Bhagavad Gita - Daily - II CHAPTER 3-13 II

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Gita 3-13

 

yajna-shishtaashinah santo, muchyante sarva-kilbishaih |

bhunjate te tv agham paapaa, ye pachantyaatma-kaaranaat ||

 

" The righteous, who eat the remnants of the sacrifice, are released from all

sins. But the sinful ones, who cook food or do all actions for themselves,

verily devour sin. "

 

Comment:

 

The root cause for all sins is desire. Therefore, any doing actions to fulfill

desires for ourselves is a sin (is bondage); and doing actions for other's

welfare without any selfish desire is meritorious. The outcome of sin is

suffering and the outcome of virtuous deeds (doing things for others) is

happiness. Therefore, the selfish people who do things for themselves suffer and

those who do things with an unselfish attitude for others, experience happiness.

 

From " Gita Prabodhani " in Hind by Swami Ramsukhdasji

 

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Chapter 3, Verse 13 is as follows;

 

Yadnya-shishtaashinaH = those who eat remnants of sacrifice

SantaH = the righteous people

Muchyante = are freed / liberated

Sarva-KilbiShaiH = from all sins

Bhunjyate = eat / devour

Te = those

Tu = indeed

Agham = sin

PaapaaH = the sinful / wicked people

Ye = who

Pachyanti = to cook / to prepare food / to be engaged in various activities

Aatma-kaaraNaat = for their own sake

 

English translation:-

 

The righteous people, who eat the remnants of Yadnya i.e. sacrifice, are freed

from all sins; but the sinful / wicked people, who prepare food only for

themselves, they verily devour sin.

 

Comment:

 

As per our scriptures, any day that passes bereft of the performance of Yadnya

(sacrifice) is to be treated as a day gone waste. Every Sadhak is expected to be

engaged in five great Yadnyaas. All five of them fall under the category of

Nitya Karma i.e. daily obligatory duties.

 

The first and the foremost is `Deva Yadnya' i.e. worship of God. Every morning

it invariably begins with `PraaataH-SmaraNa' such as " Nirvigham Kuru Me Deva

Sarva KaaryeShu Sarvadaa " i.e. O God! With your grace, let my day always begin

without any obstacles in all my sacrificial endeavours. It is usually augmented

with variety of religious rituals as per cultural and linguistic traditions in

India that are coupled with individual preferences for selection of worshiping

Deities.

 

The second in the descending order is `Rishi Yadnya' i.e. the adoration of the

enlightened souls, who have contributed to the collective knowledge pool of

scriptures as building blocks for spiritual progress of every Sadhak. A devoted

study, assimilation and daily practice of the principles enunciated in those

scriptures constitute the `Rishi Yadnya'.

 

The third in the descending order is `Pitru Yadnya' i.e. service of the living

parents as well as daily holy and auspicious thoughts for the welfare of the

departed ancestors in their subsequent manifestations.

 

The fourth in the descending order is `Nara Yadnya' i.e. devoted service

rendered to the entire humanity. A Sadhak, who places the public interest above

his / her personal interest and acts accordingly, is considered to be engaged in

`Nara Yadnya'.

 

The fifth in the descending order is `Bhoota Yadnya' i.e. reverent relationship

with all the living beings in this mortal but interdependent world.

Symbolically, a cow is considered to be a sacred animal goddess, who converts

grass and water into milk as a sacrificial action for the benefit of her calves

as well as for the entire mankind.

 

" It is the God Himself who has become the entire Creation. All beings are

therefore to be revered as the various manifestations of Narayana i.e. the

Supreme Being. However, some of the manifestations of untamed animals like

tigers, lions etc. have to be respected without disturbing their natural

habitat " ……. Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa.

 

It is only through the meticulous practice of these five Yadnyaas, the life of a

Sadhak becomes meaningful and ultimately results into both material and

spiritual prosperity.

 

In the verse 12 of chapter 3, the attitude of `Taamasika' i.e. inert and

indolent human beings has been covered. In the verse 13, the attitudes of

`Raajasika' i.e. passionate and constantly agitated ones and `Saattvika' i.e.

serene and contemplative ones are covered.

