जाणिजे यज्ञकर्म

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On reading the blog last Sunday, my daughter remarked that she sees how “Giving” can become a “दान / Daan” when you are humble, mindful, and selfless. But isn’t it really difficult to be truly selfless and humble all the time? 

Yes, it is! And it requires years or at times, lifetimes of effort, perseverance, and practice.

But we all must begin somewhere.

One starting point could be practising “समर्पण / Surrender” – remove the “I” from your actions! If you act with the mindset that “I” am doing this as a service to the  ब्रह्मन् / Infiniteness / Cosmos / Supreme Consciousness,  the action loses the अहं भावना / “I” ness / Ego. It becomes a “यज्ञकर्म  / Yadnya Karma” – offering in the Sacrificial Fire with no strings attached! It releases you from the bond of being attached to that कर्म / Act.

Now, you will ask me, how can one remember to do this every time till it becomes a habit?

Well, there’s a shloka in the Bhagwad Geeta that goes thus –

ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविर्ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम् | ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना || 4.24||

yadnakarma

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It means that –

ब्रह्मार्पणं - Any means of offering is Brahman;

ब्रह्म हवि             - The oblation is is Brahman;

र्ब्रह्माग्नौ                - The fire in which it is offered is Brahman;

ब्रह्मणा हुतम्    - the one who offers is (also) Brahman.

ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं         - Brahman is to be reached

ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना       - by such a person who abides in the Brahman!

* ब्रह्मन् (Supreme Consciousness) is not to be confused with ब्राह्मण (Priest or the caste).

In Vedic period, Yadnyas were routinely done where offerings were given in a Sacrificial Fire. And this shloka seems right in that context. Is it relevant even today?

Well, any act done as offering to अग्नि देवता / Agni-Devata / Fire-God (Visible, Invisible or Symbolic) is a यज्ञ / Yadnya.

Say for example, the food we eat is an offering to the वैश्वानरः / Vaishvanara (जठराग्निः / Jatharagni – literally means fire in our intestines – which helps in digesting the food). Now, one may find this peculiar, but when one says in the Queen’s Language that “he has no fire in his belly – we nod our heads in agreement, don’t we???

And for this reason, this shloka is recited in many households and ashrams before having food, in temples while offering prasadam to the Deity. The food that I am about to consume is an offering to the Fire-Deity in me that will help digest it and convert it into energy.

This is a great way of incorporating the shloka and the teaching in our daily routine. If you recite this shloka 3-4 times a day, before every meal, you are reminded again and again that the eternal permanent truth is the ब्रह्मन् / Brahman.

Once you internalize this shloka, understand that though linked to the act of having food in current times, the shloka refers to every act you do!

Say, when you are giving alms to a beggar, know that the alms is the Brahman, the beggar is Brahman and so are you, the Donor! In short, “तेरा तुझको अर्पण क्या लागे मेरा” – you will not feel proud or seek respect or admiration for the donation made! The act of donating is then a Yadnya – a द्रव्य यज्ञ / Dravya Yadnya. Bhagwadgeeta talks about 12 different types of Yadnyas like Yoga, Pranayaam, Control over senses (इन्द्रिय संयम), Study (स्वाध्याय) etc.

And so you go, with this approach itself whether you are eating, exercising, studying, working, playing with friends, helping in a chore, etc. Thus, it is possible to perform every action as a यज्ञ  with समर्पण भावना – being just a conduit and not the doer.

This helps in staying grounded, being equanimous, resilient, and empathetic – Qualities that will be a great asset to you all your life!

शुभं भवतु ।