Bhagavad-gita As It Is
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
CHAPTER THREE
Karma-yoga
Bg3.1
TEXT 1
arjuna uvaca
jyayasi cet karmanas te
mata buddhir janardana
tat kim karmani ghore mam
niyojayasi kesava
arjunah—Arjuna; uvaca—said; jyayasi—speaking very highly; cet—although; karmanah—than fruitive action; te—your; mata—opinion; buddhih—intelligence; janardana—O Krsna; tat—therefore; kim—why; karmani—in action; ghore—ghastly; mam—me; niyojayasi—engaging me; kesava—O Krsna.
TRANSLATION
Arjuna said: O Janardana, O Kesava, why do You urge me to engage in this ghastly warfare, if You think that intelligence is better than fruitive work?
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna has very elaborately described the constitution of the soul in the previous chapter, with a view to deliver His intimate friend Arjuna from the ocean of material grief. And the path of realization has been recommended: buddhi-yoga, or Krsna consciousness. Sometimes Krsna consciousness is misunderstood to be inertia, and one with such a misunderstanding often withdraws to a secluded place to become fully Krsna conscious by chanting the holy name of Lord Krsna. But without being trained in the philosophy of Krsna consciousness, it is not advisable to chant the holy name of Krsna in a secluded place where one may acquire only cheap adoration from the innocent public. Arjuna also thought of Krsna consciousness or buddhi-yoga, or intelligence in spiritual advancement of knowledge, as something like retirement from active life and the practice of penance and austerity at a secluded place. In other words, he wanted to skillfully avoid the fighting by using Krsna consciousness as an excuse. But as a sincere student, he placed the matter before his master and questioned Krsna as to his best course of action. In answer, Lord Krsna elaborately explained karma-yoga, or work in Krsna consciousness, in this Third Chapter. Bg3.2 TEXT 2 vyamisreneva vakyena buddhim mohayasiva me tad ekam vada niscitya yena sreyo ’ham apnuyam vyamisrena—by equivocal; iva—as; vakyena—words; buddhim—intelligence; mohayasi—bewildering; iva—as; me—my; tat—therefore; ekam—only one; vada—please tell; niscitya—ascertaining; yena—by which; sreyah—real benefit; aham—I; apnuyam—may have it. TRANSLATION My intelligence is bewildered by Your equivocal instructions. Therefore, please tell me decisively what is most beneficial for me. PURPORT In the previous chapter, as a prelude to the Bhagavad-gita, many different paths were explained, such as sankhya-yoga, buddhi-yoga, control of the senses by intelligence, work without fruitive desire, and the position of the neophyte. This was all presented unsystematically. A more organized outline of the path would be necessary for action and understanding. Arjuna, therefore, wanted to clear up these apparently confusing matters so that any common man could accept them without misinterpretation. Although Krsna had no intention of confusing Arjuna by any jugglery of words, Arjuna could not follow the process of Krsna consciousness—either by inertia or active service. In other words, by his questions he is clearing the path of Krsna consciousness for all students who seriously want to understand the mystery of the Bhagavad-gita. Bg3.3 TEXT 3 sri-bhagavan uvaca loke ’smin dvi-vidha nistha pura prokta mayanagha jnana-yogena sankhyanam karma-yogena yoginam sri bhagavan uvaca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; loke—in the world; asmin—this; dvi-vidha—two kinds of; nistha—faith; pura—formerly; prokta—was said; maya—by Me; anagha—O sinless one; jnana-yogena—by the linking process of knowledge; sankhyanam—of the empiric philosophers; karma-yogena—by the linking process of devotion; yoginam—of the devotees. TRANSLATION The Blessed Lord said: O sinless Arjuna, I have already explained that there are two classes of men who realize the Self. Some are inclined to understand Him by empirical, philosophical speculation, and others are inclined to know Him by devotional work. PURPORT In the Second Chapter, verse 39, the Lord explained two kinds of procedures—namely sankhya-yoga and karma-yoga, or buddhi-yoga. In this verse, the Lord explains the same more clearly. Sankhya-yoga, or the analytical study of the nature of spirit and matter, is the subject matter for persons who are inclined to speculate and understand things by experimental knowledge and philosophy. The other class of men work in Krsna consciousness, as it is explained in the 61st verse of the Second Chapter. The Lord has explained, also in the 39th verse, that by working by the principles of buddhi-yoga, or Krsna consciousness, one can be relieved from the bonds of action; and, furthermore, there is no flaw in the process. The same principle is more clearly explained in the 61st verse—that this buddhi-yoga is to depend entirely on the Supreme (or more specifically, on Krsna), and in this way all the senses can be brought under control very easily. Therefore, both the yogas are interdependant, as religion and philosophy. Religion without philosophy is sentiment, or