Sampoorna Mahabharata • సంపూర్ణ శ్రీమహాభారతము • Episode 658

Episode 658: Chapter 3

By performing the 5 yagnas, we are freed even from other sins.

annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyādannasambhavaḥyajñādbhavati parjanyaḥ yajñaḥ karmasamudbhavaḥ ǁ14ǁ
karma brahmōdbhavaṁ viddhi brahmākṣarasamudbhavamtasmāt sarvagataṁ brahma nityaṁ yajñē pratiṣṭhitam ǁ15ǁ

Living beings are born from food. Food is generated due to clouds. Clouds are formed due to Yagna. Yagna stems from good deeds. Those good deeds emerge from Brahma who exists as Vedas. Vedas emerge from the imperishable Supreme (Akshara Parabrahma). Hence, that Supreme is eternally situated in Yagna.

In these 2 verses, Srikrishna explains the wheel of creation, wheel of dharma & wheel of karma.

Abidance to dharma (righteous living) and karma (mandated duties) causes the wheel of creation to rotate.

Vedas which emerged from the Akshara Parabrahma have given us our ordained duties. Yagnas stemmed from those duties. Due to the performance of Yagna, timely rains occur leading to the growth of crops. Beings are born from food. Thus, when this wheel is studied, we know that Brahma is fixed in Yagna.

The food transforms into blood & vital fluids & leads to the birth of progeny. Food grows due to rain. The clouds are formed due to Yagna.

Manu smriti says-
agnau prāstāhutiḥ samya gāditya mupatiṣṭatē
ādityājjāyatē vŗṣṭiḥ vŗṣṭērannam tataḥ prajāḥ

The offering made in the proper procedure in the homa fire travels & reaches the Sun. The Sun is responsible for the rain. From rains, food grains emerge. From food, beings are born.

Such Yagna cannot be completed without action. As Yagna stems from karma, the Lord addresses it as ‘Karma-samudbhavam’. Never treat rituals pertaining to the Devatas as ordinary deeds. This is because the all-pervading Parabrahma himself is established in those rituals.

Hence, through yagna, puja and other rituals, everyone must gradually obtain mental purity and through it attain Self-realization. Through this, they must free themselves of the karmic bondages.

Not everyone can remain fixed in Jnana. Hence, at first, one must diligently adhere to the Karma-yoga & complete ordained duties without expectation. Instead of engaging in actions randomly, we must engage in those deeds that are ordained by the Vedas.

The word Brahma has many meanings. Here, the meanings ‘Veda’ and ‘4-faced Brahma’ have been accepted.

The 4-faced Brahma was clueless about how to create. At that time Paramatma initiated him into 4 verses (Chatuśśloki Bhagavatam) that contained the entire essence of the Vedas. With its help, he created. Hence, we must abide by the good deeds taught in the Vedas. Only such deeds ordained by the Vedas must be encouraged.

The food obtained on the strength of his past actions should not be abused even if tasteless. It must be consumed with total contentment. God has given food as the medicine for the disease called hunger. Food should be earned through righteous means, shared with others, & then consumed.

Vedas ordain that we must share the food with other beings before eating. We must not offer our remnants to others. We must take only as much as we can eat. Food is the form of the Supreme. Throwing food means abusing God. The one who understands this secret considers food to be a Maha-prasada and will consume it lovingly. Then it grants mental purity.

Brahma means Veda. From Vedas, karma was born i.e., Vedas teach the ordained duties. As Vedas (Brahma) emerged from the exhalation of the Akshara Parabrahma, they illumine everything.

Such Vedas are omnipresent (sarvagata). Despite this, the Vedas are eternally situated in the Yagnas. A major portion of Vedas deals with actions (karma-kanda) or Yagna procedures. As such, human beings who tread the path of karma must engage in Yagnas, through this obtain purity of mind, and then step into the path of Jnana.

The Lord now explains how the life of a person who does not perform Yagna turns fruitless.

evaṁ pravartitaṁ cakraṁ nānuvartayatīha yaḥaghāyurindriyārāmaḥ mōghaṁ pārthasa jīvati ǁ 16 ǁ

He who does not adhere to this wheel set into motion by Paramatma, is a sinner who is a slave to sensory pleasures & is wasting his life.

As this creation has a cyclical rotation, it has been compared to a wheel. He who does not comply with this wheel can never attain Jnana. Diligent adherence to good deeds leads to Jnana. On the contrary, he who abstains from completion of his ordained duties becomes a ‘karma bhrashta’ & a sinner. His existence is a mere burden to earth. He does not benefit himself or others. He is as good as dead.

He who abstains from the completion of his mandated duties due to laziness, cannot progress into Jnana and, due to abstinence from actions, cannot obtain the stability of mind. So he is pushed into sensory indulgence. He wastes his life.

The person who abides by this wheel conquers his sense organs & turns meritorious. He leads a fruitful life.