Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter3-karmayoga

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13.yajnaSishtaaSinaH santhah muchyanthe sarvakilbishaiH

bhunjathe the thu agham paapaah yo pachanthi aathma kaaraNaath

The good, who partake what remains of yajna is freed from all sins but the one who cooks for himself only consumes sin.

This has reference to the five yajnas specified for the householders as it is tantamount to discharging the debt to the creations and the creator. The Lord has created the world of sentient and insentient beings and provided everything for men who are supposed to live in perfect coordination. As nothing is created by man he is indebted to the world and nature for what he enjoys through sense gratification. Hence he has to discharge his duty to the world of beings and nature which is denoted by the five yajnas mentioned in the commentary of the11th sloka. After performing these without attachment as an offering to God, the householder has to enjoy what is left over.

All worldly activities like agriculture, business and arts and crafts besides the vedic karmas of performing sacrifice etc. are riddled with faults. Even in the daily activities of the house, the usage of mortar, grindstone, stove, water tank, broomstick etc involve some himsa and we incur sin, not to speak of killing mosquitoes, cockroaches etc.! The one who does the five yajnas without selfish motive but for the welfare of all, being grateful for the gifts of nature and the divine, partakes what ever is left over as the blessing of the Lord , is freed from all sins of this sort.

On the other hand, one who earns and accumulates money and possessions for himself and appropriates what is not due to him by right is the one mentioned here as `yo pachathi aathmakaaraNaath,' one who cooks for himself. He is called sinner who eats sin by his actions.

Why should one do these yajnas ? It is to preserve the wheel of creation. Krishna explains this in the subsequent slokas.