Devanagari
कर्म ब्रह्मोद्भवं विद्धि ब्रह्माक्षरसमुद्भवम् ।
तस्मात्सर्वगतं ब्रह्म नित्यं यज्ञे प्रतिष्ठितम् ॥ १५ ॥
Verse text
karma brahmodbhavaṁ viddhi
brahmākṣara-samudbhavam
tasmāt sarva-gataṁ brahma
nityaṁ yajṣe pratiṣṭhitam
Synonyms
karma
—
work
;
brahma
—
from the Vedas
;
udbhavam
—
produced
;
viddhi
—
you should know
;
brahma
—
the Vedas
;
akṣara
—
from the Supreme Brahman (Personality of Godhead)
;
samudbhavam
—
directly manifested
;
tasmāt
—
therefore
;
sarva-gatam
—
all-pervading
;
brahma
—
transcendence
;
nityam
—
eternally
;
yajṣe
—
in sacrifice
;
pratiṣṭhitam
—
situated.
Translation
Regulated activities are prescribed in the Vedas, and the Vedas are directly manifested from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Consequently the all-pervading Transcendence is eternally situated in acts of sacrifice.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
15. Action arises from the Vedas. The Vedas arise from the Brahman. Therefore this all-pervading Brahman is eternally situated in the sacrifice.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
15. Prescribed action arises from the Vedas. The Vedas arise from the Lord. Therefore this all-pervading Lord is eternally situated in the sacrifice.
Purport
Yajṣārtha-karma, or the necessity of work for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa only, is more expressly stated in this verse. If we have to work for the satisfaction of the yajṣa-puruṣa, Viṣṇu, then we must find out the direction of work in Brahman, or the transcendental Vedas . The Vedas are therefore codes of working directions. Anything performed without the direction of the Vedas is called vikarma, or unauthorized or sinful work. Therefore, one should always take direction from the Vedas to be saved from the reaction of work. As one has to work in ordinary life by the direction of the state, one similarly has to work under direction of the supreme state of the Lord. Such directions in the Vedas are directly manifested from the breathing of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is said, asya mahato bhūtasya niśvasitam etad yad ṛg-vedo yajur-vedaḥ sāma-vedo ’tharvāṅgirasaḥ. “The four Vedas – namely the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda, Sāma Veda and Atharva Veda – are all emanations from the breathing of the great Personality of Godhead.” ( Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.5.11) The Lord, being omnipotent, can speak by breathing air, for as it is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā, the Lord has the omnipotence to perform through each of His senses the actions of all other senses. In other words, the Lord can speak through His breathing, and He can impregnate by His eyes. In fact, it is said that He glanced over material nature and thus fathered all living entities. After creating or impregnating the conditioned souls into the womb of material nature, He gave His directions in the Vedic wisdom as to how such conditioned souls can return home, back to Godhead. We should always remember that the conditioned souls in material nature are all eager for material enjoyment. But the Vedic directions are so made that one can satisfy one’s perverted desires, then return to Godhead, having finished his so-called enjoyment. It is a chance for the conditioned souls to attain liberation; therefore the conditioned souls must try to follow the process of yajṣa by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. Even those who have not followed the Vedic injunctions may adopt the principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that will take the place of performance of Vedic yajṣas, or karmas .
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The cause of this action is the Veda (brahma). The actions related to the yajṣa arise
from hearing the statements of the rules enunciated in the Vedas. The cause of the Vedas is Brahman (akṣaram), as the Vedas arise from the Lord. The śruti says:
asya mahato bhūtasya niḥśvasitam etad ṛg-vedo yajur-vedaḥ sāma-vedo’ thāṅgīrasaḥ
The Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma and Atharva Vedas are the breathing of the Supreme Lord.
Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.4.10
Therefore the all pervading (sarva-gatam) Lord is present in the yajṣa. This means that by performance of the yajṣa one attains the Lord. Though, by cause and effect, from food to the Lord, many items have been mentioned, among them all, the yajṣa is mentioned by the scriptures as an necessary performance for the human being.
This process is mentioned in the smṛti as well.
agnau prāstāhutiḥ samyag ādityam upatiṣṭhate
ādityāj jāyate vṛṣṭir vṛṣṭer annaṁ tataḥ prajāḥ
The offering to the fire goes to the sun. From the sun arise rain, food and bodies of the living entities. Manu Smṛti 3.76
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
Know that action, the performance of the priests, arises from the Vedas (brahma); know that the Vedas are the source of their actions. Know that the Brahman in the form of the Vedas appears from the Supreme Lord (akṣara). The śruti says:
asya mahato bhūtasya niḥśvasitam etad ṛg-vedo yajur-veaḥ sāma-vedo thāṅgīrasaḥ
The breathing of that great being is the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma and Atharva Vedas. Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.4.10
Since this sacrifice maintains the Lord’s created beings and is therefore very dear to the Lord, [Note: This clause gives the reason for the Lord being situated in sacrifice. The conclusion is that by sacrifice one maintains the body and also attains the Lord.] therefore (tasmat) the Lord (brahma), being all pervading (sarva gatam), is at all times (nityam) situated in sacrifice. This means that by that sacrifice one can attain Him.
Surrender Unto Me
Here a very interesting logic is described and this is the logic that brings one from the platform of karma‑kanda to sakama karma‑yoga. The logic is: one is dependent on grains. And where the grains come from? Of course they come from the earth but rain is needed, and rain comes as a result of performing yajna. One performs sacrifice for Indra and then rains will come.
Why does one perform a sacrifice for Indra? Because in the Vedas one is told to perform sacrifice in order to produce rain, which make the land produce the grains necessary for one's food.
These regulated activities or prescribed duties come from the Vedas; and where the Vedas come from? They come from the breathing of the Supreme Personatity of Godhead. So this link from the dependence upon one's food and dependence upon the Supreme Personatity of Godhead is brought out here, and "consequently the all‑ pervading Transcendence, the Personality of Godhead is situated in the acts of sacrifice." Because from the Lord comes the Vedas and from the Vedas come the prescribed duties and from the prescribed duties come the sacrifices and because these are all absolute because they come from the Lord, the Lord is actually situated in the sacrifices. So when one realizes that although the demigods are being worshiped, their power to supply the living entities' needs is coming from Visnu, than one gradually understands that Visnu is the object of worship.