Bhagavad Gita 9.16 is Chapter 9, Verse 16, in Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga (Royal Knowledge). Below are the Sanskrit text, a transliteration, a plain-English translation and an explanation.
ahaṁ kratur ahaṁ yajñaḥ svadhāham aham auṣadham mantro 'ham aham evājyam aham agnir ahaṁ hutam
"I am the ritual, I am the sacrifice, I am the offering to ancestors, I am the healing herb. I am the mantra, I am the ghee, I am the fire, I am the oblation."
What This Means:
Krishna IS the entire ritual process: the ceremony itself, the sacrifice, the ancestral offerings, the medicinal herbs, the sacred words, the clarified butter, the fire, and what's offered to fire. Every element is Him.
Going Deeper:
This dissolves the subject-object split in worship. Usually we think: 'I (separate) offer this (separate) to God (separate).' But if God is the offerer, offering, and recipient, then worship is God communing with God through you.
How To Apply This:
In your practices, recognize that everything involved, your intention, your body, your words, the recipients, is all pervaded by the same divine presence. Practice becomes recognition, not transaction.
Key Sanskrit Terms: