Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa continues the yajña teaching. In the previous shloka, human beings were asked to nourish the devatās through yajña, and the devatās were said to nourish human beings in return. Now this shloka explains the responsibility that comes with receiving.

The devatās are nourished by yajña. Here yajña means karma-yoga — a life of reverence, offering, gratitude, dharma, and non-exploitation. When we live in harmony with Bhagavān’s order, we do not exploit nature merely to feed greed. We use the world carefully, reverentially, and responsibly. That yajña-life nourishes the devatās, the presiding deities of natural forces.

The devatās then bless us with iṣṭān bhogān — desired enjoyments and supports of life. These include food, water, clothing, shelter, health, rain, sunlight, fire, air, prosperity, family support, social order, and the conditions for pursuing dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa.

These blessings do not come from human effort alone. A farmer works, but he depends on rain, soil, sunlight, seed, time, and natural law. A doctor treats, but healing depends on the body’s inner intelligence. A person may earn, cook, study, build, and plan, but all these actions succeed only because Bhagavān’s order supports them.

Therefore, when we enjoy what has been given by the devatās, we must offer back. Offering back may be pūjā, prayer, namaskāra, dānam, feeding others, service, protecting nature, supporting dharma, or simply using resources with gratitude and reverence. Bhagavān does not need our food or possessions. Even a simple “thank you” through prayerful living is part of yajña.

The strong word in this shloka is stenaḥ — thief. A thief uses what belongs to another without permission, acknowledgment, or gratitude. The gifts of life are given through Bhagavān’s order. To enjoy them without reverence, gratitude, offering, or sharing is spiritual theft.

This shloka therefore teaches that life should not be divided into “sacred” and “ordinary.” Eating, working, driving, building, cooking, earning, studying, and resting can all become sacred when done with gratitude. A non-reverential life is mere karma. A reverential life is karma-yoga.