sometimes fanaticism, while philosophy without religion is mental speculation. The ultimate goal is Krsna, because the philosophers who are also sincerely searching after the Absolute Truth come in the end to Krsna consciousness. This is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita. The whole process is to understand the real position of the self in relation to the Superself. The indirect process is philosophical speculation, by which, gradually, one may come to the point of Krsna consciousness; and the other process is directly connecting with everything in Krsna consciousness. Of these two, the path of Krsna consciousness is better because it does not depend on purifying the senses by a philosophical process. Krsna consciousness is itself the purifying process, and by the direct method of devotional service it is simultaneously easy and sublime. Bg3.4 TEXT 4 na karmanam anarambhan naiskarmyam puruso ’snute na ca sannyasanad eva siddhim samadhigacchati na—without; karmanam—of the prescribed duties; anarambhat—non-performance; naiskarmyam—freedom from reaction; purusah—man; asnute—achieve; na—nor; ca—also; sannyasanat—by renunciation; eva—simply; siddhim—success; samadhigacchati—attain. TRANSLATION Not by merely abstaining from work can one achieve freedom from reaction, nor by renunciation alone can one attain perfection. PURPORT The renounced order of life can be accepted upon being purified by the discharge of the prescribed form of duties which are laid down just to purify the heart of materialistic men. Without purification, one cannot attain success by abruptly adopting the fourth order of life (sannyasa). According to the empirical philosophers, simply by adopting sannyasa, or retiring from fruitive activities, one at once becomes as good as Narayana. But Lord Krsna does not approve this principle. Without purification of heart, sannyasa is simply a disturbance to the social order. On the other hand, if someone takes to the transcendental service of the Lord, even without discharging his prescribed duties, whatever he may be able to advance in the cause is accepted by the Lord (buddhi-yoga). Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat. Even a slight performance of such a principle enables one to overcome great difficulties. Bg3.5 TEXT 5 na hi kascit ksanam api jatu tisthaty akarma-krt karyate hy avasah karma sarvah prakrti-jair gunaih na—nor; hi—certainly; kascit—anyone; ksanam—even a moment; api—also; jatu—even; tisthati—stands; akarma-krt—without doing something; karyate—is forced to do; hi—certainly; avasah—helplessly; karma—work; sarvah—everything; prakrti-jaih—out of the modes of material nature; gunaih—by the qualities. TRANSLATION All men are forced to act helplessly according to the impulses born of the modes of material nature; therefore no one can refrain from doing something, not even for a moment. PURPORT It is not a question of embodied life, but it is the nature of the soul to be always active. Without the presence of the spirit soul, the material body cannot move. The body is only a dead vehicle to be worked by the spirit soul, which is always active and cannot stop even for a moment. As such, the spirit soul has to be engaged in the good work of Krsna consciousness, otherwise it will be engaged in occupations dictated by illusory energy. In contact with material energy, the spirit soul acquires material modes, and to purify the soul from such affinities it is necessary to engage in the prescribed duties enjoined in the sastras. But if the soul is engaged in his natural function of Krsna consciousness, whatever he is able to do is good for him. The Srimad-Bhagavatam affirms this: tyaktva sva-dharmam caranambujam harer “If someone takes to Krsna consciousness, even though he may not follow the prescribed duties in the sastras nor execute the devotional service properly, and even though he may fall down from the standard, there is no loss or evil for him. But if he carries out all the injunctions for purification in the sastras, what does it avail him if he is not Krsna conscious?” (Bhag. 1.5.17 Bg3.6 TEXT 6 karmendriyani samyamya ya aste manasa smaran indriyarthan vimudhatma mithyacarah sa ucyate karma-indriyani—the five working sense organs; samyamya—controlling; yah—anyone who; aste—remains; manasa—by mind; smaran—thinking; indriya-arthan—sense objects; vimudha—foolish; atma—soul; mithya-acarah—pretender; sah—he; ucyate—is called. TRANSLATION One who restrains the senses and organs of action, but whose mind dwells on sense objects, certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender. PURPORT There are many pretenders who refuse to work in Krsna consciousness but make a show of meditation, while actually dwelling within the mind upon sense enjoyment. Such pretenders may also speak on dry philosophy in order to bluff sophisticated followers, but according to this verse these are the greatest cheaters. For sense enjoyment one can act in any capacity of the social order, but if one follows the rules and regulations of his particular status, he can make gradual