Chapter 4 · Verse 25 of 42
The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation of Action
ज्ञानकर्मसन्न्यासयोग
Meaning
Supreme God Krishna spoke
Through yajna, other Yogis worship the subordinate deities {and not God}, while some others offer yajna itself as oblation in the yajna-fire of God-the-Supreme. (4:25)
Sanskrit
श्रीभगवान् उवाच
दैवमेवापरे यज्ञं योगिनः पर्युपासते ।
ब्रह्माग्नावपरे यज्ञं यज्ञेनैवोपजुह्वति॥
Word-by-word
दैवम् एव अपरे यज्ञम्, योगिनः पर्युपासते,
ब्रह्म-अग्नौ अपरे यज्ञम्, यज्ञेन एव उप-जुह्वति।
Commentary
The Lord employs the analogy of a sacred offering to depict various modes of worship, envisioning God-the-Supreme as a vast divine flame. In this flame, the devotee’s entire existence figuratively becomes the offering, replacing traditional substances like clarified butter and grains. Another interpretation suggests that the conventional fire-yajna, intended for propitiating lesser deities, should be immersed in the essence of Brahm or God-the-Supreme. This could suggest a shift from rituals aimed at pleasing lesser deities to dedicating all spiritual rituals in the sole worship of the Supreme God.