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

Context of the Verse

            This verse is a continuation of Krishna’s teaching on Karma Yoga – the yoga of selfless action. After showing that action should be performed without attachment to outcomes (verses 5–8), Krishna now discloses a higher reason to act: for the sake of Yagya, or sacred offering, which means offering for the Divine, or the society, not for personal gain.

Key Teachings in This Verse

•  Yagya (Sacrifice) is devoting the action to a larger purpose, not to selfish desire.
• Actions done not in this spirit of offering result in karma-bandhana – bondage via karma.
• The doer of selfless action is pure; the doer of selfish action is bound.
• Detachment (mukta-sangah) is the way — do your thing, not your results.

Relevance to Arjuna

            What does one do in times of such great uncertainty? Krishna is telling him that he should act; but he should not act for his own benefit, he should act for the sake of acting, Krishna is teaching him that to take action is the only way, to perform, without any personal motives, just as a karma. The battlefield then becomes the altar of sacrifice for Arjuna, and his duty becomes a spiritual act when performed without attachment.

Explanation

            The point to be noted here is Krishna is not recommending ordinary passionate kind of work. As people tell work is worship, just do your duty very nicely. You need not spend time in reading the Vedas, understanding science of God and getting too much into it. Just do your duty nicely. Work is worship. When the injunctions of Krishna are followed and what is the injunction? when a person does work, sacrificing the results for the pleasure of Lord Vishnu or Krishna. Then work is worship. Otherwise, verb binds one to this material world, person gets bound up in the karmic activities.

            So Yagya means sacrifice. Sacrifice for whom? The Scriptures tell another name of Yagya, another meaning of Yagya is Vishnu. And Lord Krishna further he will explain that do all the work sacrifice everything only for my pleasure.

            For those people who do not have knowledge that all the Yagya are meant for ultimate satisfaction of Vishnu, they are recommended to do sacrifice for other devatas also. But if a person is wise, he should understand this is there mentioned throughout the Vedic literatures. People sometimes they do their duties very nicely. Oh, yes. I’m very religious person. I go to temple. I do all the Sanskaras we did Garbadan Sanskar. Then we did the Naamkaran, Jatkaran, Sanskar, Opanayan  Sanskar we are very religious now, it is told in the Vedas. The pleasure of Hari is the purpose of perfection of one ‘s duty, or be able to please Hari. If the taste for hearing the science of God has not awakened. Then the purpose of doing duties is not served.

            So, this is the purpose of all the duties, perfection of one’s duties from Siddhi that is called Siddhim is perfection. If a person does his duty very perfectly, then the result would be pleasure of Hari. It is for him everything is happening here. So, by doing our duty is very nicely. If we follow the Vedic injunctions automatically, person should become very inclined. One should develop great taste to hear the message and the science of supreme personality of Godhead. So, Krishna is telling only for the purpose of sacrifice if you understand who is the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices that Krishna will declare like in a factory, who is the ultimate beneficiary? The proprietor. Krishna, declares in Bhagavad Gita I am the ultimate beneficiary enjoyer of all Tapasya that anybody does, and all the sacrifices it is being offered to any Demi God. But ultimately, I am the ultimate beneficiary. Because I am the supreme proprietor.

            But it is not easy to have understanding of God in the lower modes of nature because we are having various material desires. So as per the capacity of the individuals, whatever modes they are being conducted by various other sacrifices are recommended in the Vedas and if one follows this part of sacrifice, one will become free from the bondage of Karma, sinful activity. If a person is very, very Tamsick for him also there is your gear. If I want to eat meat, I cannot maintain a slaughterhouse because ultimately the Vedas want to make a person very Satwik. So, there is injunction. You offer sacrifice to goddess Kali, ghastly form of material nature. So one can do the such sacrifice outside the city and he can do only on Amavas.

            So in that way there is regulation. Everyday person is not eating meat and then if he follows this sacrifice gradually the meat, meat eating tendency, this violent tendency will be eliminated from the heart. So for Rajasic person who want well heroic power. Who want to defeat their enemies, Different Yagya for different demigods are recommended.