You go to what you worship, and those who worship Krishna come to him.
Krishna sorts the worshippers by the object of their vow: the gods, the ancestors, the spirits, and himself, each devotion arriving at the very being it was aimed at. The rule is exact and impartial, and of all those destinations only one does not perish.
Those who worship the gods go to the gods. Those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors. Those who worship the spirits go to the spirits. And those who worship me come to me.
It follows the warning that those who do not hold Krishna as the true enjoyer and master of the offering fall away; here he spells out, class by class, where each kind of worship in fact arrives.
Where they agreethe convergence
Across schools and centuries the commentators come to the same ground. These are the points they share, and the voices that hold each one.
Worship moves toward its object: vow yourself to the gods and you go to the gods; vow yourself to Krishna and you come to him.
Across Advaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Bhakti, Śuddhādvaita, Bhedābheda, and the modern voicesŚaṅkara · Rāmānuja · Madhusūdana · Dhanapati · Śrīdhara · Vallabha · Puruṣottama · Baladeva · Viśvanātha · Sivananda · Nīlakaṇṭha · Bhāskara · Jñāneśvar · Tilak · Vedānta DeśikaIn Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, and 13 others’ words
Krishna lays down a plain rule of worship: you reach what you set your heart on. He sorts worshippers by their object. Those whose vow (vrata, here a settled resolve or aim) is to the gods (devas) such as Indra go to the gods. Those whose vow is to the ancestors (pitris), performing rites like the shraddha (offerings to the departed), go to the ancestors. Those who sacrifice to the spirits (bhutas) such as the Yakshas, Rakshasas, Vinayaka, and the host of Mother-goddesses go to those spirits. And those who worship Krishna go to Krishna. The destination simply matches the aim of the worship.
The same devotion that wins a passing reward from passing beings, offered to the imperishable, wins what does not end; from him there is no return.
Across Advaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Bhakti, and the modern voicesŚaṅkara · Rāmānuja · Madhusūdana · Dhanapati · Śrīdhara · Viśvanātha · Baladeva · Sivananda · ĀnandagiriIn Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, and 7 others’ words
The decisive difference is not how hard you work but whom you worship, because the destinations are not equal. The gods, ancestors, and spirits are themselves perishable, so those who reach them enjoy a bounded reward and, when those beings come to their end, fall and return. Krishna alone is imperishable and without beginning or end, so those who reach Him do not return. Several commentators stress that the effort spent worshipping a lesser deity is the very same effort that, directed to Krishna, would win a limitless fruit; to spend equal toil for a small, ending reward is described as a kind of ignorance or worldly folly.
You become what you worship: hold the perishable in mind and take its nature; hold Krishna, and his imperishable, blissful nature becomes your own.
Across Advaita, Bhedābheda, Bhakti, and the modern voicesMadhusūdana · Bhāskara · Tilak · Sivananda · Jñāneśvar · ViśvanāthaIn Madhusūdana, Bhāskara, and 4 others’ words
Many commentators read the verse through the principle that one becomes what one worships, citing the scriptural saying 'as one worships Him, so one becomes that.' The deva-worshipper takes on the nature of the gods, the spirit-worshipper the nature of the spirits, and the worshipper of Krishna comes to share Krishna's own imperishable, blissful nature. The fruit therefore corresponds exactly to the worshipper's faith, knowledge, and the object held in mind.
No faithful worship is wasted; each sincere worshipper gains the fitting fruit, and the worship of Krishna asks nothing rarer than simple, easily gathered things.
Across Advaita, Bhakti, and the modern voicesŚaṅkara · Baladeva · Nīlakaṇṭha · Ānandagiri · Sivananda · DhanapatiIn Śaṅkara, Baladeva, and 4 others’ words
Worship of Krishna is not only higher in fruit but also easier and surer. Several commentators note that He is worshipped with simple, easily obtained substances, and that all worshippers genuinely gain their chosen object, so no one's faithful worship is wasted; the lesser worshippers do receive their lesser, fitting reward. The verse thus both validates every sincere worshipper and points clearly to where the greatest, non-returning fruit lies.
This is the shared ground; it can be carried as it is. Below is where they differ.
Where they differthe divergence
Advaita Vedānta, in their fuller words
These commentators read the lesser worshippers as acting 'out of ignorance,' worshipping another deity rather than Krishna, the inner controller who is the real giver of every fruit. Madhusudana maps the three classes of worshippers onto the three qualities (gunas) of the inner instrument: the sattvic worship the gods, the rajasic worship the ancestors, and the tamasic worship the spirits. He further holds that Krishna's true worshippers are those who see Krishna's own being present in all the deities. The recurring note is lament: with equal effort one could have won the endless fruit, and to miss it is the power of ill fate, namely ignorance.
