April 11 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 4; Verses 4.30-4.31 (Day 102) Karma Yoga

 April 11 – Day 102

Verse 4.30-4.31

अपरे नियताहाराः प्राणान्प्राणेषु जुह्वति ।

सर्वेऽप्येते यज्ञविदो यज्ञक्षपितकल्मषाः ॥ ४-३०॥ 

apare niyatāhārāḥ prāṇān prāṇeṣhu juhwati
sarve ’pyete yajña-vido yajña-kṣhapita-kalmaṣhāḥ (4.30) 

அப¹ரே நியதா¹ஹாரா: ப்¹ராணான்ப்¹ராணேஷு ஜுஹ்வதி¹ |
ஸர்வே‌ப்¹யேதே¹ யஞ்ஞவிதோ³ யஞ்ஞக்ஷபி¹த¹க¹ல்மஷா: ||4.30|| 

30. Others who regulate their diet offer life-breaths in life-breaths; all these are knowers of sacrifice, whose sins are all destroyed by sacrifice. 

Commentary: Niyataharah means persons of regulated or limited food.  They take moderate food.  By rigid dieting they control the passions and appetites by weakening the functions of the organs of action.

Yogis pour the life-breaths as sacrifice in the controlled life-breath.  The former becomes merged in the latter.

Performance of the above sacrifice leads to the purification of the mind and destruction of sins. 

यज्ञशिष्टामृतभुजो यान्ति ब्रह्म सनातनम् ।

नायं लोकोऽस्त्ययज्ञस्य कुतोऽन्यः कुरुसत्तम ॥ ४-३१॥ 

yajña-śhiṣhṭāmṛita-bhujo yānti brahma sanātanam
nāyaṁ loko ’styayajñasya kuto ’nyaḥ kuru-sattama (4.31) 

யஞ்ஞஶிஷ்டா¹ம்ருத¹பு⁴ஜோ யான்தி¹ ப்³ரஹ்ம ஸனாத¹னம் |
நாயம் லோகோ‌ஸ்த்¹யயஞ்ஞஸ்ய கு¹தோ^1‌ன்ய: கு¹ருஸத்¹த¹ம ||4.31|| 

31. Those who eat the remnants of the sacrifice, which are like nectar, go to the eternal Brahman. This world is not for the man who does not perform sacrifice; how then can he have the other, O Arjuna?

Commentary: They go to the eternal Brahman in course of time, after attaining knowledge of the Self through purification of the mind by performing the above sacrifices. He who does not perform any of these is not fit even for this miserable world. How then can he hope to get a better world than this? (Cf. III.13) 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda:

Lastly, there are those who are abstemious in their diet. They eat merely to keep body and soul together. When the life-force in them clamours for more, they turn it upon itself (offering, as it were, the life-force itself as the oblation into it).

The spirit of sacrifice destroys sin. All these practices are neither good nor bad in themselves. For example, austerity (tapas or fire) can either lead to the destruction of the sinful nature or increase one’s vanity – depending on the inner spirit. The spirit of yajña ‘detaches’ the self from the activity itself, thus allowing the latter to wipe the mirror clean so that in it the ever-pure self is instantly reflected in all its glory. Failure to understand and adopt this symbolism will often result in our wiping the mirror with the face, thus transferring the evil tendency from the mirror (the body and mind) to the skin of the face (the ego). The spirit of sacrifice also warns us not to expect anything in return; only the ashes of purity or sattva will remain after the sacrifice. The sacred ashes are so dear to lord Śiva (the divine auspiciousness itself) who naturally bestows upon us all that is good.

This residue of the sacrifice is nectar which confers immortality on us. We must let it nourish our life in every way. (It also refers to the remnants of charity, specially of food, which become holy and soul-purifying.)

He who is devoid of the spirit of sacrifice – the selfish man given wholly to sense indulgence – is a burden on earth.

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