progress in purifying his existence. But he who makes a show of being a yogi, while actually searching for the objects of sense gratification, must be called the greatest cheater, even though he sometimes speaks of philosophy. His knowledge has no value because the effects of such a sinful man’s knowledge are taken away by the illusory energy of the Lord. Such a pretender’s mind is always impure, and therefore his show of yogic meditation has no value whatsoever. Bg3.7 TEXT 7 yas tv indriyani manasa niyamyarabhate ’rjuna karmendriyaih karma-yogam asaktah sa visisyate yah—one who; tu—but; indriyani—senses; manasa—by the mind; niyamya—regulating; arabhate—begins; arjuna—O Arjuna; karma-indriyaih—by the active sense organs; karma-yogam—devotion; asaktah—without attachment; sah—he; visisyate—by far the better. TRANSLATION On the other hand, he who controls the senses by the mind and engages his active organs in works of devotion, without attachment, is by far superior. PURPORT Instead of becoming a pseudo-transcendentalist for the sake of wanton living and sense enjoyment, it is far better to remain in one’s own business and execute the purpose of life, which is to get free from material bondage and enter into the kingdom of God. The prime svartha-gati, or goal of self-interest, is to reach Visnu. The whole institution of varna and asrama is designed to help us reach this goal of life. A householder can also reach this destination by regulated service in Krsna consciousness. For self-realization, one can live a controlled life, as prescribed in the sastras, and continue carrying out his business without attachment, and in that way make progress. Such a sincere person who follows this method is far better situated than the false pretender who adopts show-bottle spiritualism to cheat the innocent public. A sincere sweeper in the street is far better than the charlatan meditator who meditates only for the sake of making a living. Bg3.8 TEXT 8 niyatam kuru karma tvam karma jyayo hy akarmanah sarira-yatrapi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmanah niyatam—prescribed; kuru—do; karma—duties; tvam—you; karma—work; jyayah—better; hi—than; akarmanah—without work; sarira—bodily; yatra—maintenance; api—even; ca—also; te—your; na—never; prasiddhyet—effected; akarmanah—without work. TRANSLATION Perform your prescribed duty, for action is better than inaction. A man cannot even maintain his physical body without work. PURPORT There are many pseudo-meditators who misrepresent themselves as belonging to high parentage, and great professional men who falsely pose that they have sacrificed everything for the sake of advancement in spiritual life. Lord Krsna did not want Arjuna to become a pretender, but that he perform his prescribed duties as set forth for ksatriyas. Arjuna was a householder and a military general, and therefore it was better for him to remain as such and perform his religious duties as prescribed for the householder ksatriya. Such activities gradually cleanse the heart of a mundane man and free him from material contamination. So-called renunciation for the purpose of maintenance is never approved by the Lord, nor by any religious scripture. After all, one has to maintain one’s body and soul together by some work. Work should not be given up capriciously, without purification of materialistic propensities. Anyone who is in the material world is certainly possessed of the impure propensity for lording it over material nature, or, in other words, for sense gratification. Such polluted propensities have to be cleared. Without doing so, through prescribed duties, one should never attempt to become a so-called transcendentalist, renouncing work and living at the cost of others. Bg3.9 TEXT 9 yajnarthat karmano ’nyatra loko ’yam karma-bandhanah tad-artham karma kaunteya mukta-sangah samacara yajna-arthat—only for the sake of Yajna, or Visnu; karmanah—work done; anyatra—otherwise; lokah—this world; ayam—this; karma-bandhanah—bondage by work; tat—Him; artham—for the sake of; karma—work; kaunteya—O son of Kunti; mukta-sangah—liberated from association; samacara—do it perfectly. TRANSLATION Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage. PURPORT Since one has to work even for the simple maintenance of the body, the prescribed duties for a particular social position and quality are so made that that purpose can be fulfilled. Yajna means Lord Visnu, or sacrificial performances. All sacrificial performances also are meant for the satisfaction of Lord Visnu. The Vedas enjoin: yajno vai visnuh. In other words, the same purpose is served whether one performs prescribed yajnas or directly serves Lord Visnu. Krsna consciousness is therefore performance of yajna as it is prescribed in this verse. The varnasrama institution also aims at this for satisfying Lord Visnu. “Varnasramacara-vata purusena parah puman/visnur aradhyate…” (Visnu Purana 3.8.8) Therefore one has to work for the satisfaction of Visnu. Any other work done in this material world wilI be a cause of bondage, for both good and evil work have their