Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Verse 12 — Karma Yoga
Sanskrit
इष्टान्भोगान्हि वो देवा दास्यन्ते यज्ञभाविताः | तैर्दत्तानप्रदायैभ्यो यो भुङ्क्ते स्तेन एव सः ||३-१२||
Transliteration
iṣṭānbhogānhi vo devā dāsyante yajñabhāvitāḥ . tairdattānapradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ ||3-12||
Hindi Meaning
।।3.12।। यज्ञ द्वारा पोषित देवतागण तुम्हें इष्ट भोग प्रदान करेंगे। उनके द्वारा दिये हुये भोगों को जो पुरुष उनको दिये बिना ही भोगता है वह निश्चय ही चोर है।।
English Meaning
In charge of the various necessities of life, the demigods, being satisfied by the performance of yajña [sacrifice], will supply all necessities to you. But he who enjoys such gifts without offering them to the demigods in return is certainly a thief.
Commentary
The demigods are authorized supplying agents on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. Therefore, they must be satisfied by the performance of prescribed yajñas. In the Vedas, there are different kinds of yajñas prescribed for different kinds of demigods, but all are ultimately offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For one who cannot understand what the Personality of Godhead is, sacrifice to the demigods is recommended. According to the different material qualities of the persons concerned, different types of yajñas are recommended in the Vedas. Worship of different demigods is also on the same basis – namely, according to different qualities. For example, the meat-eaters are recommended to worship the goddess Kālī, the ghastly form of material nature, and before the goddess the sacrifice of animals is recommended. But for those who are in the mode of goodness, the transcendental worship of Viṣṇu is recommended. But ultimately all yajñas are meant for gradual promotion to the transcendental position. For ordinary men, at least five yajñas, known as pañca-mahā-yajña, are necessary. One should know, however, that all the necessities of life that the human society requires are supplied by the demigod agents of the Lord. No one can manufacture anything. Take, for example, all the eatables of human society. These eatables include grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, sugar, etc., for the persons in the mode of goodness, and also eatables for the nonvegetarians, like meats, none of which can be manufactured by men. Then again, take for example heat, light, water, air, etc., which are also necessities of life – none of them can be manufactured by the human society. Without the Supreme Lord, there can be no profuse sunlight, moonlight, rainfall, breeze, etc., without which no one can live. Obviously, our life is dependent on supplies from the Lord. Even for our manufacturing enterprises, we require so many raw materials like metal, sulphur, mercury, manganese, and so many essentials – all of which are supplied by the agents of the Lord, with the purpose that we should make proper use of them to keep ourselves fit and healthy for the purpose of self-realization, leading to the ultimate goal of life, namely, liberation from the material struggle for existence. This aim of life is attained by performance of yajñas. If we forget the purpose of human life and simply take supplies from the agents of the Lord for sense gratification and become more and more entangled in material existence, which is not the purpose of creation, certainly we become thieves, and therefore we are punished by the laws of material nature. A society of thieves can never be happy, because they have no aim in life. The gross materialist thieves have no ultimate goal of life. They are simply directed to sense gratification; nor do they have knowledge of how to perform yajñas. Lord Caitanya, however, inaugurated the easiest performance of yajña, namely the saṅkīrtana-yajña, which can be performed by anyone in the world who accepts the principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Hinglish Commentary