Viśiṣṭādvaita, in their fuller words
These commentators take 'vow' to mean resolve (sankalpa) expressed in concrete ritual intentions ('we sacrifice to Indra by the new-moon and full-moon rites'). They stress that the very same sacrifices, when offered with the resolve that one is worshipping the supreme Self, the Blessed Vasudeva, who has the gods, ancestors, and beings for His body, reach Krishna Himself. Vedantadeshika makes much of the word 'also' (api): the Lord's worshippers reach the Lord not as an exception to the rule but as a perfect instance of it, the same rule that takes others to their lesser destinations. The practical upshot for him is that the seeker should choose the object of worship with the destination clearly in mind.
Dvaita, in their fuller words
These commentators read the verse very briefly as Krishna's distinguishing of the fruits of worship. Jayatirtha explains why the point needs restating after earlier verses already spoke of differing fruits: this verse is simply the elaboration of that same teaching about where each kind of worshipper goes.
Śuddhādvaita, in their fuller words
Vallabha takes 'vow' as sankalpa, a mental act, identical with what the chapter elsewhere calls 'disposition' (bhava), and sorts the worshippers by sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic disposition; those of purified and quality-transcending (nirguna) disposition resolve to worship the Supreme Self, Shri Vasudeva, the ground (adhishthana) of gods, ancestors, and spirits, and attain union (sayujya) with Krishna. Purushottama adds a distinctive twist: those who worship the various deities with the knowledge that those deities are Krishna's portions do reach Krishna, but only by stages, through the company of those deities in succession, whereas Krishna's own worshippers reach Him directly (sakshat); this directness is the precise distinction marked by the word 'also.'
Bhedābheda, in their fuller words
Bhaskara rests the whole verse on the scriptural law that as one acts and worships in this life, so one becomes hereafter. He treats the meaning as self-evident from the verse's own words and draws the conclusion that all of Krishna's worshippers come to share the very nature of Vasudeva.
Bhakti, in their fuller words
These devotional commentators press the contrast between the perishable lesser deities and the imperishable Krishna. Vishvanatha defends the worshippers of other deities as not at fault, since they follow the proper procedure for their chosen deity, yet argues that because those deities themselves perish, their devotees cannot become imperishable, while Krishna is eternal and so His devotees too become eternal, citing texts that say the devotees do not fall away even in the great dissolution. Baladeva contrasts the two convictions directly: the conviction 'Indra and the rest are our lords' versus 'Vasudeva, the all-powerful Lord who stands forth in those very deities, is our master,' and describes Krishna's devotees as enjoying endless joys and sporting in His divine abode. Jnaneshwari pours this into a long meditation on whole-hearted self-surrender: the true devotee is so filled with Krishna in eye, ear, mind, and word that he is already united with Krishna before death, and it adds the warning that all boasting of one's own knowledge, sacrifices, or perfection is worthless, urging humility before all.
A modern reading, in their fuller words
These modern commentators highlight that although one Supreme pervades everything, the fruit comes graded by each person's faith. Tilak underlines that the reward is given not by the deity worshipped but by the Supreme Lord Himself, who looks only at the worshipper's faith and devotion, not at what is offered; this, he says, is the important principle of the path of devotion. Sivananda adds that the fruit accords with the devotee's knowledge, faith, offering, and nature of worship, and that Krishna's devotees, gaining endless fruit, do not come back to this mortal world. Ramsukhdas frames the verse by the previous one: those who do not hold Krishna as the true enjoyer and master, but make themselves enjoyer and master, fall away.
A few questions to carry
These ask for understanding, not recall; each answer is settled by the commentary itself.
For a second sitting
Carry this with youwhat stays
Let the worship soak through your whole life. The image offered here is of a devotee whose eyes are filled with the vision of Krishna, whose ears hear only His praise, whose mind meditates on Him, and whose words sing Him; in all things, with all the heart, such a person bows to the divine. When learning, charity, and every act flow into this one channel of devotion, the union is not something postponed until after death. It is already real on this side of death, so the question of going elsewhere afterward does not even arise. And the necessary key is self-surrender. The teaching warns plainly that boasting of one's own knowledge, sacrifices, or perfection is itself an imperfection; even the greatest beings lay down their pride before the divine. So cast off conceit and pride of place, bow in humility, and let the whole self be given without grudge. That ungrudging surrender, not external ceremony, is what opens the supreme bliss of the eternal life.
Whoever fills eye, ear, mind, and word with him has already arrived; for such a one the question of going somewhere after death does not even arise.
