Bhagavad Gita Bhashya (Adi Shankaracharya) 9.23
Bhagavad Gita Bhashya (Adi Shankaracharya) 9.23 · 9 · Verse 23
Sanskrit Original
।।9.23।। --,येऽपि अन्यदेवताभक्ताः अन्यासु देवतासु भक्ताः अन्यदेवताभक्ताः सन्तः यजन्ते पूजयन्ति श्रद्धया आस्तिक्यबुद्ध्या अन्विताः अनुगताः? तेऽपि मामेव कौन्तेय यजन्ति अविधिपूर्वकम् अविधिः अज्ञानं तत्पूर्वकं यजन्ते इत्यर्थः।।कस्मात् ते अविधिपूर्वकं यजन्ते इत्युच्यते यस्मात् --,
9.23 Api, even; ye, those who; anya-devata-bhaktah, being devoted to tother deities; and anvitah sraddhaya, endowed with faith; yajante, worship (them), te api, they also; O son of Kunti, yajanti, worship; mam, Me; eva, alone; (though) avidhi-purvakam, following the wrong method. Avidhi implies ignorance. So the idea is that they worship (Me) ignorantly. 'How it is that they worship (Me) ignorantly?' [i.e. the worshippers of other deities worship them knowingly, and hence, how can the estion of their ignorance arise?] This is being answered: Because-