 

The `Raajasika' ones are engaged in selfish actions with egocentric desires to

gain increasingly more material acquisitions and sensual pleasures, which

ultimately result into mental agitations that are termed as sins. Their gross

and crafty attitudes impact them with unabated worries and anxieties, stress and

strain. They merely cook (acquire) but hardly eat (enjoy). As per a popular

saying, " The fools build houses but the wise ones enjoy staying in them " .

 

On the other hand, the `Saattvika' ones are engaged in all the Nitya (daily) and

Naimittika (occasional) bounden duties in the spirit of `Idam Na Mama' i.e. it

is not only for my personal consumption but it is to be shared with all the

needy ones. Their all endeavours are directed to the welfare of all the beings

in the spirit of `Sarva Bhoota Hite RataaH'. Whenever a Sadhak is established in

sacrificial actions, he is able to shed all his `Vaasanaas' i.e. unfulfilled

residual desires and consequent mental agitations termed as sins and thus he is

able to enjoy the fruits of his sacrificial actions by attaining mental peace

and bliss.

 

It reminds me of the verse 40 in chapter 1 in Yajurveda, " Tyakten BhunjeethaaH,

Maa GruddhaH, Kasyasvidhanam " i.e. Enjoy by sacrificial and charitable actions.

Do not be greedy. After all it is the Param Aatman, who is the real owner of the

entire wealth! "

 

Please refer verse 22 of chapter 13 of Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta, where in Lord

Krishna has proclaimed, " The Supreme Spirit (Chetana) in this physical body is

thus said to be the witness, the permitter, the supporter, the enjoyer, the

Great Lord and also the Supreme Self. "

 

Please note that in verse 31 of chapter 4, Lord Krishna has termed remnants of

Yadnya i.e. sacrifice as `Amruta' i.e. nectar. He who performs actions only for

his own pleasure will continue to remain dissatisfied and unhappy; while those

who toil for the welfare of others as well will become happy forever. The

implicit message of Lord Krishna to Arjuna is, " Poorvakrutam i.e. sinful actions

performed in your previous manifestations are the causes of your present pains.

Similarly, if you perform sinful actions in your current manifestation, then

they will become causes of your future sorrows. Therefore, you must perform your

bounden duties with the feelings of being ever satisfied in the remnants of your

sacrificial actions; then and then only you will be able to enjoy the fruits of

your sacrificial actions in the form of mental peace and in the process you will

certainly attain salvation. "

 

Thanks and Best Regards,

Shrikant Joshi.

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Gita 3-13

 

yajna-shishtaashinah santo, muchyante sarva-kilbishaih |

bhunjate te tv agham paapaa, ye pachantyaatma-kaaranaat ||

 

" The righteous, who eat the remnants of the sacrifice, are released from all

sins. But the sinful ones, who cook food or do all actions for themselves,

verily devour sin. "

 

Comment:

 

'Yajnashisthaashinah santah' — When duties are performed according to the

scriptural injunctions, without desiring fruit, in the spirit of yagna (in the

form of a remnant of the sacrifice) then Equanimity and Yog (union) finally

remains. The main factor in the Discipline of Action (Karmayog) is, that it is

only with the materials received from the world that an action is performed.

Therefore, it is only when selfless service is rendered to the world that an

action is called 'Yajna' . After performing sacrifice (action) the residue

'Yoga' (Equanimity) is, for oneself. This 'Yoga' (Equanimity) is the essence

which has been called 'nectar' in the fourth chapter (4/31).

 

'Mucyante sarvakilbisaih' — Here the term kilbisaih' means

sins viz., bondage. The Lord has used the adjective, 'sarva' (all),

which means that having realized equanimity, a man is released

from all bondage. All his actions performed in the past, (as

stored and ripe ones) as well as, those performed at present,

melt away i.e., are reduced to nothing (Gita 4/23).* When his

actions have been reduced to nothing, he attains to the eternal

Absolute (Gita 4/31).

