Bg. 3.11

BG 3.11

Devanagari

देवान्भावयतातेन ते देवा भावयन्तु वः । परस्परं भावयन्तः श्रेयः परमवाप्स्यथ ॥ ११ ॥

Verse text

devān bhāvayatānena te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ parasparaṁ bhāvayantaḥ śreyaḥ param avāpsyatha

Synonyms

devān demigods ; bhāvayatā having pleased ; anena by this sacrifice ; te those ; devāḥ demigods ; bhāvayantu will please ; vaḥ you ; parasparam mutually ; bhāvayantaḥ pleasing one another ; śreyaḥ benediction ; param the supreme ; avāpsyatha you will achieve.

Translation

The demigods, being pleased by sacrifices, will also please you, and thus, by cooperation between men and demigods, prosperity will reign for all.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

11. “By that sacrifice, please the devatās and the devatās will please you. Being mutually pleased, you will all attain the highest benefit.”

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

11. “By that sacrifice, please the devatās. May the devatās please you. Being mutually pleased, you will both attain the highest benefit, liberation.”

Purport

The demigods are empowered administrators of material affairs. The supply of air, light, water and all other benedictions for maintaining the body and soul of every living entity is entrusted to the demigods, who are innumerable assistants in different parts of the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Their pleasures and displeasures are dependent on the performance of yajṣas by the human being. Some of the yajṣas are meant to satisfy particular demigods; but even in so doing, Lord Viṣṇu is worshiped in all yajṣas as the chief beneficiary. It is stated also in the Bhagavad-gītā that Kṛṣṇa Himself is the beneficiary of all kinds of yajṣas: bhoktāraṁ yajṣa-tapasām. Therefore, ultimate satisfaction of the yajṣa-pati is the chief purpose of all yajṣas. When these yajṣas are perfectly performed, naturally the demigods in charge of the different departments of supply are pleased, and there is no scarcity in the supply of natural products. Performance of yajṣas has many side benefits, ultimately leading to liberation from material bondage. By performance of yajṣas, all activities become purified, as it is stated in the Vedas: āhāra-śuddhau sattva-śuddhiḥ sattva-śuddhau dhruvā smṛtiḥ smṛti-lambhe sarva-granthīnāṁ vipramokṣaḥ. By performance of yajṣa one’s eatables become sanctified, and by eating sanctified foodstuffs one’s very existence becomes purified; by the purification of existence finer tissues in the memory become sanctified, and when memory is sanctified one can think of the path of liberation, and all these combined together lead to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the great necessity of present-day society.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

This verse explains how the yajṣa yields all desires. “By this yajṣa (anena), please the devatās. You make them pleased by the sacrifice. The devatās also will please all of you.” Bhāva indicates affection in this verse.

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

Viṣṇu also said to the created beings, “Please the devatas headed by Indra, who are the limbs of My body, by offering oblations to them (anena). May the devas please you by bestowing benedictions. You and they, being mutually pleased with the pure food, will attain the highest benefit in the form of liberation (param śreyaḥ).” In this regard, pure food is one element or aṅga of cultivation of jṣāna. The śruti says: āhāra-śuddhau sattva-śuddhiḥ sattva-śuddhau dhruvā smṛtiḥ smṛti-labdhe sarva-granthīnāṁ vipramokṣaḥ By pure food one attains pure mind. By pure mind, the intelligence becomes fixed. With good intelligence, one is freed from all obstacles. Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.26.2

Surrender Unto Me

This is a cooperative business but it is legitimate by the Vedas to satisfy one's desires.