BG 3.10
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Devanagari
सहयज्ञाः प्रजाः सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापतिः ।
अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक् ॥ १० ॥
Verse text
saha-yajṣāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā
purovāca prajāpatiḥ
anena prasaviṣyadhvam
eṣa vo ’stv iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk
Synonyms
saha
—
along with
;
yajṣāḥ
—
sacrifices
;
prajāḥ
—
generations
;
sṛṣṭvā
—
creating
;
purā
—
anciently
;
uvāca
—
said
;
prajā-patiḥ
—
the Lord of creatures
;
anena
—
by this
;
prasaviṣyadhvam
—
be more and more prosperous
;
eṣaḥ
—
this
;
vaḥ
—
your
;
astu
—
let it be
;
iṣṭa
—
of all desirable things
;
kāma-dhuk
—
bestower.
Translation
In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Viṣṇu, and blessed them by saying, “Be thou happy by this yajṣa [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you everything desirable for living happily and achieving liberation.”
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
10. Brahmā, having created the population along with sacrifice, long ago spoke: May you prosper by this sacrifice. May it fulfill all your material desires.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
10. Viṣṇu, having created the population along with sacrifice in the beginning, spoke: May you increase yourself by this sacrifice. May it fulfill you desire for liberation by supply bodily maintenance and knowledge of ātmā.
Purport
The material creation by the Lord of creatures (Viṣṇu) is a chance offered to the conditioned souls to come back home – back to Godhead. All living entities within the material creation are conditioned by material nature because of their forgetfulness of their relationship to Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic principles are to help us understand this eternal relation, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. The Lord says that the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Him. In the Vedic hymns it is said: patiṁ viśvasyātmeśvaram. Therefore, the Lord of the living entities is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also (2.4.20) Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the Lord as pati in so many ways:
śriyaḥ patir yajṣa-patiḥ prajā-patir dhiyāṁ patir loka-patir dharā-patiḥ patir gatiś cāndhaka-vṛṣṇi-sātvatāṁ prasīdatāṁ me bhagavān satāṁ patiḥ
The prajā-pati is Lord Viṣṇu, and He is the Lord of all living creatures, all worlds, and all beauties, and the protector of everyone. The Lord created this material world to enable the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajṣas (sacrifices) for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety, and after finishing the present material body they can enter into the kingdom of God. That is the whole program for the conditioned soul. By performance of yajṣa, the conditioned souls gradually become Kṛṣṇa conscious and become godly in all respects. In the Age of Kali, the saṅkīrtana-yajṣa (the chanting of the names of God) is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental system was introduced by Lord Caitanya for the deliverance of all men in this age. Saṅkīrtana-yajṣa and Kṛṣṇa consciousness go well together. Lord Kṛṣṇa in His devotional form (as Lord Caitanya) is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32) as follows, with special reference to the saṅkīrtana-yajṣa:
kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam yajṣaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ
“In this Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of saṅkīrtana-yajṣa. ” Other yajṣas prescribed in the Vedic literatures are not easy to perform in this Age of Kali, but the saṅkīrtana-yajṣa is easy and sublime for all purposes, as recommended in Bhagavad-gītā also (9.14).
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Therefore, one with an impure heart should perform actions without desire, rather than give up action. Now, if you cannot be without desire in the actions, then you should still perform actions offered to Viṣṇu with desire, rather than give up actions completely. This is explained in seven verses.
Long ago, along with yajṣa, Brahmā created the creatures qualified for offering to Viṣṇu and said, “Increase more and more the population by this dharma or yajṣa. May this yajṣa bestow all desired enjoyment (iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk).” By this he indicated that they had material desires.
The compound saha-yajṣā is formed by the rule vopasarjanasya (Aṣṭādhyāyī, Pāṇini 6.3.82). The compound saha-yajṣa is used instead of sa-yajṣa.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
This verse shows that it is wrong to maintain the body without offering sacrifice to Viṣṇu. Prajāpati refers to the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, as is seen from śruti states such as patiṁ viśvasyātmeśvaram: he is the master of the universe, the lord of the soul. (Mahānārāyaṇa Upāniṣad 13.2) Also this is confirmed from smṛti states such as brahma prajānāṁ patir acyuto’sāv: Brahman, the master of offspring, is Acyuta. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa) 1.15.57
At the beginning of creation (purā), having created the progeny such as devas and men accompanied by sacrifice—having bestowed receptacles of name and form suitable to pursue the goals of life to those who were previously devoid of names and forms, being merged into Himself, the cause of material energy, and in that state being incapable of pursuing the goals of human life; and having revealed sacrifice and the Vedas which describe it—the Lord, being merciful, then said to them, “You should increase yourselves (prasaviṣyadhvam) by this sacrifice offered to Me, described in the Vedas (anena). May this sacrifice offered to Me (eṣa) be the giver of the desired goal of liberation (iṣṭa kāma dhuk), through supplying unto you bodily maintenance and knowledge of ātmā which purifies the heart.”
Surrender Unto Me
This is the Vedic system ‑ living happily and ultimately, gradually, achieving liberation.
How will one's material desires be fulfilled in this Vedic system?