9.24
अहं हि सर्वयज्ञानां
भोक्ता च प्रभुरेव च ।
न तु मामभिजानन्ति
तत्त्वेनातश्च्यवन्ति ते ॥
ahaṃ hi sarvayajñānāṃ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca
na tu mām abhijānanti tattvenātaś cyavanti te
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
For I am the enjoyer and the lord of all sacrifices; but they do not know me as I really am, and so they fall.
नेपालीमा
किनकि म सबै यज्ञको भोग गर्ने र सबै यज्ञको स्वामी हुँ। तर तिनीहरूले मलाई साँच्चै जस्तो छु त्यस्तै चिन्दैनन्, त्यसैले तिनीहरू खस्छन्।
Where it sits
The other gods' devotees were not shut out in 9.23. This verse says what is still missing, and the cost of the miss. 9.25 will draw the map: a worshipper goes to the one he vows himself to.
Split: अहम् + हि + सर्व-यज्ञानाम् + भोक्ता + च + प्रभुः + एव + च + न + तु + माम् + अभिजानन्ति + तत्त्वेन + अतः + च्यवन्ति + ते
aham + hi + sarva-yajñānām + bhoktā + ca + prabhuḥ + eva + ca + na + tu + mām + abhijānanti + tattvena + ataḥ + cyavanti + te
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| हि | hi | indeclinable | for, indeed. |
| सर्व-यज्ञानाम् | sarva-yajñānām | genitive plural | of all sacrifices. |
| भोक्ता | bhoktā | nominative of bhoktṛ (भोक्तृ) | the enjoyer, the one who eats the offering. From bhuj (भुज्). |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| प्रभुः | prabhuḥ | nominative | the lord. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | indeed. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| तु | tu | indeclinable | but. |
| माम् | mām | accusative | me. |
| अभिजानन्ति | abhijānanti | present, 3rd plural | they know fully, they recognize. abhi-jñā (अभि-ज्ञा). |
| तत्त्वेन | tattvena | instrumental | by the truth of it, as it really is. tat (तत्) "that," --tva (त्व) as in 9.15. |
| अतः | ataḥ | indeclinable | from this, therefore. |
| च्यवन्ति | cyavanti | present, 3rd plural | they fall, they swerve. cyu (च्यु). |
| ते | te | nominative plural | they. |
The phrases
ahaṃ hi sarva-yajñānāṃ bhoktā ca prabhuḥ eva ca (अहं हि सर्व-यज्ञानां भोक्ता च प्रभुः एव च) is why 9.23 could say they sacrifice to him. He is the one who eats every sacrifice, and he is its lord.
न तु माम् अभिजानन्ति तत्त्वेन na tu mām abhijānanti tattvena is what they do not do. They do not recognize him as he is. ataḥ cyavanti te (अतः च्यवन्ति ते) is the fall that follows from that missing recognition.
Sanskrit in this line
अतः + च्यवन्ति ataḥ + cyavanti is recited ataś cyavanti (अतश्च्यवन्ति). aḥ (अः) before c (च्) becomes ś (श्), as यतन्तः + च yatantaḥ + ca did in 9.14. प्रभुः + एव prabhuḥ + eva is prabhur eva (प्रभुरेव): uḥ (उः) before a vowel becomes ur (उर्).
Say it back
Cover the English. Say what he is at every sacrifice. If bhoktā (भोक्ता) drops and only prabhuḥ (प्रभुः) remains, stay here.