Speaker: Śrī Kṛṣṇa
सर्वेऽप्येते यज्ञविदो यज्ञक्षपितकल्मषाः ।
यज्ञशिष्टामृत भुजो यान्ति ब्रह्मा सनातनम् ॥३०॥
sarve 'py ete yajña-vido
yajña-kṣapita-kalmaṣāḥ
yajña-śiṣṭāmṛta-bhujo
yānti brahma sanātanam
Word for word (synonyms)
- sarve
- all
- api
- although apparently different
- ete
- all these
- yajña-vidaḥ
- conversant with the purpose of performing
- yajña
- sacrifices
- kṣapita
- being cleansed of the result of such performances
- kalmaṣāḥ
- sinful reactions
- yajña-śiṣṭa
- as a result of such performances of *yajña*
- amṛta-bhujaḥ
- those who have tasted such nectar
- yānti
- do approach
- brahma
- the supreme
- sanātanam
- eternal atmosphere
Translation
All these performers who know the meaning of sacrifice become cleansed of sinful reaction, and, having tasted the nectar of the remnants of such sacrifice, they go to the supreme eternal atmosphere.
Defined in the Gītā
Sacrifice
Which sacrifice is the greatest?
O chastiser of the enemy, the sacrifice of knowledge is greater than the sacrifice of material possessions. O son of Pṛthā, after all, the sacrifice of work culminates in transcendental knowledge.
Purport
From the foregoing explanation of differents types of sacrifice (namely sacrifice of one's possessions, study of the Vedas or philosophical doctrines, and performance of the yoga system), it is found that the common aim of all is to control the senses. Sense gratification is the root cause of material existence; therefore, unless and until one is situated on a platform apart from sense gratification, there is no chance of being elevated to the eternal platform of full knowledge, full bliss and full life. This platform is in the eternal atmosphere, or Brahman atmosphere. All the above-mentioned sacrifices help one to become cleansed of the sinful reactions of material existence. By this advancement in life, one not only becomes happy and opulent in this life, but also, at the end, he enters into the eternal kingdom of God, either merging into the impersonal Brahman or associating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.
What this verse teaches
Purpose of sacrifices — development of jñāna, destruction of sins and attaining spiritual realm.
Śrīla Prabhupāda lectures 2
- Bhagavad-gītā 4.24–34 1966-08-10 · New York
- Bhagavad-gītā 4.26–30 1969-01-13 · Los Angeles
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.