Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 8: The Imperishable Absolute

Bhagavad Gita 8.28

vedeṣu yajñeṣu tapaḥsu caiva dāneṣu yatpuṇyaphalaṃ pradiṣṭam | atyeti tatsarvamidaṃ viditvā yogī paraṃ sthānamupaiti cādyam ||

Knowing all this, the yogi goes beyond whatever fruit of merit is promised for study of the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities, and gifts, and reaches the supreme, primal abode.

Modern context

Study, ritual, austerity and charity each promise their own reward. The yogi who understands this chapter goes beyond all of them. This does not mean those practices are worthless; they are good and they bear fruit. But their fruits are limited. Knowing the source of all of them reaches further than any of them can on its own. The chapter ends by pointing beyond merit itself, to the primal home from which everything comes.