reactions, and any reaction binds the performer. Therefore, one has to work in Krsna consciousness to satisfy Krsna (or Visnu); and while performing such activities one is in a liberated stage. This is the great art of doing work, and in the beginning this process requires very expert guidance. One should therefore act very diligently, under the expert guidance of a devotee of Lord Krsna, or under the direct instruction of Lord Krsna Himself (under whom Arjuna had the opportunity to work). Nothing should be performed for sense gratification, but everything should be done for the satisfaction of Krsna. This practice will not only save one from the reaction of work, but will also gradually elevate one to transcendental loving service of the Lord, which alone can raise one to the kingdom of God. Bg3.10 TEXT 10 saha-yajnah prajah srstva purovaca prajapatih anena prasavisyadhvam esa vo ’stv ista-kama-dhuk saha—along with; yajnah—sacrifices; prajah—generations; srstva—by creating; pura—anciently; uvaca—said; praja-patih—the Lord of creatures; anena—by this; prasavisyadhvam—be more and more prosperous; esah—certainly; vah—your; astu—let it be; ista—all desirable; kama-dhuk—bestower. TRANSLATION In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Visnu, and blessed them by saying, “Be thou happy by this yajna [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you all desirable things.” PURPORT The material creation by the Lord of creatures (Visnu) is a chance offered to the conditioned souls to come back home—back to Godhead. All living entities within the material creation are conditioned by material nature because of their forgetfulness of their relationship to Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic principles are to help us understand this eternal relation as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. The Lord says that the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Him. In the Vedic hymns it is said: patim visvasyatmesvaram. Therefore, the Lord of the living entities is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam also Srila Sukadeva Gosvami describes the Lord as pati in so many ways: sriyah-patir yajna-patih praja-patir The praja-pati is Lord Visnu, and He is the Lord of all living creatures, all worlds, and all beauties, and the protector of everyone. The Lord created this material world for the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajnas (sacrifice) for the satisfaction of Visnu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety. Then after finishing the present material body, they can enter into the kingdom of God. That is the whole program for the conditioned soul. By performance of yajna, the conditioned souls gradually become Krsna conscious and become godly in all respects. In this age of Kali, the sankirtana-yajna (the chanting of the names of God) is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental system was introduced by Lord Caitanya for the deliverance of all men in this age. Sankirtana-yajna and Krsna consciousness go well together. Lord Krsna in His devotional form (as Lord Caitanya) is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam as follows, with special reference to the sankirtana-yajna: krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam “In this age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of sankirtana-yajna.” (Bhag. 11.5.29) Other yajnas prescribed in the Vedic literatures are not easy to perform in this age of Kali, but the sankirtana-yajna is easy and sublime for all purposes. Bg3.11 TEXT 11 devan bhavayatanena te deva bhavayantu vah parasparam bhavayantah sreyah param avapsyatha devan—demigods; bhavayata—having been pleased; anena—by this sacrifice; te—those; devah—the demigods; bhavayantu—will please; vah—you; parasparam—mutual; bhavayantah—pleasing one another; sreyah—benediction; param—the supreme; avapsyatha—do you achieve. TRANSLATION The demigods, being pleased by sacrifices, will also please you; thus nourishing one another, there will reign general prosperity for all. PURPORT The demigods are empowered administrators of material affairs. The supply of air, light, water and all other benedictions for maintaining the body and soul of every living entity are entrusted to the demigods, who are innumerable assistants in different parts of the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Their pleasures and displeasures are dependant on the performance of yajnas by the human being. Some of the yajnas are meant to satisfy particular demigods; but even in so doing, Lord Visnu is worshiped in all yajnas as the chief beneficiary. It is stated also in the Bhagavad-gita that Krsna Himself is the beneficiary of all kinds of yajnas: bhoktaram yajna-tapasam. Therefore, ultimate satisfaction of the yajnapati is the chief purpose of all yajnas. When these yajnas are perfectly performed, naturally the demigods in charge of the different departments of supply are pleased, and there is no scarcity in the supply of natural products. Performance of yajnas has many side benefits, ultimately leading