WHAT IS SACRIFICE?
sahayajnaah prajaah srishtwaa purovaacha prajaapatih
anena prasavishyadhwam esha vo'stvishtakaamadhuk // 3.10 //
The creator (Prajapati ), having in the beginning created mankind together with Yajna, said ‘by this you multiply’; this shall be the milch cow of your desires'.
When the Universe was created by the Creator - Prajapati - he simultaneously created Yajna also, the spirit of self-dedicated activities which is seen everywhere, e.g. shining of the sun and the moon, flowing of rivers, tolerance of the Earth etc., All these activities show the spirit of sacrifice without any selfish motives. The second part of the verse means that no achievement is impossible for man if he knows how to act in the spirit of self-effacement and self-sacrifice with the required amount of non-attachment.
HOW CAN WELFARE BE ACHIEVED BY SACRIFICE?
devaan bhaavayataanena te devaa bhaavayantu vah
parasparam bhaavayantah shreyah param avaapsyatha // 3.11 //
Cherish the Devas with this and may those Devas cherish you, thus cherishing one another you shall gain the highest good.
ishtaan bhogaan hi vo devaa daasyante yajnabhaavitaah
tair dattaan apradaayaibhyo yo bhungkte stena eva sah // 3.12 //
Devas, cherished by the sacrifice, will give you the desired objects. Indeed, he who enjoys objects given by the Devas without offering in return to them is verily a thief.
By performing actions as Yajna, as dedication to the Self, recognize and express your sense of appreciation and gratitude to all the Devas, the presiding functionaries of natural laws such as wind, fire etc.
By worshipping the various Devas in a spirit of sacrifice, by being grateful to all the presiding deities of the unchanging laws of nature, you recognize the Self behind all the Devas, behind all the laws of nature and natural phenomenon in this creation. Thus, through the Yajnam- by propitiating the Devas, you propitiate the Self itself.
In any sacrifice or ceremonial ritual we propitiate the Devas by offering oblations to them. It is simply a way of expressing our deep sense of appreciation and gratitude to them for the parts that they play in this creation. Whether one is grateful or not, the sun rises, the rain rains and the wind blows. But by recognizing their functions in this creation, and by expressing one's deep appreciation and gratitude to them, one recognizes the true nature of one's own function in this creation, one becomes an active participant in this creation, and one progressively identifies oneself with the creation and the creator - The Self, Brahman.
When you express your appreciation and gratitude to the Devas, what do they do to you? Having been properly propitiated, the Devas will protect you; nourish you by their functions. Thus, may all the laws of nature - by their own natural functions, uplift you by being an asset to you in your endeavors for gaining your overriding goal of life, namely liberation.
By doing every work as a work of sacrifice totally dedicated to the Self, everything in this creation becomes an asset to you for your own upliftment in life, for your own true progress in life, for a life of non-binding, everlasting prosperity, success and happiness, leading ultimately to Shreyas, total Fulfillment in life. Therefore, mutually interacting with each other, may you reap the supreme good, may you gain moksha.
What about the person who never says a prayer, who has no sense of gratitude, but only wants to enjoy whatever he, can get out of this world? The one who enjoys all the blessings of daily life without even a sincere expression of gratitude to the Self (Devas) who made all such enjoyments possible, is indeed a thief.
Thus in the Vedic view, every human being is meant for action as a participant in this creation. Every one's destination is the same, namely shreyas, moksha. One reaches this destination by doing one's Karma with the attitude of Karma Yoga - as an act of sacrifice dedicated to the Self.
In this relative world man and Devas are interdependent. They are nourished by one another. Men offer oblations to the gods; gods in return ensure men’s welfare by sending rain and other gifts. Thus a chain of mutual obligation binds together all created beings.
THOSE WHO ACT IN A SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE ARE SUPERIOR PERSONS
yajnashishtaashinah santo muchyante sarva kilbishaih
bhunjate te twagham paapaa ye pachantyaatma kaaranaat // 3.13 //
The righteous who eat the remnants of the sacrifice are freed from all sins; but those sinful ones who cook food only for their own sake, verily eat sin.
Sins of the past are the cause for the present pains and the present sins are the cause for future sorrows. All the causes for the sorrows in social life can be removed if the members of the community find happiness in enjoying the results of their efforts performed in true Yajna spirit. As a contrast to this it is pointed out that those who cook for themselves only meaning those who perform actions only with selfish motives are eating nothing but sin. By doing the work in yajna spirit, the selfish life is transformed into an unselfish one and the individual becomes aware of the interdependence of all beings.
ACTION SETS THE WHEELS OF THE COSMOS GOING
annaad bhavanti bhootani parjanyaad anna sambhavah
yajnaad bhavati parjanyo yajnah karma samudbhavah // 3.14 //
From food all creatures are born; from rain food is produced; from sacrifice comes rain; sacrifice is born of action.
karma brahmodbhavam viddhi brahmaakshara samudbhavam
tasmaat sarvagatam brahma nityam yajne pratishthitam // 3.15 //
Know that action arises from the Vedas, and the Vedas from the Imperishable. Therefore, the all pervading Vedas ever rest in sacrifice.
The cosmic wheel of co-operative action is painted here. The living creatures are born out of food and nourished by food. The mineral wealth of the world becomes assimilable food because of the action of the rain upon it. Rain is the cause for the conversion of mineral raw material into nutritive food in life. Similarly, in all fields of activity profit can be gathered only when the field comes under conditions favorable for it to produce those profits. Self-dedicated activity - Yajna - when performed in any field of endeavor will create conditions-rains- for the field to yield profit - Annam- enjoyable by the society.
This wheel of action is connected with and includes the Supreme. The principle of right action has come out of the Creator himself who is none other than the Imperishable Supreme Reality expressed through the Vedas. Therefore, the all pervading Supreme is ever centered in all efforts undertaken with an honest spirit of self-dedication for the common good. He who lives in unison with this wheel of action is contributing to the harmony of life.
evam pravartitam chakram naanuvartayateeha yah
aghaayur indriyaaraamo mogham paartha sa jeevati // 3.16 //
He who does not follow the wheel thus set-in motion, but takes delight in the senses, he lives in vain, O Arjuna.
Every member of the Universe follows the principle of Yajna and contributes to the smooth running of the Universal Wheel of Action. But among all the living creatures only man has been endowed with the option of freedom of action - to contribute to the harmonious working of the cosmic mechanism or strike a discordant note.
While a majority of the people live abiding in the Law of Harmony, there are some who do not believe in this Eternal Law and revolt against it. During such dark periods nobody works with the spirit of Yajna without which no favorable circumstances can be created (rain) for the productive potential to manifest. Such seekers of selfish pleasures bring about discordance in the Wheel of Action. They are considered to be living in sin and that too in vain by the Gita.
In these verses (10 to 16) the Vedic conception of sacrifice as an inter-link between God and man is set in the larger context of the interdependence of beings in the cosmos. He who works for himself alone lives in vain.