Bhagavad Gita -Srila Prabhupada 685

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita As It Is -Shri Shrimad A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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Conclusion—The Perfection of Renunciation
Chapter 18: Verse- 5

yajna-däna-tapah-karma na tyäjyam käryam eva tat
yajno dänam tapas caiva pävanäni manisinäm[1]

TRANSLATION

Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls.


PURPORT

The yogis should perform acts for the advancement of human society. There are many purificatory processes for advancing a human being to spiritual life. The marriage ceremony, for example, is considered to be one of these sacrifices. It is called viväha-yajna. Should a sannyäsi, who is in the renounced order of life and who has given up his family relations, encourage the marriage ceremony? The Lord says here that any sacrifice which is meant for human welfare should never be given up. Viväha-yajna, the marriage ceremony, is meant to regulate the human mind so that it may become peaceful for spiritual advancement. For most men, this viväha-yajna should be encouraged even by persons in the renounced order of life. Sannyäsis should never associate with women, but that does not mean that one who is in the lower stages of life, a young man, should not accept a wife in the marriage ceremony. All prescribed sacrifices are meant for achieving the Supreme Lord. Therefore, in the lower stages, they should not be given up. Similarly, charity is for the purification of the heart. If charity is given to suitable persons, as described previously, it leads one to advanced spiritual life.

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References

  1. yajna=of sacrifice; däna=charity; tapah=and penance; karma=activity; na—never; tyäjyam—to be given up; käryam=must be done; eva=certainly; tat=that; yajnah=sacrifice; dänam=charity; tapah=penance; ca=also; eva=certainly; pävanäni=purifying; manisinäm=even for the great souls.

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