Shloka 20
Rājasūya: Agrapūjā for Kṛṣṇa and the Slaying (and Liberation) of Śiśupāla
यदात्मकमिदं विश्वं क्रतवश्च यदात्मका: । अग्निराहुतयो मन्त्रा साङ्ख्यं योगश्च यत्पर: ॥ २० ॥ एक एवाद्वितीयोऽसावैतदात्म्यमिदं जगत् । आत्मनात्माश्रय: सभ्या: सृजत्यवति हन्त्यज: ॥ २१ ॥
yad-ātmakam idaṁ viśvaṁ kratavaś ca yad-ātmakāḥ agnir āhutayo mantrā sāṅkhyaṁ yogaś ca yat-paraḥ
This entire universe rests upon Him, and so do the great sacrifices with their sacred fires, oblations, and mantras. Both Sāṅkhya and yoga aim toward Him, the One without a second. O members of the assembly, that unborn Lord, relying only upon Himself, creates, maintains, and destroys this cosmos by His own energies; thus the existence of the world depends on Him alone.
FAQs
This verse states that sacrifice, fire, offerings, and mantras all have Bhagavān (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) as their essence and final goal.
Though intending to insult Kṛṣṇa, Śiśupāla inadvertently voices a profound truth: Kṛṣṇa is the inner reality of the cosmos and the endpoint of all Vedic paths.
Whatever practice you follow—study, meditation, service, or ritual—aim it toward remembrance and devotion to God, rather than treating the practice as the final goal.