SB 3.20.51

SB 3.20.51

Devanagari

अहो एतज्जगत्स्रष्ट: सुकृतं बत ते कृतम् । प्रतिष्ठिता: क्रिया यस्मिन् साकमन्नमदामहे ॥ ५१ ॥

Verse text

aho etaj jagat-sraṣṭaḥ sukṛtaṁ bata te kṛtam pratiṣṭhitāḥ kriyā yasmin sākam annam adāma he

Synonyms

aho oh ; etat this ; jagat sraṣṭaḥ — O creator of the universe ; sukṛtam well done ; bata indeed ; te by you ; kṛtam produced ; pratiṣṭhitāḥ established soundly ; kriyāḥ all ritualistic performances ; yasmin in which ; sākam along with this ; annam the sacrificial oblations ; adāma we shall share ; he O .

Translation

They prayed: O creator of the universe, we are glad; what you have produced is well done. Since ritualistic acts have now been established soundly in this human form, we shall all share the sacrificial oblations.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Creator of the universe! You have done excellent work in creating Manu. By this, the sacrificial actions will be established and we will be able to eat the remnants of sacrifice together. O creator of the universe! Creation of Manu by you (te) is well done. In creating Manu (yat), actions such as sacrifice will be established, since Manu will protect everything. We will eat the offerings of food together (sākam).

Purport

The importance of sacrifice is also mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā, Third Chapter, verse 10. The Lord confirms there that in the beginning of creation Brahmā created the Manus, along with the ritualistic sacrificial method, and blessed them: “Continue these sacrificial rites, and you will be gradually elevated to your proper position of self-realization and will also enjoy material happiness.” All the living entities created by Brahmā are conditioned souls and are inclined to lord it over material nature. The purpose of sacrificial rituals is to revive, gradually, the spiritual realization of the living entities. That is the beginning of life within this universe. These sacrificial rituals, however, are intended to please the Supreme Lord. Unless one pleases the Supreme Lord, or unless one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, one cannot be happy either in material enjoyment or in spiritual realization.