Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter3-karmayoga

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14. annaathbhavanthi bhoothaani parjanyaath annasambhavaH

yajnaathbhavath parjanyaH yajnaH karmasamudhbhavaH

All beings originate from food which is produced by rain which comes from sacrifice and sacrifice is the result of activity.

15.karma brahmodhbhavam vidDhi

brahma aksharasamudhbhavam

thasmaath sarvagatham brahma

nithyam yajne prathishTitham

All action spring from the Vedas and Vedas have their origin in the imperishable reality, Brahman. Therefore the all pervading Brahman is ever established in yajna.

16.evam pravarthitham chakram na anuvarthayathi iha yah

aghaayuh indhriyaaraamaH mogham paarTha sa jeevathi

The one who does not follow the wheel of action set in motion, lives in sin, gratifying his senses and his life is in vain.

Krishna then sets out to describe the wheel of creation. All beings are evolved from food; production of food is dependent on rain; rain ensues from sacrifice, and sacrifice is rooted in action, which is Brahmodbhava, has its origin in the Vedas. The fact that every action culminates in Brahman is shown by saying that all acts sprang from Vedas, and Vedas proceed from akshara, the indestructible reality, Brahman. Hence the all pervading reality, Brahman is always present in sacrifice, yajna.

Ramanuja takes the word brahma to mean prkrthi of which the physical body is constituted and the body is controlled by the inner self, the Lord, who is the imperishable reality. Actually the word brahma has several meanings, such as vedas, yajna, etc. besides the supreme reality, Brahman. It also implies brahmaanda or the cosmic egg from which the whole gross universe emerged, in other words the primordial nature or prakrthi. It is in this sense Ramanuja interprets the word brahma.

Annaath bhavanthi bhoothaani- The Upanishad says, annadDhyeva khalu imaani bhoothaani jaayanthe annena jaathaani jeevanthi (Taitt.Up.) All beings are produced from annam and by annam all beings live. The word annam does not mean only food like rice and grains but all that goes to make the production and sustenance of beings.

 

Parjanyaath annaambhavah-As water is the main factor necessary for the production of food it is said that rain, which is the main source of water is the cause of food. Parjanya means rain.

 

Yajnaath bhavathi parjanyaH- All yajnas as explained above done for the welfare of the world cause the rain, apart from the ritualistic effect of the yajnas ordained in the Vedas. The devas are propitiated by yajna, it is said in the earlier sloka which means that the natural elements when preserved properly by man yield their bounty, of which rain in proper time is the greatest blessing for the welfare of mankind. That is why we have the auspicious blessing, `kale varshathu parjanyaH,' uttered in the completion of all rituals.. We have also the saying in Tamil, `nallaar oruvar uLarEl avar poruttu ellOrkkum peyyum mazai,' if there is one good soul who does his duty as an offering to God, that is, with the spirit of yajna, all will be benefited by rain.

 

YajnaH karmasamudhbhavaH- As explained earlier the five yajnas and the ritualistic sacrifice depends on performing the actions according to varna and asrama as ordained in the Vedas. This also explains the next line karma brahmodhbhavam, the actions are based on Vedas, when the word brahma is taken to means the Vedas, or on the prakrthi as explained by Ramanuja and as mentioned earlier in this chapter, kaaryathe hyavasaH karma sarvaH prkrthijaiH guNaih(Ch.3.5)

 

In whichever meaning the word brahma is used, there is no doubt that it has its origin in the imperishable reality , alshara, which really implies the aksharabrahman, or the supreme Lord.

 

Thasmaath sarvagatham brahma nithyam yajne prathishTitham- Vedas I originated from Brahman and yajna is the product of Vedas. Hence Brahman is ever established in yajna. The Lord is yajnasvaroopa as He Himself says later, `aham krathuH aham yajnaH,' (ch.9.16)

 

 

Krishna further insists the necessity of doing one's duty and says that one who does not perform his duty with a spirit of sacrifice is aghaayuh,indhriyaaraamah, sinful and sensual, and his life is worthless. These words emphasises the importance of working in harmony with the world, selfless and without attachment, which is Karmayoga, elaborated subsequently.

 

Last but not least , even the vedic rituals of yajna like agnihothra have their beneficial results which was seen even in our times during the Bhopal disaster when the family who was performing the agnihothra was not affected by the poisonous gas. The smoke of the homa purifies the atmosphere , which, if continued diligently would not have destroyed the ozone layer and the environmental hazards would have been absent.