“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.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.9)

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यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः
तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर

yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra
loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ
tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya
mukta-saṅgaḥ samācara

It appears that the attention span, if depicted as a measured duration, has been declining in a linear fashion, corresponding to the progression of a related factor. If technological innovation is steadily improving, then on the same chart we have the line showing attention span going in the other direction. As a result, principles, practices, and procedures previously taught through extended instruction and deliberation now have to be presented in a condensed fashion.

At least that is the pressure subtly applied within society. Someone wants to learn Bhagavad-gita in five minutes, for instance. They want a shortcut to understanding the Vedas, which are like the original scriptural tradition of the universe. The same Vedas extend the boundaries of understanding of time and space, itself. There is really no beginning. The concept we are trying to understand, the one who is glorified in those very Vedas, is both anadi and ananta. He is without beginning and without end.

To honor the game as it is played today, what if we attempted to explain the Vedas in a single word? If a person is too busy to read books, ask questions, and implement changes necessary for practical realization of timeless principles, what should they be told? Is there one word that can sum up the entirety of the creation itself, as it applies to the most advanced human species?

A candidate for that one word is yajna. This is the purpose of the Vedas, Vedic culture, and the teachings for those interested in that portion of the vast knowledgebase. If the Vedas are like the instruction manual for the sober and rational human being, then the steps towards fulfillment of the goal would be yajna. The same yajna is also the goal itself.

A common image associated with religion is attendance at a house of worship. Perhaps visit once a week, properly dressed, sitting down in reverence, and making the affiliation with the institution publicly known. Maybe we can pray for this thing or that. Ask the man upstairs to keep our family safe. Heal the sick. Ensure that our loved ones stay out of trouble. Pray for the nation and its leader. Even wish that our enemies can find their way back into the light.

यत् करोषि यद् अश्नासि
यज् जुहोषि ददासि यत्
यत् तपस्यसि कौन्तेय
तत् कुरुष्व मद्-अर्पणम्

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

“O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.27)

In the proper understanding of yajna, everything that we do can align with genuine religion. We have the direct recommendation found in Bhagavad-gita. We can make everything a sacrifice for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is not necessary that we always sit in front of a fire, stand before an altar, or worship only at allotted times. Through the following review, we see how a single person can practically occupy their entire life experience with yajna, and find transcendental bliss in the process.

1. Reading

Shri Krishna declares that a person who studies Bhagavad-gita, which is a conversation between the same Krishna and the disciple named Arjuna, essentially worships Krishna through their intelligence. This means that reading can turn into yajna. It is a kind of sacrifice of knowledge.

अध्येष्यते च य इमं
धर्म्यं संवादम् आवयोः
ज्ञान-यज्ञेन तेनाहम्
इष्टः स्याम् इति मे मतिः

adhyeṣyate ca ya imaṁ
dharmyaṁ saṁvādam āvayoḥ
jñāna-yajñena tenāham
iṣṭaḥ syām iti me matiḥ

“And I declare that he who studies this sacred conversation worships Me by his intelligence.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.70)

We have intelligence. This is one of the subtle elements of nature associated with a temporary life experience. We can honor that gift of intelligence by utilizing it for yajna. We simply have to read. We associate with the proper material, which is timeless in relevance.

2. Marriage

The union is not for sense enjoyment. It is not for reliving a memory of a specific day many years after the fact. The man and woman come together as a kind of sacrifice. There are the formal rituals involved in the ceremony, but the spirit of sacrifice continues for the duration of the relationship. This is in the ideal case. This means that just by entering the grihastha-ashrama, by using the bond to come closer to transcendence, there is adherence to religious life.

3. Thinking

I am stuck on a long-haul flight. There is no other option, as this travel is necessary to take care of important matters. This particular airline is known for its lower standard of service. The seats are in a dilapidated condition, and the in-flight entertainment system never works properly. I have no choice but to sit there.

During this time, I can think about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I can contemplate His transcendental features. I can remember His glories, gunas. This is a kind of yajna, even though I am not in the formal setting of a temple or a house of worship.

4. Singing

A song gets stuck in my head. This is from hearing it on the radio. I end up singing the words throughout the day. This is almost an involuntary act. After a while, the song starts to grow on me. This is after having heard it only a single time.

I can take the same tendency towards singing and apply it to the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This practice is already associated with sacrifice. It is known as the sankirtana-yajna, and it was made famous in the present age by the kindness of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

5. Eating

Who doesn’t like to eat? Who doesn’t have to eat? It is a necessary component of living. It is required to sustain life. We can turn our eating into yajna. We can restrict the food to a certain category. From within that category, we can take our preparations and offer them first to the Supreme Lord. We are giving instead of taking. We are not expecting anything in return. We are following out of a sense of duty. At the bare minimum, this kind of yajna aligns with the mode of goodness, sattva-guna.

अफलाकाङ्‌‍क्षिभिर्यज्ञो विधिदिष्टो य इज्यते
यष्टव्यमेवेति मन: समाधाय स सात्त्विक:

aphalākāṅkṣibhir yajño
vidhi-diṣṭo ya ijyate
yaṣṭavyam eveti manaḥ
samādhāya sa sāttvikaḥ

“Of sacrifices, that sacrifice performed according to duty and to scriptural rules, and with no expectation of reward, is of the nature of goodness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 17.11)

Something we might not realize initially is that through steady implementation of this tendency towards yajna, we are closer to rising above even sattva-guna. This is because yajna is synonymous with Vishnu, which is another name for God. If I can turn yajna into a way of life, then I will soon understand the real meaning of dharma, which is without beginning and without end, sanatana.

In Closing:

On topic of Vedas to land,
If by one word to understand.

With explanation full and legit,
When impatient for long to sit.

Then just the word yajna command,
Sacrifice for everything at hand.

From reading, hearing, and even to sing,
As offerings to Vishnu to bring.

Categories: the five

Tags: bhagavad-gita, dailyprompt, poem, poems, poetry, vishnu, yajna