Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Verse 23
भगवद् गीता अध्याय 9 श्लोक 23

येऽप्यन्यदेवता भक्ता यजन्ते श्रद्धयाऽन्विताः।
तेऽपि मामेव कौन्तेय यजन्त्यविधिपूर्वकम्।।9.23।।



English Translation - Swami Sivananda
9.23 Even those devotees who, endowed with faith, worship other gods, worship Me alone, O Arjuna, b the wrong method.


English Translation of Sanskrit Commentary By Sri Shankaracharya's
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-


Transliteration Bhagavad Gita 9.23Ye’pyanyadevataa bhaktaa yajante shraddhayaa’nvitaah;
Te’pi maameva kaunteya yajantyavidhipoorvakam.


Word Meanings Bhagavad Gita 9.23ye—those who; api—although; anya—other; devatā—celestial gods; bhaktāḥ—devotees; yajante—worship; śhraddhayā anvitāḥ—faithfully; te—they; api—also; mām—Me; eva—only; kaunteya—Arjun, the son of Kunti; yajanti—worship; avidhi-pūrvakam—by the wrong method