Demigods ko Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu ke taraf se supply agents mana gaya hai. Isliye, unhe prescribed yajñas ke through khush karna zaroori hai. Vedas mein alag-alag demigods ke liye alag-alag yajñas diye gaye hain, par sab ka ultimate goal Supreme Personality of Godhead ko hi offer karna hai. Jo log Bhagwan ki asli nature nahi samajhte, unke liye demigods ko sacrifice karna recommend kiya gaya hai. Vedas ke according, logon ki alag-alag material qualities ke hisaab se alag-alag types ke yajñas bataye gaye hain. Jaise, meat-eaters ko goddess Kālī ki pooja karne ko bola gaya hai, jo material nature ka ghastly roop hai, aur unke saamne animals ka sacrifice bhi recommend kiya gaya hai. Lekin jo log goodness ke mode mein hain, unke liye Viṣṇu ki transcendental pooja karna sahi hai. Lekin sabhi yajñas ka aim hai ki humein transcendental position ki taraf le jaana. Aam logon ke liye, at least paanch yajñas, jo pañca-mahā-yajña kehlate hain, zaroori hain. Humein yeh samajhna chahiye ki insani samaj ko jo bhi zaroori cheezein chahiye, wo sab demigods ke agents ke through milti hain. Koi bhi cheez insaan khud nahi bana sakta. Jaise, grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, sugar, etc. jo goodness ke mode mein logon ke liye hain, aur non-vegetarians ke liye bhi kuch khane ki cheezein hain, in sab ko insaan nahi bana sakta. Phir, heat, light, water, air, etc. jo zindagi ke liye zaroori hain, wo bhi insani samaj nahi bana sakta. Supreme Lord ke bina, na to dhoop hoti hai, na chandni, na barish, na hawa, inke bina toh koi jee nahi sakta. Saaf hai ki hamari zindagi Lord ke supplies par dependent hai. Humare manufacturing enterprises ke liye bhi humein metals, sulphur, mercury, manganese jaise raw materials chahiye, jo sab Lord ke agents hi provide karte hain, taaki hum inka sahi istemal karke apne aap ko fit aur healthy rakh sakein, self-realization ke liye, jo ki life ka ultimate goal hai, yani material struggle se liberation. Yeh goal yajñas ke through hi achieve hota hai. Agar hum human life ka purpose bhool jaate hain aur bas Lord ke agents se supplies lete hain sirf sense gratification ke liye, toh hum material existence mein aur zyada ulajh jaate hain, jo creation ka purpose nahi hai, toh hum chori karne wale ban jaate hain aur material nature ke laws ke through saza milti hai. Chori karne wale samaj kabhi khush nahi ho sakte, kyunki unka koi aim nahi hota. Gross materialist thieves ke paas life ka koi ultimate goal nahi hota. Wo sirf sense gratification ki taraf jaate hain; unhe yajñas kaise karna hai yeh bhi nahi pata. Lekin Lord Caitanya ne sabse aasaan yajña ka tarika shuru kiya, jo saṅkīrtana-yajña hai, aur yeh duniya ka koi bhi insaan jo Kṛṣṇa consciousness ke principles ko accept kare, yeh kar sakta hai.
Chinmaya Commentary
देवताओं को सन्तुष्ट करने पर वे हमें सन्तुष्ट करते हैं कर्मकाण्ड के इस अबाध्य सिद्धान्त को श्रीकृष्ण दोहराते हैं। देव और यज्ञ इन दो शब्दों के पारम्परिक अर्थ के स्थान पर पूर्वश्लोकों के विवरण में बताये हुये अर्थ को हम यदि स्वीकार करें तभी इस श्लोक का अर्थ सत्य प्रमाणित होता है उत्पादनक्षमता देव का त्याग और अर्पण की भावना से आचरित कर्म यज्ञ के द्वारा पोषण करने पर वह हमें इष्ट फल प्रदान करेगा। यह जीवन का नियम है।जब हम सबको यज्ञ से फल प्राप्त होता है तब उसे आपस में बांटकर उपभोग करने का हमें पूर्ण अधिकार है। किसी भी प्राणी को सामूहिक प्रयत्न में सहयोग दिये बिना दूसरे के कर्मों का लाभ नहीं उठाना चाहिये। पूँजीवादी जीवन व्यवस्था में एक यह दुष्प्रवृत्ति दिखाई देती है कि लाखों कर्मचारियों के सामूहिक कर्मों का अधिक से अधिक लाभ अकेला व्यक्ति उठाना चाहता है। इस प्रकार की दुष्प्रवृत्ति अन्तत सभी कर्मक्षेत्रों में अव्यवस्था को जन्म देती है। परिणाम यह होता है कि जीवन के सामंजस्य में अव्यवस्था फैलाने से राष्ट्रीय और अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय शान्ति के लिये संकट उत्पन्न हो जाता है। इस श्लोक के दूसरी पंक्ति में कही हुई बात को आधुनिक अर्थशास्त्र की भाषा में इस प्रकार कहते हैं समाज का वह व्यक्ति जो उत्पादन किये बिना भोग करता है राष्ट्र के लिये भारस्वरूप है।यज्ञ निस्वार्थ सेवा किये बिना जो देवताओं से भोग प्राप्त करता है भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण उसे सामाजिक चोर की संज्ञा देते हैं। गीताकालीन सम्मानित नैतिक आदर्शों को देखते हुये चोर शब्द का प्रयोग कठोर किन्तु शक्तिशाली है जो भोगी एवं सामाजिक अपराधी व्यक्ति के भ्रष्ट एवं अनादर पूर्ण स्वभाव की ओर संकेत करता है।परन्तु