand, that has been explained in the..., by Lord Caitanya about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has explained in the Bhagavad-gītā about Himself. That is more than sufficient.

Lecture on BG 9.24-26 -- New York, December 12, 1966:

He has given the fullest information. Of course, it is not possible to understand God to the fullest extension, but as far as possible as a human being can understand, that has been explained in the..., by Lord Caitanya about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has explained in the Bhagavad-gītā about Himself. That is more than sufficient. And still more Lord Caitanya has explained about Him. Kṛṣṇa has explained Himself that you require to surrender unto Him. Just like here also He says that, ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā: "I am the beneficiary of all the activities of living entities." And bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca: "I am enjoyer, and I am the master."

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

Because people are not devotees of God, therefore despite all education, all advancement of scientific knowledge, still they are dealing like cats and dogs. They are not peaceful. The peace cannot be attained without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca. Simply by practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness there can be peace, there can be prosperity, there can be happiness. Otherwise we shall be entangled. It is clearly mentioned here by Kṛṣṇa, daivī sampad vimokṣāya. And daivī sampat means, the example is Arjuna. He immediately takes up, Arjuna: mā śucaḥ. "You are, you are already developed with daivī, daivī sampat." Mā śucaḥ: "You haven't got to worry."

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 2, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: The devotees, they do not care for anybody. Simply depending on Kṛṣṇa. Therefore whatever necessities they require, Kṛṣṇa will supply.

Dr. Patel: Ye 'py anya-devatā-bhaktā yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ. (Hindi) Te 'pi mām eva kaunteya yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam (BG 9.23). Ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca, na tu mām abhijānanti tattva...(BG 9.24).

Prabhupāda: Yes. He is performing yajña. Just like the yajnic brāhmaṇa in Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa went there and asked for some food. "Heḥ!"

Dr. Patel: They did not give.

Prabhupāda: They did not give.

Dr. Patel: Their wives gave.

Morning Walk -- April 2, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: All yajnic brāhmaṇas, like that. There are so many fools like that. They are thinking that "I am, we are doing yajñas, I am doing this, I am doing that. What is this Kṛṣṇa? The Kṛṣṇa devotees are less intelligent. They are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa."

Dr. Patel:

ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ

bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca

na tu mām abhijānanti

tattvenātaś cyavanti te

(BG 9.24)

Because they fall from the truth.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because these people do not understand Kṛṣṇa tattvataḥ, therefore they fall down.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation Varnasrama System Must Be Introduced -- February 14, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Next verse.

Hari-śauri:

ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ

bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca

na tu mām abhijānanti

tattvenātaś cyavanti te

"I am the only enjoyer and the only object of sacrifice. Those who do not recognize my true transcendental nature fall down."

Prabhupāda: Hm. Next verse.