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Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 9.16
अहं क्रतुरहं यज्ञ: स्वधाहमहमौषधम् ।
मन्त्रोऽहमहमेवाज्यमहमग्निरहं हुतम् ॥ १६ ॥
ahaṁ kratur ahaṁ yajñaḥ
svadhāham aham auṣadham
mantro ’ham aham evājyam
aham agnir ahaṁ hutam
But it is I who am the ritual, I the sacrifice, the offering to the ancestors, the healing herb, the transcendental chant. I am the butter and the fire and the offering.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
Kṛṣṇa says He is the ritual, sacrifice, offering to ancestors, healing herb, sacred chant, butter, fire, and offering.
Prabhupāda explains that Vedic sacrifices in their entirety are Kṛṣṇa. Even the fire is His separated energy.
Serve Kṛṣṇa with devotion: those who do so are understood to have performed all the sacrifices recommended in the Vedas.
Vedic sacrifices of ‘Karma-kanda’ division are in total also Krishna
Those in devotional service are to be understood to have performed all sacrifices recommended in the Vedas
Study translation for all the components of sacrifice
Of all the components of sacrifice, only the important terms are clarified here:
‘Ritual’ — Vedic Sacrifice known as Jyotistoma is also Krishna
‘Sacrifice’ — Maha-yajna mentioned in Smrti is also Krishna
‘Oblations’ — “Offerings to Pitraloka”
‘Fire’ — One of the five material elements; therefore separated energy of Krishna
Texts 9.15 & 9.16
Krishna has already discussed the results gained by the ‘ekatvena’ worshiper in Texts 9.11 – 9.12. In the next four verses, He will explain how to recognize and worship Him in His universal form. Further on in this chapter, Krishna will also discuss the results of demigod worship.
Duratmas – Fools who think Krishna’s form is ordinary are defeated in their endeavours (9.11 – 9.12)
Mahatmas – Those who know that Krishna has a transcendental form take shelter of Him and worship Him (9.13 – 9.14)
Indirect worshippers – All who take shelter of a conception of Supreme and worship it, are ultimately worshipping Krishna, but they worship Him indirectly – These are of 3 types:
Ekatvena – the monist, the lowest, worships himself as one with the Supreme (9.11 – 9.12)
Visvato-mukham – a worshiper of the material, universal form is the best (9.16 – 9.19)
Prthakvena – a demigod worshiper, is situated higher than the ‘ekatvena’ (9.20 – 9.25)
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Key ideas: bhagavān, vibhūti.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does BG 9.16 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to krishna’s nature?
Notice something excellent and see it as His opulence.
Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.
Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.