Bhagavad-gītā 3.14 [with translator]

Prabhupāda:

annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ [Bg 3.14]

[All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rain. Rains are produced by performance of yajña [sacrifice], and yajña is born of prescribed duties.]

[to translator, who translates throughout:] You will translate? No.

Indian man: You can speak in English. He will translate.

Prabhupāda: I'll speak in English. So here is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā, Third Chapter, fourteenth verse. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. When I was coming to your village, I saw there are so many agricultural field producing tobacco. So tobacco-producing can give you some money, but you will be shortage of food grains. Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, said that if you want to make happy and prosperous the people in general, then you must produce anna, food grains. Bhagavān has not said anywhere that you produce tobacco, jute and similar other things, which are not required at all.

The whole purpose of life is to perform yajña. In the Viṣṅu Purāṅa there is a verse, varṅāśramācāravatā puruṣeṅa paraḥ pumān. Varṅāśramācāravatā puruṣeṅa paraḥ pumān, nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṅam [Cc Madhya 8.58].

[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṅu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varṅa and āśrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four varṅas and āśramas.’]

Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32].

[In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṅa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṅa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.]

Yajña means to satisfy the yajña-puruṣa, Nārāyaṅa, or Bhagavān. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Prahlāda Mahārāja also says,

na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṅuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ [SB 7.5.31]

[Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Viṣṅu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries.]

The people do not know that the aim of life is to approach Viṣṅu, Lord Viṣṅu. That is the aim of life. Viṣṅur ārādhyate panthā nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṅam [Cc Madhya 8.58].

So viṣṅu-ārādhana is the ultimate goal of life. In the Purāṅas also, Lord Śiva was instructing Pārvatī, ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṅor ārādhanaṁ param [Padma Purāṅa]. Lord Śiva said that "Of all different types of worship, the worship of Viṣṅu is topmost." So human life is specially meant for worshiping Viṣṅu. Unfortunately, the blind leaders, they are not teaching people how to execute viṣṅu-ārādhana. So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is started just to educate people how to worship Lord Viṣṅu. Viṣṅor ārādhanaṁ param—this is our mission to teach all over the world. [break] Kṛṣṅa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā that yajñārthe karmaṅo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ [Bg 3.9].

[Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṅu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage.]

Yajñārthe. Yajña means Viṣṅu. Simply for satisfying Viṣṅu one should act. Any work one is habituated to do, it should be aimed to satisfy Viṣṅu. Otherwise we shall be implicated in the karma. Karma means we act in some way under the direction of material energy or illusionary energy, and we become implicated. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, kāraṅaṁ guṅa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu [Bg 13.22]. According to our work and association with particular type of the modes of nature, we get different types of body. If we give up viṣṅu-ārādhana, if we give up the aim of achieving the favor of Viṣṅu, then we are becoming implicated in the resultant action of our different activities.

Kṛṣṅa therefore teaches, yat karoṣi: "Whatever you do, it doesn't matter." Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṅam [Bg 9.27]: "Whatever you be, that doesn't matter, but the result should be given to Me." So at the present moment in this age, all over the world people have forgotten Viṣṅu, or God. They are whimsically doing things which will implicate them birth after birth, sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu, either higher class of birth or lower class of birth, sat and asat. But this is not solution of life.

So here in this verse Kṛṣṅa says,

annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ [Bg 3.14]

[All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rain. Rains are produced by performance of yajña [sacrifice], and yajña is born of prescribed duties.]

So karma... Everyone has got different types of occupation. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-karma, kṣatriya-karma, vaiśya-karma, śūdra-karma. Sva-karmaṅā tam abhyarcya saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ [Bg 18.46]. There is no... In the worship of Kṛṣṅa, there is no such distinction that only the brāhmaṅas can offer prayers or worship to Kṛṣṅa, but everyone can offer. Māṁ hi vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ [Bg 9.32].

[O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—women, vaiśyas [merchants], as well as śūdras [workers]—can approach the supreme destination.]

Even less than the śūdras, they can also take the advantage of worshiping Kṛṣṅa.

So yajñārthe karmaṅo 'nyatra. This karma should be performed for executing yajña. [aside:] Why... Translate. So this yajña... Formerly yajña was performed very gorgeously. So many mounds of ghee and grains were put into the fire. But in this age, Kali-yuga, there is neither ghee nor grains to offer in the fire, yajña fire. Therefore in this Kali-yuga the yajña is performed by chanting the holy name of the Lord.

So I do not wish to take very much time. I have got another engagement. My only submission is that you produce enough quantity of food grains. Don't waste your time by producing tobacco. Besides that, in the śāstra it is forbidden, striya sūnā pāna dyūta yatra pāpaś catur-vidhā [SB 1.17.38].

[Sūta Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Parīkṣit, thus being petitioned by the personality of Kali, gave him permission to reside in places where gambling, drinking, prostitution and animal slaughter were performed.]

Striya, avaidha, illicit sex; striya, sūnā, jīva ko hatya, killing the animals. Striya sūnā pāna... Pāna means smoking also. Drinking liquor and smoking. Dhūma pāna. This pāna is forbidden. Striya sūnā pāna dyūta, and dyūta means gambling. So these four things, they are considered as sinful activities. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said,

yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṅya-karmaṅām te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ [Bg 7.28]

[Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.]

Unless one is free from the sinful activities, he cannot be fully engaged in worshiping the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṅa. So these four principle of sinful activities—illicit sex, and animal-killing, and intoxication, including smoking and drinking tea, and gambling—anyone who wants really benefit of life, human life, they must give up these four principles of sinful life.

Kṛṣṅa therefore says to every one of us,

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi... [Bg 18.66]

It is not possible that we can give up sinful activities by our own endeavor, because in this age, Kali-yuga, everyone is addicted to some sort of sinful activities. But if we surrender to Kṛṣṅa as He is instructing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66], fully, without any reservation, He will help us to become free from the sinful reactions. [break] [end]