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Convergence
rishna lays down a plain rule of worship: you reach what you set your heart on. He sorts worshippers by their object. Those whose vow (vrata, here a settled resolve or aim) is to the gods (devas) such as Indra go to the gods. Those whose vow is to the ancestors (pitris), performing rites like the shraddha (offerings to the departed), go to the ancestors. Those who sacrifice to the spirits (bhutas) such as the Yakshas, Rakshasas, Vinayaka, and the host of Mother-goddesses go to those spirits. And those who worship Krishna go to Krishna. The destination simply matches the aim of the worship.
Braided from 15 commentators
Śaṅkarācārya · Rāmānujācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Dhanapati Sūri · Śrīdhara Svāmī · Vallabhācārya · Śrī Puruṣottama · Śrīla Baladeva · Śrīla Viśvanātha · Swami Sivananda · Śrī Nīlakaṇṭha · Śrī Bhāskara · Sant Jñāneśvar · Lokmanya Tilak · Vedānta Deśika
The decisive difference is not how hard you work but whom you worship, because the destinations are not equal. The gods, ancestors, and spirits are themselves perishable, so those who reach them enjoy a bounded reward and, when those beings come to their end, fall and return. Krishna alone is imperishable and without beginning or end, so those who reach Him do not return. Several commentators stress that the effort spent worshipping a lesser deity is the very same effort that, directed to Krishna, would win a limitless fruit; to spend equal toil for a small, ending reward is described as a kind of ignorance or worldly folly.
Braided from 9 commentators
Śaṅkarācārya · Rāmānujācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Dhanapati Sūri · Śrīdhara Svāmī · Śrīla Viśvanātha · Śrīla Baladeva · Swami Sivananda · Śrī Ānandagiri
Many commentators read the verse through the principle that one becomes what one worships, citing the scriptural saying 'as one worships Him, so one becomes that.' The deva-worshipper takes on the nature of the gods, the spirit-worshipper the nature of the spirits, and the worshipper of Krishna comes to share Krishna's own imperishable, blissful nature. The fruit therefore corresponds exactly to the worshipper's faith, knowledge, and the object held in mind.
Braided from 6 commentators
Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Śrī Bhāskara · Lokmanya Tilak · Swami Sivananda · Sant Jñāneśvar · Śrīla Viśvanātha
Worship of Krishna is not only higher in fruit but also easier and surer. Several commentators note that He is worshipped with simple, easily obtained substances, and that all worshippers genuinely gain their chosen object, so no one's faithful worship is wasted; the lesser worshippers do receive their lesser, fitting reward. The verse thus both validates every sincere worshipper and points clearly to where the greatest, non-returning fruit lies.
Braided from 6 commentators
Śaṅkarācārya · Śrīla Baladeva · Śrī Nīlakaṇṭha · Śrī Ānandagiri · Swami Sivananda · Dhanapati Sūri
Divergence
Advaita Vedānta
These commentators read the lesser worshippers as acting 'out of ignorance,' worshipping another deity rather than Krishna, the inner controller who is the real giver of every fruit. Madhusudana maps the three classes of worshippers onto the three qualities (gunas) of the inner instrument: the sattvic worship the gods, the rajasic worship the ancestors, and the tamasic worship the spirits. He further holds that Krishna's true worshippers are those who see Krishna's own being present in all the deities. The recurring note is lament: with equal effort one could have won the endless fruit, and to miss it is the power of ill fate, namely ignorance.
Śaṅkarācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Śrī Ānandagiri · Dhanapati Sūri · Śrī Nīlakaṇṭha
Viśiṣṭādvaita
These commentators take 'vow' to mean resolve (sankalpa) expressed in concrete ritual intentions ('we sacrifice to Indra by the new-moon and full-moon rites'). They stress that the very same sacrifices, when offered with the resolve that one is worshipping the supreme Self, the Blessed Vasudeva, who has the gods, ancestors, and beings for His body, reach Krishna Himself. Vedantadeshika makes much of the word 'also' (api): the Lord's worshippers reach the Lord not as an exception to the rule but as a perfect instance of it, the same rule that takes others to their lesser destinations. The practical upshot for him is that the seeker should choose the object of worship with the destination clearly in mind.
Rāmānujācārya · Vedānta Deśika
Dvaita
These commentators read the verse very briefly as Krishna's distinguishing of the fruits of worship. Jayatirtha explains why the point needs restating after earlier verses already spoke of differing fruits: this verse is simply the elaboration of that same teaching about where each kind of worshipper goes.
Madhvācārya · Śrī Jayatīrtha
Śuddhādvaita
Vallabha takes 'vow' as sankalpa, a mental act, identical with what the chapter elsewhere calls 'disposition' (bhava), and sorts the worshippers by sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic disposition; those of purified and quality-transcending (nirguna) disposition resolve to worship the Supreme Self, Shri Vasudeva, the ground (adhishthana) of gods, ancestors, and spirits, and attain union (sayujya) with Krishna. Purushottama adds a distinctive twist: those who worship the various deities with the knowledge that those deities are Krishna's portions do reach Krishna, but only by stages, through the company of those deities in succession, whereas Krishna's own worshippers reach Him directly (sakshat); this directness is the precise distinction marked by the word 'also.'
