Shloka 12
Karma-Saṃnyāsa–Karma-Yoga Saṃvāda
Renunciation and the Discipline of Action
इष्टान् भोगान् हि वो देवा दास्यन्ते यज्ञभाविता: । तैर्दत्तानप्रदायै भ्यो यो भुड्क्ते स्तेन एव सः
iṣṭān bhogān hi vo devā dāsyante yajñabhāvitāḥ | tair dattān apradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ ||
إن الآلهة، وقد تغذّت وتقوّت بقرابينكم في اليَجْنَة، ستمنحكم يقينًا ما تشتهون من المتاع ولو لم تسألوا. ولكن من يستهلك عطايا الآلهة دون أن يقدّم أولًا ما يجب تقديمه ردًّا للجميل—فهو، حقًّا، سارق.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Enjoyment is ethically valid only within a cycle of reciprocity: humans sustain the divine/cosmic order through yajña (offering and duty), and the gods sustain humans through gifts. Taking benefits without giving back—without gratitude, offering, or responsibility—is equated with theft.
In the Bhīṣma Parva dialogue of the Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa is instructing Arjuna on right action. This verse explains why yajña and duty matter: prosperity and pleasures arise through a mutual support between humans and the divine order; ignoring that relationship turns enjoyment into moral wrongdoing.