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 ||
诸天因你们的祭献而得滋养、得增长，必定会在你们未曾祈求之前，就赐予你们所愿的享受。然而，若有人享用诸天所赐之物，却不先回献应当奉还之供养——此人实为盗贼。
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.