Shloka 11
Karma Yoga — Karma Yoga
देवान्भावयतानेन ते देवा भावयन्तु वः । परस्परं भावयन्तः श्रेयः परमवाप्स्यथ ॥ ३.११ ॥
devān bhāvayatānena te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ | parasparaṃ bhāvayantaḥ śreyaḥ param avāpsyatha || 3.11 ||
By this (yajña) nourish the devas, and let the devas nourish you. Thus, nourishing one another, you shall attain the supreme good.
Nourish the gods by this (sacrifice), and let the gods nourish you; thus nourishing one another, you shall attain the highest good.
By this, support the devas, and let the devas support you; mutually supporting one another, you will obtain the highest good.
‘Devas’ may be read theistically (divine beings) or functionally (powers of nature / cosmic principles) depending on interpretive framework. The central idea is reciprocity: offerings and obligations sustain a wider order that sustains human life.
FAQs
It encourages a relational self-concept: well-being arises through mutual support rather than isolated self-maximization. This can foster gratitude and pro-social motivation.
The verse presumes an interdependent cosmos in which human action participates in sustaining broader forces; ‘highest good’ emerges when action aligns with that sustaining order.
Krishna continues to justify action by embedding it in a reciprocal system: duties are not arbitrary but part of a sustaining network linking humans, nature, and the sacred.
Interpreting ‘devas’ as ecological and social systems, the verse supports sustainable living: contribute to shared goods (environment, institutions), and those systems in turn support human flourishing.