Devanagari
अफलाकाङ्क्षिभिर्यज्ञो विधिदिष्टो य इज्यते ।
यष्टव्यमेवेति मन: समाधाय स सात्त्विक: ॥ ११ ॥
Verse text
aphalākāṅkṣibhir yajṣo
vidhi-diṣṭo ya ijyate
yaṣṭavyam eveti manaḥ
samādhāya sa sāttvikaḥ
Synonyms
aphala-ākāṅkṣibhiḥ
—
by those devoid of desire for result
;
yajṣaḥ
—
sacrifice
;
vidhi-diṣṭaḥ
—
according to the direction of scripture
;
yaḥ
—
which
;
ijyate
—
is performed
;
yaṣṭavyam
—
must be performed
;
eva
—
certainly
;
iti
—
thus
;
manaḥ
—
mind
;
samādhāya
—
fixing
;
saḥ
—
it
;
sāttvikaḥ
—
in the mode of goodness.
Translation
Of sacrifices, the sacrifice performed according to the directions of scripture, as a matter of duty, by those who desire no reward, is of the nature of goodness.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
11. That sacrifice which is performed according to scripture, without desire for material results, with the mentality that it should be performed because of scriptural injunction, is sattvic.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
11. That sacrifice which is performed according to scripture, without desire for material results, with the mentality that it should be performed because of scriptural injunction is sāttvika.
Purport
The general tendency is to offer sacrifice with some purpose in mind, but here it is stated that sacrifice should be performed without any such desire. It should be done as a matter of duty. Take, for example, the performance of rituals in temples or in churches. Generally they are performed with the purpose of material benefit, but that is not in the mode of goodness. One should go to a temple or church as a matter of duty, offer respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and offer flowers and eatables without any purpose of obtaining material benefit. Everyone thinks that there is no use in going to the temple just to worship God. But worship for economic benefit is not recommended in the scriptural injunctions. One should go simply to offer respect to the Deity. That will place one in the mode of goodness. It is the duty of every civilized man to obey the injunctions of the scriptures and offer respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
With this verse the Lord begins to speak of the three types of sacrifice. That is sattvic sacrifice which is performed according to the rules, with no desire for results. What would be the impetus for sacrifice if there were no desire for results? The mind is fixed in performing the sacrifice with the idea that it should be done because the scriptures prescribe it thus (yaṣṭavyam eva iti).
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
The Lord then speaks of three varieties of sacrifice in three verses. That sacrifice which is performed (ījyate) without desire for results, arising from the rules of scripture (vidhi dṛṣṭaḥ) is sacrifice in the mode of goodness. But how would one be inspired to do a sacrifice without some motive? One should concentrate the mind (samādhāya), thinking “This sacifice should be done because of instructions in the Vedas (yaṣṭavaym) directed to me. It is not to be done for achieving results.”