Verses 17.11–17.13
अफलाकाङ्क्षिभिर्यज्ञो विधिदृष्टो य इज्यते | यष्टव्यमेवेति मन: समाधाय स सात्विक:
aphalākāṅkṣibhir yajño vidhidṛṣto ya ijyate / yaṣṭavyam eveti manaḥ samādhāya sa sāttvikaḥ / / 17.11
Sacrifice without expectation of results, as stipulated in the scriptures, with a firm belief and conviction that it is a duty, is in the mode of goodness.
अभिसन्धाय तु फलं दम्भार्थमपि चैव यत् | इज्यते भरतश्रेष्ठ तं यज्ञं विद्धि राजसम्
abhisandhāya tu phalaṁ dambhārthamapi caiva yat / ijyate Bhārataśreṣṭha taṁ yajñaṁ viddhi rājasam / / 17.12
O Arjuna, that sacrifice that is performed with expec- tation of result or for show out of pride, is of the nature of aggression.
विधिहीनमसृष्टान्नं मन्त्रहीनमदक्षिणम् | श्रद्धाविरहितं यज्ञं तामसं परिचक्षते
vidhihīnam asṛṣṭānnaṁ mantrahīnamadakṣiṇam / śraddhā-virahitaṁ yajñaṁ tāmasaṁ paricakṣate / / 17.13
Sacrifice that is performed without following the scripture, in which no food is distributed, which is devoid of mantra, authenticity, and gift, is said to be in the mode of ignorance.
Kṛṣṇa talks about how to give, how to sacrifice and how to enrich others. In the vedic tradition, enriching sacrifices such as fire rituals (yajña and homa) were not mere rituals to worship celestial beings. They had a far deeper meaning of enriching for the benefit of the living and the poor. Every ritualistic offering had a major element of gifting the deserving poor. Whoever came to such a ritual never went away empty-handed. When the great Ṛṣis, the Masters, performed rituals, they had nothing to seek. They performed these in line with the truth of their experiences, which were the scriptural understandings. They expected nothing. They performed rituals as a day-to-day living expression.
These rituals were conducted so that the celestial beings and nature were pleased and humanity benefited. These were selfless offerings of satva guṇa (good nature). Great kings also practiced these rituals. Kings performed fire rituals to display power and to show that they controlled other kings. These were a display of ego. Kings such as Yudhiṣṭra performed the horse sacrifice, Aṣvamedha Yāga, and the Rājasūya Yāga to announce their supremacy over other kings. However, these were required of kings and were also occasions to give their wealth away generously. These were performed in the mode of aggression, rajas. Other extreme sacrifices were also performed by demonic creatureswithnoconcernexcepttoshowtheirbrutestrength.Thesedidnot involve any enriching, any charity or generosity.
These did not follow the scriptural guidelines. These were carried out purely for selfish reasons. In Kaṭhopaniṣad, when young Naciketa’s father gave away useless old cows that no longer produced milk as fire offerings, the young lad protested his father’s inauthenticity. ‘What are you doing?’ he asked his father. ‘Why are you giving away useless things in a sacrifice that is meant for giving away valuable material offerings? If you want to give nothing else, give me away,’ Naciketa said. In deep ignorance and anger, his father offered his son to Yama, god of death, as a result. Please understand that an enriching sacrifice is not measured by how much we give.
It is measured by how much we give that we cannot afford to give. It is measured by how much we give when it hurts us to give and that too without any expectation in return. Such an enriching sacrifice straightaway leads to liberation. Many people give with wonderful intent. It is not charity if they give part of their wealth without it affecting their lifestyle. It is no sacrifice. Many people tell me, ‘Swamiji, I am writing a legal will leaving all my possessions to this ashram, temple or your mission.’ What is the big deal in giving away after death? You cannot carry it with you anyway. An enriching sacrifice must hurt to be genuine.
It must cause you discomfort and yet be given with total completion, pleasure and without ŚraddhatrayaVibhāgaYogaḥ Authenticity:StraightwayTo Liberation 1219 expectations. That is the spirit of genuine surrender. That is the spirit of doing things without expectation of the fruits of action. I am not denouncing the wonderful charity that many wealthy people do without posing for photographs. They do it with good intentions of helping the disadvantaged. That mental attitude of giving and sharing what they have with the needy, benefits them. That vāsanā of generosity stays with their spirit. There is no doubt in this. However, that charity will be in the mode of rajas, not satva. When people move from this rajas state of giving to the satva state of giving, wealth seeks them out.
Lakṣmī, the goddess of wealth comes to them without being asked! She knows these people will be the route for enriching mankind. There is nothing degrading about wealth and power. They are great energies. Like all great energies, the problem is handling them with responsibility without letting them go to one’s head. As an example, look at the difference between Rāvaṇa and Janaka. Janaka was a Rājaṛṣi, the king who was also a sage, a complete being. He ruled a kingdom, but treated the power and wealth as if they belonged to someone else. He was a mere keeper, a mere witness. He ruled from the space of enriching others.
On the other hand, Rāvaṇa, although highly gifted and a great tapasvi, who undertook many severe penances, was ruled by his ego, incompletions and senses. That brought about his ruin. The Universe operates on the principle of abundance. There is no shortage of anything in the Universe. What we need, we get. The trouble is that we are dissatisfied with what we need. Our wants are immeasurable. Great Masters have said that it is possible for the Universe to fulfill the needs of all the people on planet Earth, but not the wants of one single person. Our greed has no limits. May your desire to enrich others and give away be limitless. May your desire to acquire become zero. You will be amazed at how wealth seeks you. Austerity Of Deeds, Words, And Thoughts