Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter3-karmayoga

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10. sahayajnaaH prajaah srshtvaa purovaacha prajaapathiH

anena prasavishyaDhvam yo asthu ishtakaamaDhuk

 

Creating the yajnas in the beginning along with the people the creator said , " May you prosper with this which will be like kamadhenu to you giving all you want.

 

Yajna was created along with man, says, Krishna, so that man can prosper by it Yajna as elaborated in the karmakanda of the Vedas are supposed to yield the fruit for which they were performed. The same done without attachment brings about release from the bondage of karma. To understand this one has to know something about the way yajnaas are performed.

 

Yajna in those days was a cooperative endeavour undertaken for the welfare of the society. It was done by the people from all the varnas, which were formed on the basis of the division of labour and not birth. Brahmanas were so called because they were the custodians of the knowledge of the Vedas which culminates in the realization of Brahman. The word Brahman in Sanskrit denotes the Absolute Reality, veda and yajna. Hence they were in charge of conducting the yajna, or the priests. Kshathriyas were those who protect the people from enemies and maintain law and order. The king, a kshathriya was usually the yajamaana, the master of the ceremony, as he had the authority to organize. Vaisyas were the men of trade who supplied the commodities needed by the society and they were in charge of providing the materials for the yajna. Sudras were the unskilled labourers doing the manual work. All contribute their share towards the success of the yajna and what is left over as the result of the yajna is distributed equally to all.

 

 

11. dhevaan bhaavayhatha anena te dhevaa bhaavayanthu vaH

parasaram bhaavayanthaH SreyaH param avaapsyaTha

 

By this (yajna) please the devas who will in turn please you. Thus supporting each other you will attain the highest good.

 

Apart from the ritualistic sacrifice by which the term yajna, is understood commonly, scripture has enjoined five yajnas for a householder.

1.Brahmayajna, study or listening, sravana, of the scriptures to get knowledge of the reality and to expound the same to others2. Deva yajna, worship of the divine , yaga yajnadi to propitiate the devas 3.Pitryajna, propitiating the pitrs through shraaddha, tarpana etc.4.Manushya yajna, helping others and hospitality.5. Bhootha yajna, service and kindness to other beings.

Hence all this which are varnasramadharma and also svadharma which includes all this and the duties according to one's nature and station in life are denoted by the word yajna. If we please the devas they will pleas us means that if we do our duty the devas, which are the powers that yield good results will also do their duty.

 

12. ishtaan bhogaan vo dhevaa dhaasyanthe yajnabhaavithaah

Tair dhatthaan apradhaayebhyo yo bunkthe sthena eve saH

 

The devas thus propitiated by yajna will give you all you desire. He who enjoys the gift of the devas without sharing it is a thief.

Now, if we examine the words of Krishna, ishtaan bhogaan hi vo devaah dhasyanthe yajnabhaavithaah, `fostered by sacrifice the gods will give all the desired results' which only mean that if we do our duty towards devas, the powers behind the natural elements they will be kind to us and bestow their bountiful blessings.. We seem to be learning this the hard way, judging by the state of affairs at present.

The purpose of life is to do all the actions that are expected of you in this world as a responsible , considerate, well meaning individual without selfish motive, as your duty, not being affected by their success or failure. Krishna says that one who does all his work not as a yajna but with the desire to enjoy the result without sharing it with others is a thief. All the blessings in life are given by God and no one has the right over them by himself. So all the work must be done without attachment to the result and with the spirit of sacrifice.

This can be achieved through jnana but more easily with bhakthi. Do all your actions as an offering to God thinking He is the agent and not you, and accept whatever comes as His prasada. He promises that He will look after you 'Yogakshemam vahaamayaham' and 'Aham thvaam sarva paapebhyah mokshayishyaami maa suchah', which holds good whether He is the Nirguna brhaman of advaita or Lord Narayana of visishtadvaita.

Ramanuja explains that the word prajapathi or creator means only the Lord as He is the creator of all. So also He is the power behind the devas and ordain them to do their respective duties. Krishna says in the 9th chapter "I am the only enjoyer and only Lord of sacrifice." The devas form His sareera as He is the innrer self of all.