Sanskrit
त्रैविद्या मां सोमपाः पूतपापाः यज्ञैरिष्ट्वा स्वर्गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते । ते पुण्यमासाद्य सुरेन्द्रलोकमश्नन्ति दिव्यान्दिवि देवभोगान् ॥
traividyā māṃ somapāḥ pūtapāpā yajñair iṣṭvā svargatiṃ prārthayante te puṇyam āsādya surendralokam aśnanti divyān divi devabhogān
Translation
The knowers of the three, the Soma-drinkers, the purified from sin, worshipping Me with sacrifice, pray of Me the way to heaven; they, ascending to the holy world of the Ruler of the Shining Ones, eat in heaven the divine feasts of the Shining Ones.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The chapter turns from Krishna’s totality, just claimed in verses 16-19, to a pointed critique of Vedic ritualists — “knowers of the three [Vedas],” Soma-drinkers — who use that same totality instrumentally, worshipping Krishna without realizing it’s him, merely to purchase a stay in heaven. The critique isn’t of the Vedas themselves but of the transactional motive, which verse 21 shows is self-defeating on its own terms.