Ramanuja's Gita Bhashya -Chapter 3 - Karma Yoga - Sloka 12

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Adidevananda's translation of Ramanuja's Gita Bhashya, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Translations of other slokas of the Gita are available on my blog  http://haricharanam.blogspot.com

The greatness of Yajna -9-13

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 3 - Karma Yoga - Sloka 12

Ishthan bhogan hivah devaah dasyante yagna bhavitah I

Taih dattan apradaya ebhyah yah bhunkte stenah eva sah II sloka 12

इष्टान भोगान हिवः देवाः दास्यन्ते यज्ञ भाविताः ।

तैः दत्तान अप्रदाय एभ्यः यः भुङ्क्ते स्तेनः एव सः ।। श्लोक १२ 

Pleased by the sacrifice , the Gods will bestow on you the enjoyments you desire. He who enjoys the bounty of the gods without giving them anything in return is a thief.

Pleased by the sacrifice, ie., propitiated by the sacrifice, the gods, who have Me as their self, will bestow on you the enjoyments you desire. Whatever objects are desired by the persons keen on attaining release, the supreme end of human endeavour, all these will be granted by Gods previously worshipped  through many sacrifices. That is, whatever is solicited with more  and more propritiation, all those enjoyments they will bestow on you. Whoever enjoys the objects of enjoyment granted by them for the purpose of worshipping them, without giving them their due share in return - he is verily a thief. What is called 'theft' is indeed takign what belongs to another as one's own and using it oneself, when it is really designed for the purpose of another. The purport is that such a person becomes unfit not only for the supreme end of human endeavour, but also will go down towards purgatory (Naraka)