 

In the ninth verse of this chapter, the Lord declared, " mankind is bound by

actions, other than those, performed for the sake of sacrifice. " While in the

twenty-third verse of the fourth chapter He declared, " All the actions of the

man who works for the sake of sacrifice, are dissolved. " The same fact has been

pointed out here, in this verse. It means, that people who realize equanimity,

the remnant of sacrifice, are liberated from all bondage. Not only the sinful

actions, but also the virtuous actions which are performed, with the hope of

fruit, are conducive to bondage. He who has attained equanimity as remnant of

sacrifice, casts away both good (virtues) and evil (sins) (GIta 2/50).

 

Now think over the root of bondage. The desire, that this should happen and that

should not happen, is the root of bondage. Desire is the cause of all sins (GIta

3/37). So it must be renounced.

In fact, desire has no independent existence of its own. It is born of a feeling

of want in the self, while in the self (soul) no paucity, is ever possible. So

the self has no desire. But a man's self by identifying itself with the unreal

body etc., feels the missing objects for the body, as shortage in him, and thus

has a desire for the unreal. He should realize that he (self) ever remains the

same, while the worldly objects and actions appear and disappear, these are bom

and perish. So, how can the perishable fulfil the desire of the imperishable?

Therefore, it is a folly to hanker after those sense-objects. They cannot make

up the deficiency. If a serious and proper thought, is given to this point,

desires can be wiped out easily.

 

When a striver renders service with his body and things etc., without regarding

these as his and for him, his affinity with the body and things etc., is

renounced and he realizes the real self. Then, he feels no want. Such a man is

liberated from the bondage of the world, while he is alive.

 

'Ye pacantyatmakaranat'—All kind of desire, selfishness, attachment etc., are

included in the expression 'atmakaranati (for their own sake). The more selfish

a man is, the greater a sinner he is.

Here the term 'pachanti' denotes, all the mundane actions such as eating,

drinking, walking, sitting and so on. Whatever action a selfish man performs,

either for himself or for others, performs only for himself. On the other hand,

a striver who, having renounced selfish motives while performing his duty, works

for others only, even when he appears to work for himself. He, who uses the

objects which he has received from the world for his own enjoyment, actually

cooks food for his own sake. It is a great sin to regard the body, a fragment of

the world, as one's own and for one's own self. But he who without, regarding

the body as his own, supplies necessities such as food, water and clothes etc.,

to it, and does not allow it to be lazy, heedless and pleasure-seeking, renders

service to it and becomes free from the feeling of mineness and attachment to

it.

Man himself, has to reap the fruit of actions performed by him. But his actions

affect the entire world. He who performs actions for himself, deviates from his

duty. That deviation results in calamities such as famines, epidemics and deaths

etc., in a country. So, it is proper on the part of a man, that he should do

nothing for himself, should regard nothing as his own and should desire nothing

for himself.

 

He who expects the perishable fruit of actions, is also like those who cook

food, for their own sake. So the Lord in the first verse of the sixth chapter,

declares that a Karmayogi should perform his allotted duty without depending on

the fruit of actions. When a man totally renounces dependence on the fruit of

action, he does nothing for himself and thus gets established in Yoga.

 

'Bhunjate te tvagharii papa'—The Lord condemns the sinful ones, who perform

actions for themselves. Such persons store so many sins which are not exhausted

even after suffering tortures in hells and eighty-four lac forms of lives, but

their sinful actions remain as stored actions (sancita karma). Human life is

such a marvellous field in which, as we sow so shall we reap for many births to

come*. Therefore, a man must resolve not to commit sins in future i.e., must not

perform actions for himself. Such a resolution means a great power. The fact is,

that all the sins of a man who resolves to follow the spiritual path, cease to

be committed by him.

 

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Footnotes

* When he has no desire, his stored actions of the past disappear. So long as

the body is alive, desirable and undesirable circumstances appear according to

the fortune, but he remains unaffected by them. Thus actions in the form of

fortune also disappear. As far as the actions of the present are concerned, they

are turned into inaction i.e., they don't bear any fruit because they are

performed without any desire for fruit.

 

From " The Bhagavad Gita - Sadhak Sanjivani " in English pg. 296 - 299 by Swami

Ramsukhdasji

 

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