Shloka 17
The Six Dvīpas Beyond Jambūdvīpa and the Cosmic Boundary of Lokāloka
परस्य ब्रह्मण: साक्षाज्जातवेदोऽसि हव्यवाट् । देवानां पुरुषाङ्गानां यज्ञेन पुरुषं यजेति ॥ १७ ॥
parasya brahmaṇaḥ sākṣāj jāta-vedo ’si havyavāṭ devānāṁ puruṣāṅgānāṁ yajñena puruṣaṁ yajeti
O Jātavedas, Feuergott, du bist ein unmittelbarer Teil des Parabrahman, Śrī Hari, und du trägst Ihm alle Opfergaben zu. Darum bitten wir: Die yajñischen Gaben, die wir den Halbgöttern darbringen, bringe sie durch das yajña dem Puruṣottama Bhagavān dar, denn Er ist der wahre Genießer.
The demigods are servants who assist the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one worships the demigods, the demigods, as servants of the Supreme, carry the sacrificial offerings to the Lord, like tax collectors collecting revenue from the citizens and bringing it to the government’s treasury. The demigods cannot accept the sacrificial offerings; they simply carry the offerings to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ: since the guru is a representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he carries to the Lord whatever is offered to him. Similarly, all the demigods, as faithful servants of the Supreme Lord, hand over to the Supreme Lord whatever is offered to them in sacrificial performances. There is no fault in worshiping the demigods with this understanding, but to think that the demigods are independent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and equal to Him is called hṛta-jñāna, a loss of intelligence ( kāmais tais tair hṛta jñānāḥ ). One who thinks that the demigods themselves are the actual benefactors is mistaken.
FAQs
This verse teaches that sacrifice (yajña) should ultimately be offered to the Supreme Person (Puruṣa), with Agni serving as the carrier of oblations, and even the demigods being limbs of that Supreme.
Because Agni is the visible, functional medium through which offerings are conveyed in Vedic sacrifice, Śukadeva highlights him as a direct manifestation in the sacrificial system meant to lead worship toward the Supreme Brahman/Puruṣa.
Offer your work and resources in a spirit of devotion—seeing all powers and administrations as subordinate to the Supreme—and make your worship God-centered rather than merely seeking material boons.