Vallabhācārya · Śrī Puruṣottama
Bhedabheda
Bhaskara rests the whole verse on the scriptural law that as one acts and worships in this life, so one becomes hereafter. He treats the meaning as self-evident from the verse's own words and draws the conclusion that all of Krishna's worshippers come to share the very nature of Vasudeva.
Śrī Bhāskara
Bhakti
These devotional commentators press the contrast between the perishable lesser deities and the imperishable Krishna. Vishvanatha defends the worshippers of other deities as not at fault, since they follow the proper procedure for their chosen deity, yet argues that because those deities themselves perish, their devotees cannot become imperishable, while Krishna is eternal and so His devotees too become eternal, citing texts that say the devotees do not fall away even in the great dissolution. Baladeva contrasts the two convictions directly: the conviction 'Indra and the rest are our lords' versus 'Vasudeva, the all-powerful Lord who stands forth in those very deities, is our master,' and describes Krishna's devotees as enjoying endless joys and sporting in His divine abode. Jnaneshwari pours this into a long meditation on whole-hearted self-surrender: the true devotee is so filled with Krishna in eye, ear, mind, and word that he is already united with Krishna before death, and it adds the warning that all boasting of one's own knowledge, sacrifices, or perfection is worthless, urging humility before all.
Śrīdhara Svāmī · Śrīla Viśvanātha · Śrīla Baladeva · Sant Jñāneśvar
Modern
These modern commentators highlight that although one Supreme pervades everything, the fruit comes graded by each person's faith. Tilak underlines that the reward is given not by the deity worshipped but by the Supreme Lord Himself, who looks only at the worshipper's faith and devotion, not at what is offered; this, he says, is the important principle of the path of devotion. Sivananda adds that the fruit accords with the devotee's knowledge, faith, offering, and nature of worship, and that Krishna's devotees, gaining endless fruit, do not come back to this mortal world. Ramsukhdas frames the verse by the previous one: those who do not hold Krishna as the true enjoyer and master, but make themselves enjoyer and master, fall away.
Lokmanya Tilak · Swami Sivananda · Swami Ramsukhdas
A Seeker Asks
If every sincere worshipper truly reaches the object they aim at, why does it matter which deity I worship?
It matters because the rule is exact and impartial: you reach precisely what you set your heart on, and the destinations are not equal. The gods, ancestors, and spirits are themselves perishable, so their worshippers gain a real but bounded reward and, when those beings end, return; Krishna is imperishable and without beginning or end, so His worshippers do not return.
Rāmānujācārya · Śaṅkarācārya · Śrīla Baladeva · Śrīla Viśvanātha · Swami Sivananda
The point is not that lesser worship is worthless. Every sincere worshipper genuinely gains a fitting fruit, and no faith is wasted. The teaching simply makes you aware that the same effort, the same surrender, aimed at the imperishable rather than the perishable, wins a limitless rather than an ending fruit; to spend equal toil for a small reward when the greatest was available is what the commentators call ignorance or folly.
Śaṅkarācārya · Dhanapati Sūri · Śrī Ānandagiri · Śrī Nīlakaṇṭha
There is also a deeper resolution offered by several commentators: the Supreme is the ground and inner reality of all the deities, and it is in fact the Supreme Lord, not the lesser deity, who actually gives every reward. So worship offered with the awareness that one is reaching the supreme Self who has all beings for His body, or who stands forth in all those deities, reaches the Lord Himself. The choice, then, is really about how clearly you see the one who receives all worship.
Rāmānujācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Vallabhācārya · Lokmanya Tilak
Contemplation
Let the worship soak through your whole life. The image offered here is of a devotee whose eyes are filled with the vision of Krishna, whose ears hear only His praise, whose mind meditates on Him, and whose words sing Him; in all things, with all the heart, such a person bows to the divine. When learning, charity, and every act flow into this one channel of devotion, the union is not something postponed until after death. It is already real on this side of death, so the question of going elsewhere afterward does not even arise. And the necessary key is self-surrender. The teaching warns plainly that boasting of one's own knowledge, sacrifices, or perfection is itself an imperfection; even the greatest beings lay down their pride before the divine. So cast off conceit and pride of place, bow in humility, and let the whole self be given without grudge. That ungrudging surrender, not external ceremony, is what opens the supreme bliss of the eternal life.
Sit with this · Sant Jñāneśvar
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