to liberation from the material bondage. By performance of yajnas, all activities become purified, as it is stated in the Vedas: ahara-suddhau sattva-suddhih sattva-suddhau As it will be explained in the following verse, by performance of yajna, one’s eatables become sanctified, and by eating sanctified foodstuffs, one’s very existence becomes purified; by the purification of existence, finer tissues in the memory become sanctified, and when memory is sanctified, one can think of the path of liberation, and all these combined together lead to Krsna consciousness, the great necessity of present-day society. Bg3.12 TEXT 12 istan bhogan hi vo deva dasyante yajna-bhavitah tair dattan apradayaibhyo yo bhunkte stena eva sah istan—desired; bhogan—necessities of life; hi—certainly; vah—unto you; devah—the demigods; dasyante—award; yajna-bhavitah—being satisfied by the performance of sacrifices; taih—by them; dattan—things given; apradaya—without offering; ebhyah—to the demigods; yah—he who; bhunkte—enjoys; stenah—thief; eva—certainly; sah—is he. TRANSLATION In charge of the various necessities of life, the demigods, being satisfied by the performance of yajna [sacrifice], supply all necessities to man. But he who enjoys these gifts, without offering them to the demigods in return, is certainly a thief. PURPORT The demigods are authorized supplying agents on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu. Therefore, they must be satisfied by the performance of prescribed yajnas. In the Vedas, there are different kinds of yajnas prescribed for different kinds of demigods, but all are ultimately offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For one who cannot understand what the Personality of Godhead is, sacrifice to the demigods is recommended. According to the different material qualities of the persons concerned, different types of yajnas are recommended in the Vedas. Worship of different demigods is also on the same basis—namely, according to different qualities. For example, the meat-eaters are recommended to worship the goddess Kali, the ghastly form of material nature, and before the goddess the sacrifice of animals is recommended. But for those who are in the mode of goodness, the transcendental worship of Visnu is recommended. But ultimately, all yajnas are meant for gradual promotion to the transcendental position. For ordinary men, at least five yajnas, known as panca-mahayajna, are necessary. One should know, however, that all the necessities of life that the human society requires are supplied by the demigod agents of the Lord. No one can manufacture anything. Take, for example, all the eatables of human society. These eatables include grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, sugar, etc., for the persons in the mode of goodness, and also eatables for the nonvegetarians, like meats, etc., none of which can be manufactured by men. Then again, take for example heat, light, water, air, etc., which are also necessities of life—none of them can be manufactured by the human society. Without the Supreme Lord, there can be no profuse sunlight, moonlight, rainfall, breeze, etc., without which no one can live. Obviously, our life is dependant on supplies from the Lord. Even for our manufacturing enterprises, we require so many raw materials like metal, sulphur, mercury, manganese, and so many essentials—all of which are supplied by the agents of the Lord, with the purpose that we should make proper use of them to keep ourselves fit and healthy for the purpose of self-realization, leading to the ultimate goal of life, namely, liberation from the material struggle for existence. This aim of life is attained by performance of yajnas. If we forget the purpose of human life and simply take supplies from the agents of the Lord for sense gratification and become more and more entangled in material existence, which is not the purpose of creation, certainly we become thieves, and therefore we are punished by the laws of material nature. A society of thieves can never be happy because they have no aim in life. The gross materialist thieves have no ultimate goal of life. They are simply directed to sense gratification; nor do they have knowledge of how to perform yajnas. Lord Caitanya, however, inaugurated the easiest performance of yajna, namely the sankirtana-yajna, which can be performed by anyone in the world who accepts the principles of Krsna consciousness. Bg3.13 TEXT 13 yajna-sistasinah santo mucyante sarva-kilbisaih bhunjate te tv agham papa ye pacanty atma-karanat yajna-sista—food taken after performance of yajna; asinah—eaters; santah—the devotees; mucyante—get relief from; sarva—all kinds of; kilbisaih—sins; bhunjate—enjoy; te—they; tu—but; agham—grievous sins; papah—sinners; ye—those; pacanti—prepare food; atma-karanat—for sense enjoyment. TRANSLATION The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin. PURPORT The devotees of the Supreme Lord, or the persons who are in Krsna consciousness, are called santas, and they are always in love with the Lord as it is described in the