karmayogaḥ · 3.10

Creation and the Gift of Yajña

सहयज्ञाः(फ्) प्रजाः(स्) सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापतिः ।

अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वम् एष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक् ॥

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sahayajñāḥ(f) prajāḥ(s) sṛṣṭvā purovāca prajāpatiḥ ।

anena prasaviṣyadhvam eṣa vo’stviṣṭakāmadhuk ॥

"Having created human beings along with yajña in the beginning, Prajāpati said: “May you prosper by this yajña; may this be the source of your desired blessings.”"

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa teaching Arjuna in the chariot, showing Prajāpati creating human beings together with a glowing yajña flame, symbolizing contribution built into creation
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa teaching Arjuna in the chariot, showing Prajāpati creating human beings together with a glowing yajña flame, symbolizing contribution built into creation

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Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa now explains that the yajña way of life is not a later human invention. It is part of the original design of creation. Prajāpati, the Creator, created human beings along with yajña and instructed them to prosper through it.


Here yajña means a life of sacrifice, contribution, sharing, reverence, and worshipful action. Human beings are not meant to live as isolated consumers. We are born into a vast network of support: nature, society, parents, teachers, animals, plants, rivers, rain, food, and the unseen order of Bhagavān. Since we receive from the whole, we must contribute back to the whole.


This is why the Veda is compared to a manual that comes along with creation. When a manufacturer gives a product, the manufacturer also gives instructions for proper use. Those instructions are not for the manufacturer’s benefit; they are for the user’s benefit. Similarly, Bhagavān gives the Veda as the guide for human life. It tells us how to live in harmony with the world and how to make our life spiritually meaningful.


The verse says: anena prasaviṣyadhvam — may you prosper by this. Prosperity here is not merely money or comfort. It includes outer well-being, social harmony, inner maturity, dhārmic living, and preparation for mokṣa. A yajña life creates harmony; a selfish life creates disorder.


The verse also says: eṣa vo’stviṣṭakāmadhuk — may this yajña be the giver of desired blessings. Like a wish-fulfilling cow, yajña nourishes life. When human beings live with contribution and reverence, the world becomes supportive. When we only take and do not give, the cycle is disturbed.


Therefore, 3.10 teaches that karma-yoga is not just personal discipline. It is the way human beings participate responsibly in creation.