Bg 3.12
iṣṭān bhogān hi vo devā dāsyante yajña-bhāvitāḥ
tair dattān apradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ
Bg 3.13
yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ
bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt
Translation:
12 "The DEVAS , nourished 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.
13. The righteous, who eat the "remnants of the sacrifices" are freed from all sins; but those sinful ones, who cook food (only) for their own sake, verily eat but sin.
Commentary Excerpts:
Here, Krishna repeats the unalterable ritualistic law "that the Devas, cherished by Yajna, will provide us with the desired objects." The truth of this statement becomes self-evident and clear when we re-read this statement substituting our meaning for the terms Deva and Yajna. The "productive potential" (Deva), when cherished through "self-dedicated work performed in a spirit of sacrifice" (Yajna), will provide the worker with the desired objects. This is the law-of-life.
And when we thus earn a profit due to our sacrifices, we have every right to enjoy that profit SHARING IT AMONG OURSELVES. But no living creature should enjoy benefits of others' actions without contributing his own share to the total effort. In the capitalistic system of life we notice the wrong tendency of self-aggrandisement of profits produced out of the collective efforts of millions of workers. This ultimately creates sad maladjustments in all spheres of activity, and national and international peace is threatened when we thus upset the law of harmony in life. When this idea, familiar in modern finance, "that a member of a society who consumes without producing is a liability to the nation," is re-read in the language of the Vedas, it is spelt as the second line of this stanza.
HE WHO ENJOYS OBJECTS, GIVEN BY THE Devas, the "productive potential tapped," without offering his own Yajna-efforts into it, is termed here by Krishna as a 'social thief.' Considering the moral and ethical idealism recognised and respected at the time of the Geeta, the term 'thief' used here is indeed a powerful word, fully implying the low depravity and disrespectful nature of such a social criminal who eats without producing.
As a contrast to such social criminals, feeding themselves upon the social wealth, in producing which they have not brought in any self-effort, in this stanza, we have the good, who receive for themselves their "share," after sweating hard in sincere Yajna-activities. Such people, as explained here "go beyond all sins."
Sins of the past are the causes for the present pains, and the present sins would be the causes for the future sorrows. Thus, all causes for the sorrows in social life would be, no doubt, removed, if the good and socially-conscious members of a community were to feel satisfied in enjoying the "remnants" of their co-operative work performed in the true Yajna-spirit.
As a contrast to these, it has been declared that those who cook food for themselves alone, "eat but sin." It seems that Krishna is perfectly against private property, not in the sense in which a communist would understand it. Krishna seems to be against the principle of arrogation of wealth, and of hoarding the same, motivated by lust of lucre, meant mainly for selfish enjoyment, utterly regardless of the privations and poverty of the unfortunate folks around in the community. It is said that such hoarders of wealth "eat but sin."
Sources: Vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
iṣṭān bhogān hi vo devā dāsyante yajña-bhāvitāḥ
tair dattān apradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ
Bg 3.13
yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ
bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt
Translation:
12 "The DEVAS , nourished 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.
13. The righteous, who eat the "remnants of the sacrifices" are freed from all sins; but those sinful ones, who cook food (only) for their own sake, verily eat but sin.
Commentary Excerpts:
Here, Krishna repeats the unalterable ritualistic law "that the Devas, cherished by Yajna, will provide us with the desired objects." The truth of this statement becomes self-evident and clear when we re-read this statement substituting our meaning for the terms Deva and Yajna. The "productive potential" (Deva), when cherished through "self-dedicated work performed in a spirit of sacrifice" (Yajna), will provide the worker with the desired objects. This is the law-of-life.
And when we thus earn a profit due to our sacrifices, we have every right to enjoy that profit SHARING IT AMONG OURSELVES. But no living creature should enjoy benefits of others' actions without contributing his own share to the total effort. In the capitalistic system of life we notice the wrong tendency of self-aggrandisement of profits produced out of the collective efforts of millions of workers. This ultimately creates sad maladjustments in all spheres of activity, and national and international peace is threatened when we thus upset the law of harmony in life. When this idea, familiar in modern finance, "that a member of a society who consumes without producing is a liability to the nation," is re-read in the language of the Vedas, it is spelt as the second line of this stanza.
HE WHO ENJOYS OBJECTS, GIVEN BY THE Devas, the "productive potential tapped," without offering his own Yajna-efforts into it, is termed here by Krishna as a 'social thief.' Considering the moral and ethical idealism recognised and respected at the time of the Geeta, the term 'thief' used here is indeed a powerful word, fully implying the low depravity and disrespectful nature of such a social criminal who eats without producing.
As a contrast to such social criminals, feeding themselves upon the social wealth, in producing which they have not brought in any self-effort, in this stanza, we have the good, who receive for themselves their "share," after sweating hard in sincere Yajna-activities. Such people, as explained here "go beyond all sins."
Sins of the past are the causes for the present pains, and the present sins would be the causes for the future sorrows. Thus, all causes for the sorrows in social life would be, no doubt, removed, if the good and socially-conscious members of a community were to feel satisfied in enjoying the "remnants" of their co-operative work performed in the true Yajna-spirit.
As a contrast to these, it has been declared that those who cook food for themselves alone, "eat but sin." It seems that Krishna is perfectly against private property, not in the sense in which a communist would understand it. Krishna seems to be against the principle of arrogation of wealth, and of hoarding the same, motivated by lust of lucre, meant mainly for selfish enjoyment, utterly regardless of the privations and poverty of the unfortunate folks around in the community. It is said that such hoarders of wealth "eat but sin."
Sources: Vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
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