March 6 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 3; Verses 3.12 (Day 66) Karma Yoga

 March 6 – Day 66

Verse 3.12

इष्टान्भोगान्हि वो देवा दास्यन्ते यज्ञभाविताः ।

तैर्दत्तानप्रदायैभ्यो यो भुङ्क्ते स्तेन एव सः ॥ ३-१२॥ 

iṣhṭān bhogān hi vo devā dāsyante yajna bhāvitāḥ
tair dattān apradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ (12) 

இஷ்டா¹ன் போ⁴கா³ன்ஹி வோ தே³வா தா³ஸ்யன்தே¹ யஞ்ஞ பா⁴விதா¹: |

தை¹ர் த³த்¹தா¹னப்⁴ரதா³யைப்⁴யோ யோ பு⁴ங்க்¹தே¹ ஸ்தே¹ன ஏவ ஸ: ||12|| 

12. The gods, nourished by the sacrifice, will give you the desired objects. So, he who enjoys the objects given by the gods without offering (in return) to them, is verily a thief. 

COMMENTARY: When the gods are pleased with your sacrifices, they will bestow you all the desired objects such as children, cattle, property, etc.  He who enjoys what has been given to him by the gods, i.e., he who gratifies the cravings of his own body and the senses without offering anything to the gods in return is a veritable thief.  He is really a dacoit of the property of the gods. 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda 

This is a great psychological truth.

When the spirit of yajña or sacrifice rules the heart of man and becomes the content of his thoughts, words and deeds, even the gods are pleased and man obtains the desired objects. He is peaceful, happy and prosperous.

Who and where are the gods? They are the subtle forces or powers that animate the whole of creation. They have their seats in the various organs of the body, too. Thoughts and emotions have a tremendous effect on these. Anxiety grips the stomach. Anger alters the colour of the skin and the eyes. Fear chokes the throat. Thoughts are things! Good thoughts can favourably influence the gods presiding over the organs of our body. The selfless man’s face is bright and cheerful. Compassion flows from his eyes. His speech is honeyed and sweet. His gait is soft. The vibrations that emanate from him are holy and beneficent. People readily pick them up and also react favourably. The selfless person is not deliberately setting an example for others to emulate – any such motivation would re-activate selfishness, however subtle it may be. But people may be inspired.

Thus the selfless man’s limbs are strong and healthy. He thinks well, speaks well and acts well. He achieves the desired objective; the gods presiding over his limbs enable him to do that. The gods residing in all, and in the very atmosphere, also help him in every possible way.

The man who is selfish, who grabs, is a thief. A society composed of such people can obviously not be prosperous. Selfishness is the most deadly virus which is highly contagious. In no time one man’s selfishness expands to epidemic proportions. It destroys one’s vision and perverts one’s intelligence. If you observe yourself and the world you live in, you can see for yourself the havoc it can cause.

-*-