Gita 03.13 – See God not just as the provider of food but also as its enjoyer
yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo
mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ
bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā
ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt (Bg 3.13)
Word-for-word:
yajña-śiṣṭa — of food taken after performance of yajña; aśinaḥ — eaters; santaḥ — the devotees; mucyante — get relief; sarva — all kinds of; kilbiṣaiḥ — from sins; bhuñjate — enjoy; te — they; tu — but; agham — grievous sins; pāpāḥ — sinners; ye — who; pacanti — prepare food; ātma-kāraṇāt — 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.
Explanation:
This is one of the more frequently quoted verses from the Bhagavad-gītā and is often cited to emphasize the importance of offering food before eating. Let us understand its meaning within the context of the Gītā and explore how it remains relevant today.
This section of the Bhagavad-gītā discusses the terrestrial–celestial cooperation that underlies worldly existence. Just as, in a nation, the government provides us with utilities and we in turn pay taxes, similarly, when we live in the universe, we are under a universal government. Our taxes come in the form of sacrifices—yajñas—offered to maintain harmony with that system.
The idea that we are dependent on nature is, at one level, undeniably obvious—we require air, water, heat, light, and other elements simply to survive. These are not created by us; they are provided, and we are sustained by them.
More than a decade ago, a science magazine published an article in which researchers attempted to quantify humanity’s “bill to nature.” They considered what it would cost if we had to pay for the natural resources we routinely take—water, fruits, lumber, and countless others. The total was astronomical. If such a bill were to be paid, no country in the world would be able to afford it.
And even then, their calculations did not include the cost of sunlight. If we had to pay for the energy we receive from the sun, the sunlight bill alone for a single state—such as Oklahoma in the United States—would far exceed the annual budget of the entire country.
In a materialistic, monetized culture, when attempts are made to assign a monetary value to natural resources, the gravity of our dependence on nature becomes more evident. We are, in fact, dependent on nature. Some may dismiss the exercise of calculating our “bill to nature” as fanciful, but it is not. Nature does not function independently—it operates under the supervision of a supreme being.
As we work to acquire and enjoy the necessities of life—eating food, drinking water—we must acknowledge that we cannot live without these resources. Nature is not unwilling to provide them, but we must recognize and express our dependence. This is done through the performance of yajña, sacrifice.
yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo: The saintly persons who partake only of the remnants of sacrifice
mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ: are freed from all sinful reactions.
bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā: On the other hand, those who eat only for themselves
ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt: without offering to the Lord, are verily eating only sin.
‘Agham’ and ‘pāpa’ both refer to sin, but they indicate different aspects—aghām points to the sinful consequence, while pāpa refers to the sinful action itself. Thus, the verse highlights both the act and its reaction.
‘Ātma-kāraṇāt’ means “for one’s own enjoyment.” In this context, ātma does not refer to the self in the spiritual sense—as the soul—but rather to self-centeredness or selfish intent. It signifies acting solely for one’s own gratification, without acknowledging the higher reality with which we are connected. One simply takes what one wants from the world and enjoys, disregarding the source and purpose of those provisions. One who consumes food solely for personal purposes, without offering it to the Lord, is said to be eating sin.
Across various cultures in the world, the bounty of nature has traditionally been accepted with gratitude and reverence toward higher powers. For instance, the Thanksgiving festival—although in modern times it has unfortunately become centered around the killing of turkeys—was originally a harvest celebration, meant to express gratitude for a bountiful crop yield.
In fact, the Govardhana festival was also a harvest festival, intended to express humanity’s gratitude to nature and to divinity for providing the gifts of nature. The essential point in both cases is that when a person has even a basic level of awareness and lives close to nature, a natural instinct awakens—to thank nature and to express gratitude to whatever higher force one believes governs it. Many tribal cultures, too, have festivals that celebrate the acquisition of food, recognizing it as a blessing.
In the Christian tradition as well, there is a well-established practice known as saying grace. Saying grace involves offering a prayer of thanks to God before partaking of a meal. The underlying principle is to acknowledge that the food one is about to eat is a gift from God.
When we consider the millions of people around the world who are starving, hungry, or malnourished, it becomes clear that food is a vital expression of God’s grace manifesting to humanity. By being grateful to God for food—something essential for our very survival—our awareness of Him becomes rooted in a strong and tangible foundation. This foundation may not necessarily arise from deep love for God at first, but from a sincere recognition that He is giving us real, life-sustaining gifts, day after day. That recognition, in turn, helps us to remember Him consistently.
The Vedic culture takes this principle of gratitude for food—expressed through prayers of grace or harvest festivals—and develops it further by formalizing it in the act of offering food. In a yajña, specific portions of food are offered into the sacrificial fire. The rationale for offering into fire will be discussed in the next verse, but the essential principle here is that we voluntarily give up a part of what we could have enjoyed, as an expression of our gratitude to God. When a portion is thus offered, the entire offering becomes sanctified. It then becomes yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ—the remnants of sacrifice.
Yajña, at its core, is the principle of sacrifice. This principle of sacrifice can be expressed not only through offerings made in the fire during a yajña but also through deity worship and the chanting of prayers. In deity worship, we express this principle when we recognize God as a person who is the ultimate enjoyer of the food. When we cook the food without tasting it ourselves and offer it to Kṛṣṇa in His deity form, we then take the remnants as a sacred gift, acknowledging Him as the provider and enjoyer.
Such remnants, or prasāda, are free from karma because Kṛṣṇa is all-pure. By offering the food to Him, it becomes purified through His divine presence. These remnants are not only free from contamination but are also purifying. Permeated with Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, they carry His spiritual potency. Consuming such food helps us draw closer and closer to Kṛṣṇa, as it becomes a means of direct connection with Him.
The principle of acknowledging God’s role in our food provision, which is expressed in various ways across different cultures, is taken to a spiritually evolved level in the Vedic culture. In this culture, the expression of gratitude manifests as the principle of offering. In the Vedic tradition, we don’t merely view God as the provider of food, but also as the enjoyer of food. This presents a much richer, more personal vision of God.
Instead of just thinking, “Oh God, thank you for providing me with this food,” we are encouraged to think, “Oh God, I am cooking this food for You. You are a person, and You are the enjoyer. I cook for Your pleasure, and after You take, I will partake of Your remnants.” This approach naturally and lovingly allows us to subordinate ourselves to God, fostering a bond of love with Him.
This is the profound devotional essence with which we can understand the principle of yajña. It’s not merely a ritual in which something is offered into the fire, but rather a way for us to use our culinary skills and prayerful attitude to make a wonderful offering to Kṛṣṇa. We see Him as the enjoyer of the food and ourselves as His loving servants, accepting His remnants with gratitude. This transforms a simple act into an expression of love and devotion.
Thank you.
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