Really struggling to fully understand 3.14
I have read Prabhupada's purport, again and again and again............. and i an baffled and confused.
What is Prabhupada trying to say here?
In this verse what does Yajna mean - is it the rituals that priests perform?
surely even if the priests do not perform rituials rains will still come.
The purport is also talking about "prescribed duties" - what has this to do with Yajna Rituals, rain, food...........
will really appreciate someone explaining this to me in a Simple english, particularly expanding on "Yajna"
ant refereance/examples to MODERN day living/science will be appreciated.
To fully understand Gita, what is the other suggested reading. I do listen to the youtube videos of Chaitanya CharanDas - really good, but often so long winded, wish there was something explained simply, short sharp to the point. often i dont have the time and patience to listen to his 90 minute lecture to explain just one verse!
HELP!
Replies
Srila Prabhupada on Bhagavad Gita As IT IS Chapter 3 Verses 13, 14, 15 and 16
https://youtu.be/upMaTMyvRUg
Yagna here means sacrifical offering. to 1. Devas 2. brahmanas 3. bhootas 4. pitru ( forefathers) 5. ashta dikh palakas ( 8 directions). .. to First and foremore Lord Krishna ...
Sacrifice means... Here not enjoying ur self all the things provided to you by nature like a Rakshasha ( Demons only eat for their satisfaction they wont offer anything to anyone selfish people also do the same) ...sacrifice means to eat after offering to the above said people.
We must not consume things without setting aside for these above said members.
That is why when you do shardha karma also... you offer to pirtu devatas, then brahmans partake the food.. then the household eats the remanents. This is also a form of sacrifice
and its a prescribed duty of son to person shardha karma to his forefathers ..
Its a prescribed duty of every person to offer food to Lord before partaking himself. It is form of sacrifice because... you are stopping ur eagerness and greediness to eat for a while offering food to the other who is hungry... then consuming the remaining stuff.
If you don't offer you are going to create a imbalance in the environment. You don't offer to any of these then also its okay.. if you just offer food to Lord Krishna and eat.
In case you get a chance to serve a vaishanava or brahmina.. please please eat only after serving them first. Otherwise if no one is around when you are consuming...then just offer to Lord Krishna.... that would satisfy whole universe.
Just like Draupadi gave Lord a grain and lord partook it and whole universe was satisfied and all the creatures felt they had a a full tummy.
When a householder does this type of sacrificial offering which is prescribed duty as given in Vedas also. Such a person brings peace to whole atmosphere and universe.
If all people collectively do this thing.on a larger scale...?? how much satisfied must be the devas ....??, brahmans, pitrus.. ( forefathers).. They all confer blessings upon the householder as well as for the collective mass and this will bring rains...
there is really not a need to perform a yagna with priest chanting mantas and putting ghee into the sacrificial fire this that..
Everyone should start with lovingly offer the food to a begger, a brahmina, do ritualistic duty of a son by performing shardha karma thereby satisfying the forefathers ( these are all prescribed duties ) of a Grihastha.. Which need to be done.. If nothing is possible to you then just offer a leaf, flower, fruit or water atleast to Lord Sri Krishna.
If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit a water, I will accept it.--chapter 9 text 26 BG
Hare Krishna.
What does Yajna mean ?
Factually sacrifice means to satisfy the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, who is also known as Yajña. (Purport BG 4.25)
There may be different types of Yanja. Some are explained in 4th Chapter.
Some [the unadulterated brahmacārīs] sacrifice the hearing process and the senses in the fire of mental control, and others [the regulated householders] sacrifice the objects of the senses in the fire of the senses. (BG 4.26)
Others, who are interested in achieving self-realization through control of the mind and senses, offer the functions of all the senses, and of the life breath, as oblations into the fire of the controlled mind. (BG 4.27)
The purport is also talking about "prescribed duties" - what has this to do with Yajna Rituals, rain, food...........
Actually Sri Krsna is talking about prescribed duties. Sri Krsna says - yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ : yajña is born of prescribed duties.
When prescribed duties are performed for pleasure of Sri Krsna then it is a yajna.
The reason why Sri Krsna is talking about rain food karma etc is because these are all connected. Arjuna is preferring not to perform his karma of fighting. The implication at a macro level will be that rains will stop and then growing of food will stop. Which would be a disaster.
On the other hand if Karma is performed for satisfaction of Vishnu (BG 3.9) then we be can live peacefully and at the same time be liberated.
Any refereance/examples to MODERN day living/science will be appreciated.
How to perform yanja practically is described in Bg 3.13
yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo
mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ
bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā
ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt
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.
There are more such practical examples given by Srila Prabhupada in Purport of BG 11.55
To fully understand Gita, what is the other suggested reading.
To fully understand BG one needs to start practicing the process of Bhakti. Understanding BG intellectually without transformation of heart would just be superficial.
BG As it is written by Srila Prabhupada is quite complete and sufficient in understanding BG. But readers who are new to BG may lose track in the beginning due to lengthy purport and lack of patience. I faced this when I first read BG As it is.
One could start with Essence of Bhagavad Gita written by HG Radheshyam Prabhu. It explains everything in BG in a more simple manner with more relevance to current day readers. But this is noway should be treated as a substitute to BG As it is. It is only a starting point.
https://www.amazon.com/Essence-Bhagavad-gita-Set-8-Books/dp/B00LPMBT8Y
Hare Krsna