Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 - Rajavidya Rajaguhya Yoga - Sloka 23

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of Bhagavad Gita , published by Ramakrishna Mission

Man Gets What He Seeks 22-25

1 Gita Sloka  every day - Chapter 9 - Rajavidya Rajaguhya Yoga - Sloka 23

Ther ezhendur  Deveadirajan Perumal

Ye api anya devatah bhakthah yajante shraddhaya anuvitah I

Te api mam eva kaunteya yajanti avidhi purvakam II sloka 23

ये अपि अन्य देवताः भक्ताः यजन्ते श्रद्धया अनुवितः I 

ते अपि मां  एव कौन्तेय यजन्ति अविधि पूर्वकम् I I  श्लोक 23

Even those devotees who, endowed with shraddha, worship other gods, worship me alone, O son of Kunti, by the wrong method.

 Because there are devotees endowed with shraddha, they are necessarily believers in God and his grace. It is not wantonly, but only for want of right understanding that they adopt the wrong method.

A good government has its sound administrative system from which its loyal offices donot deviate. Be it supposed that a citizen has applied to an officer for a favour and he has sanctioned it, coming as it oes within the purview of the system. It is a mistake if the applicant fancies that the officer has shown him concession. The actual position of the minor gods is equal to that of the government officer. As all powers come to them from the government, even so whatever power the other gods have, it has come to them from Sriman Narayana. Apart from and independent of him no deity has any power to bestow any boon. The wrong method consists is getting things done counter to this truth.

But why should this be a worng method be held wrong at all? The answer comes in the next sloka.