Shloka 20
तेन यज्ञान् यथाप्रोक्तान् मानवाः शास्त्रचक्षुषः कुर्वन्त्य् अहरहस् तैश् च देवान् आप्याययन्ति ते
tena yajñān yathāproktān mānavāḥ śāstracakṣuṣaḥ kurvanty aharahas taiś ca devān āpyāyayanti te
Therefore, humans—seeing with the eye of scripture—perform, day after day, the sacrifices exactly as enjoined; and by those rites they nourish and strengthen the devas, sustaining the ordained harmony between the human and the divine.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya in a didactic narrative on dharma and cosmic maintenance)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How the cosmic order is sustained through prescribed duties (yajña) and the reciprocal support of devas and humans
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Daily performance of śāstra-enjoined yajñas sustains the devas and preserves the reciprocal harmony (ṛta) between human and divine orders.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Maintain steady, disciplined offerings—ritual, charity, service, and gratitude—performed according to authentic guidance rather than impulse.
Vishishtadvaita: Dharma functions as service to the Lord’s cosmic body, where devas and humans are coordinated limbs within Nārāyaṇa’s order.
FAQs
This verse presents yajña as a daily, scripture-prescribed act by which humans sustain the devas, thereby maintaining the cosmic balance that ultimately operates under Vishnu’s sovereign order.
By calling people śāstra-cakṣuṣaḥ (“those who see through scripture”), Parāśara frames dharma as action aligned with revealed injunctions, not merely personal preference—especially in ritual duties like yajña.
Even when devas and rituals are named, the Purāṇic theology implies an overarching governance: the ordered exchange of nourishment and stability is part of Vishnu’s sustaining power, with dharma functioning as His instrument in the world.