Brahma-samhita: premanjana- cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti. The santas, being always in a compact of love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda (the giver of all pleasures), or Mukunda (the giver of liberation), or Krsna (the all-attractive person), cannot accept anything without first offering it to the Supreme Person. Therefore, such devotees always perform yajnas in different modes of devotional service, such as sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, arcanam, etc., and these performances of yajnas keep them always aloof from all kinds of contamination of sinful association in the material world. Others, who prepare food for self or sense gratification, are not only thieves, but are also the eaters of all kinds of sins. How can a person be happy if he is both a thief and sinful? It is not possible. Therefore, in order for people to become happy in all respects, they must be taught to perform the easy process of sankirtana-yajna, in full Krsna consciousness. Otherwise, there can be no peace or happiness in the world. Bg3.14 TEXT 14 annad bhavanti bhutani parjanyad anna-sambhavah yajnad bhavati parjanyo yajnah karma-samudbhavah annat—from grains; bhavanti—grow; bhutani—the material bodies; parjanyat—from rains; anna—food grains; sambhavah—are made possible; yajnat—from the performance of sacrifice; bhavati—becomes possible; parjanyah—rains; yajnah—performance of yajna; karma—prescribed duties; samudbhavah—born of. TRANSLATION All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rain. Rains are produced by performance of yajna [sacrifice], and yajna is born of prescribed duties. PURPORT Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, a great commentator on the Bhagavad-gita, writes as follows: ye indrady-anga-tayavasthitam yajnam sarvesvaram visnum abhyarccya tacchesam asnanti tena taddeha-yantram sampadayanti te santah sarvesvarasya bhaktah sarva-kilvisair anadi-kala-vivrddhair atmanubhava- pratibandhakair nikhilaih papair vimucyante. The Supreme Lord, who is known as the yajna-purusah, or the personal beneficiary of all sacrifices, is the master of all demigods who serve Him as the different limbs of the body serve the whole. Demigods like Indra, Candra, Varuna, etc., are appointed officers who manage material affairs, and the Vedas direct sacrifices to satisfy these demigods so that they may be pleased to supply air, light and water sufficiently to produce food grains. When Lord Krsna is worshiped, the demigods, who are different limbs of the Lord, are also automatically worshiped; therefore there is no separate need to worship the demigods. For this reason, the devotees of the Lord, who are in Krsna consciousness, offer food to Krsna and then eat—a process which nourishes the body spiritually. By such action not only are past sinful reactions in the body vanquished, but the body becomes immunized to all contamination of material nature. When there is an epidemic disease, an antiseptic vaccine protects a person from the attack of such an epidemic. Similarly, food offered to Lord Visnu and then taken by us makes us sufficiently resistant to material affection, and one who is accustomed to this practice is called a devotee of the Lord. Therefore, a person in Krsna consciousness, who eats only food offered to Krsna, can counteract all reactions of past material infections, which are impediments to the progress of self-realization. On the other hand, one who does not do so continues to increase the volume of sinful action, and this prepares the next body to resemble hogs and dogs, to suffer the resultant reactions of all sins. The material world is full of contaminations, and one who is immunized by accepting prasadam of the Lord (food offered to Visnu) is saved from the attack, whereas one who does not do so becomes subjected to contamination. Food grains or vegetables are factually eatables. The human being eats different kinds of food grains, vegetables, fruits, etc., and the animals eat the refuse of the food grains and vegetables, grass, plants, etc. Human beings who are accustomed to eating meat and flesh must also depend on the production of vegetation in order to eat the animals. Therefore, ultimately, we have to depend on the production of the field and not on the production of big factories. The field production is due to sufficient rain from the sky, and such rains are controlled by demigods like Indra, sun, moon, etc., and they are all servants of the Lord. The Lord can be satisfied by sacrifices; therefore, one who cannot perform them will find himself in scarcity—that is the law of nature. Yajna, specifically the sankirtana-yajna prescribed for this age, must therefore be performed to save us at least from scarcity of food supply.
bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim
ko vartha apto ’bhajatam sva-dharmatah.
dhiyam patir loka-patir dhara-patih
patir gatis candhaka-vrsni-satvatam
prasidatam me bhagavan satam patih
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah
dhruva smrtih smrti-lambhe sarva-granthinam vipra-moksah