“Feed the gods by making this sacrifice, and in return, the gods will feed you. So, through mutual nourishment, you will reach the highest good.”

Context of the Verse:

            This is the continuation of Krishna’s explanation of Yagya (sacrifice) in earlier verses. Krishna further explains the interplay between mankind and the Deva (celestial forces). The Vedic world view is that natural forces like rain, wind, and fertility are controlled by devas. It is the humans, who do selfless acts and sacrifices that they stay in harmony with these forces. In doing this, Krishna teaches responsible living, wherein all actions and lives are Upadana (sacred duties) that add to both Sarira (individual body) and  Brahman (cosmic order).

Key Teachings in This Verse:

• Life is interdependent: help is a two-way street between humans and divine forces.
• Yagya (sacrifice) is a bridge between mortals and immortals.
• Spiritual growth is mutual, achieved through selfless giving to the whole.
• Even material success and harmony rely on dharma and gratitude.
• Stresses balance in spiritual as well as material obligations.

Relevance to Arjuna:

            Arjuna considers renouncing action altogether, but Krishna demonstrates that selfless action is the very concept sustaining his duty and the cosmos. In this verse, Arjuna realizes that by performing his Kshatriya Dharma (warrior duty) as a sacrifice, he preserves the source of law and human well-being Divine law and his human well-being. Krishna employs this concept to pull Arjuna away from solipsistic retreat and engage him in purposeful, selfless action in the world.

Explanation:

            The demigods, being pleased by sacrifices, will also please you, thus nourishing one another, there will reign general prosperity for all. Unfortunately, people sometimes call descriptions in the very literatures of the Devatas demigods, very powerful living entities with supernatural powers, living on other planets in this universe, mere mythology. However, the Vedic scriptures never mentioned it as mythology. This is the motto of Vedic education. We are engaged in various activities. Why am I suffering? You can do business, job or any menial service. You can do business, or any menial service, or be a king or politician, but of all the actions, what is the purpose? The purpose is not the enjoyment of senses like animals, but the purpose is to understand, what is the truth of this life? Who has created this world? What is the purpose? Why am I suffering? Why am I suffering? When we suffer, we go to doctors. We should have this question, why am I suffering? Something is unnatural. I’m doing something I’m not supposed to do. So human life is meant for such inquiry. All the actions which we are doing, the result is we should inquire truth. So such processors of the Vedic culture, who were sages, they have approved this knowledge as being absolute truths. If we want to understand computers, we go to the faculty of computer science. If we want to understand automobiles, we go to faculty of mechanical engineering. Similarly, if you want to understand the truth of life, we should go to the faculty of Truth Department and this Truth Department you will find only in the Vedic culture. In Vedic culture all education is meant only for knowing the truth. That is why all the pass-outs of Vedic schools are called Gurukul. They would never take a job. Because the person needs to be independent, first of all, in order to understand the truth, so only those people who did not go to Vedic schools gurukuls they would take up jobs. Otherwise, jobs were never taken by any educated person in the Vedic culture, they would remain free, either they would cultivate their own farms. Work 3 months in a year and balance time they would cultivate Krishna consciousness or their Kshatriyas. They collect tax and give protection to people. They are also not dependent on money for somebody or they are Brahmanas. He is satisfied simply by maintaining and keeping his body and soul together; if someone gives more donation. He will distribute it. He doesn’t want to even accumulate money for next day, such exalted culture.He will not even accumulate money for the next day, such exalted sages have approved this is truth faculty of truths.

            So just like we have not seen neutrons, we have not seen electrons. We have not seen protons, we have not seen the Black Holes and we might die without seeing them, but we believe in them. What is the purpose? Proton neutron, electron quarks. So many subatomic particles they exist. Black holes do exist. We might not be able to see electromagnetic waves, but they exist. In a similar fashion, just like we depend on some authorities to believe in things we cannot perceive directly. Here also, we depend on such authorities, and it is not difficult to understand the existence of demigods. Our eyes are more advanced than the most advanced camera we have made till now. How the image comes? It falls on the retina. The curvature is so perfect the curvature could have been distorted from birth. There could be some deficiency. Of course, some very simple people, they have this thing, but normally for most of us the curvature is just right that the image falls on the retina. How do the items decide that we are just in this way that the curvature should be focused on the retina? And then there is a mechanism to control the intensity of light. There is a sufficient proportion the exact nice ratio of rods and cones, which define our perception of colors. If this changes, we become colour blind. In every living being, the right number of rods and cones, and the ability to distinguish colours is present. Then there are optical nerves, just like in camera. How the recording it is able to be converted into electrical signals and then these electrical signals are transmitted. So, there is proper mechanism, wiring in the brain. Who has done this wiring and then the image which is formed that is inverted. There is optical nerve which inverts that image again so that we can see the world right side up, not upside down. Who created this very nice optical nerve which inverts the image in the exact 180 degree. Is it not a wonderful mechanism then goes to spine, from spine it goes to brain. What wonderful machine it is, this just eye.

And there is so much wonderful mechanism happening in this body food that we eat, it goes calcium will be taken out, will be sent to the bones, vitamins will be taken out, will be sent to the respective organs wherever it is required. The waste will be collected. It will be excreted. How nicely it is happening. Air comes, we need only oxygen. Oxygen is taken. Other gas is not required, so it is eliminated. How nice mechanism it is? So, there is somebody who has designed, is it not? So that is a fact. It is done by a demigod. His name is Brahma. He has designed all our bodies. And Brahma also has been created by somebody. Brahma ‘s body has been designed by somebody that is Lord Krishna, that the Vedas defined. So, in this way, just like in any establishment. There is one king, and there are so many ministers or prime ministers under him so many ministers in a similar fashion there is one supreme personality who is called God. Under him there are other ministers of universal affairs. They are called Demi gods. Why is it difficult to understand? Somebody has created all these machines, isn’t it? How nice design it is, Chanakya Pandit says. When I see just this mechanism, as soon as the child is out, there is milk in the breasts of the mother. Not before that, not after the child is grown up, because the child cannot survive on anything other than milk. And the milk comes out at the right time. And it has all the nutrients required for the child and child cannot survive on anything else than the milk. How nice is this mechanism?

So, there are people who are doing it. And there is somebody who is controlling all such people who are doing this thing is called Supreme Lord and those people who are directly responsible for such activities, just like now in a city there is water supply, there is power supply. Similarly, please do not think it is happening by chance. The rains, the water, the air, the food that we have everything is in control of demigods. It is mentioned in the scriptures. Now our science does not allow us. Otherwise, you could have gone and practically seen. But now we cannot go, so we take help of authorities and these authorities are not ordinary. They are very powerful. They have dedicated their lives to find truth. And these authorities reject general perceptions that we have, calling it as illusion. So will they believe and profound some mythology. With great deliberation, with diligence, read the Vedas and we also will be convinced that this is packed. God is packed the supreme created. Demi Gods are also packed. So here Krishna is telling the demigod being pleased by the sacrifice will also please you and thus nourishing one another. There will reign general prosperity for all as we give tax to the government. Government maintains all these departments very nicely and the facilities are given to us. You have nice transport, nice education and all the public facilities, defense, healthcare is done by the government. If we don’t give tax, then again, we will not be taken care properly and we will suffer eventually. If we give tax, we are given proper care, we earn more money, we give more tax. There is general prosperity for all. Similar cycle happens here in the universe also. So, a person is supposed to do Yagya, by Yagya demigods are pleased they are nourished and they nourish us in this way mutually. The demigod and the living entities by following this chakra, the cycle of Yagya everybody for everybody, there is prosperity. The science is not known to people.