Chapter 5 Shloka 29

भोक्तारं यज्ञतपसां सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम्।

सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति।।२९।।

Knowing Me to be the Partaker

of all Yagyas and austerities,

the Supreme Lord of all the world

and the Friend of all beings,

My devotee attains peace.

Chapter 5 Shloka 29

भोक्तारं यज्ञतपसां सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम्।

सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति।।२९।।

Knowing Me to be the Partaker of all Yagyas and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all the world and the Friend of all beings, My devotee attains peace.

The Lord says, “He who knows Me as the Partaker of all Yagyas and Tapas (austerity)”:

Little one!

1. It is extremely difficult to conduct oneself in the spirit of Yagya in this world.

2. It is extremely difficult to sacrifice oneself.

3. It is extremely difficult to forget oneself in the fulfilment of the other’s desired goal.

4. It is extremely difficult to do the trivial little jobs of others at the cost of one’s whole future.

5. Similarly, to help another get started in life, ignoring one’s own home and hearth is very difficult.

6. To put aside one’s own plans of life to fulfil those of another, is a difficult task.

The practice of tapas, too, is not easy:

a) To be able to forfeit your reputation,

b) to disregard esteem,

c) to serve the very one who has slandered you,

d) to turn away from what you like,

e) to embrace that which is not likeable,

f) to act against your beliefs,

g) to withstand the opposition of your mind,

h) to forget oneself and give happiness to the other,

– all this is extremely difficult.

Progressing further one realises that:

1. To fulfil the tasks of others and then give them the credit for that task fulfilled is even more difficult.

2. To bear insults from the very person whom one is endeavouring to establish, is well nigh impossible to endure.

3. To destroy oneself in the effort to establish another is indeed an arduous path.

4. To continue to do good to another despite the other’s insults, is not at all easy.

5. To support those base souls who criticise and slander, is indeed difficult.

6. To give judgement against oneself when justice has to be done, is most difficult.

Here the Lord says that:

a) His devotees offer their all, knowing that the Lord is the Partaker of all acts of yagya.

b) They smilingly bear all the sorrows of the world, knowing the Lord to be the Receiver of all acts of Tapas, or austerity.

c) They worshipfully receive all the hardships and negativity of the world as the Lord’s endowment to them, knowing Him to be the Lord of the whole Universe.

d) They know That Lord to be the Friend of all and, lost in the ecstasy of His love, His devotees endure all adversity.

e) They attain peace in the knowledge that this entire Creation and all beings in it are wrought by Him and are dependent on Him.

In saying all this, the Lord implies that:

1. if the aspirant has confidence in the Lord;

2. if the aspirant loves the Lord;

3. if he takes refuge in Him and His eternal qualities;

4. if he has deep faith in the Lord;

– he will speedily attain peace.

Such a one performs yagya in the Lord’s Name and receives yagyashesh – the divine remnants of yagya. Thus successful in relinquishing the fruits of action, and becoming indifferent to the world, he receives the prasaad, the sanctified offering, of Supreme Compassion. You could say the individual attains satiation, while performing acts of yagya and tapas for His Lord. He also receives the prasaad of divine qualities, which bestow eternal joy and everlasting peace. All this the individual does naturally, in his love for the Lord.

Little one, if you, too, regard the Lord as the Overlord of this entire creation,

1. you will serve all as the Lord’s own people;

2. you will regard the whole world as the Atma embodied;

3. all you do will not be for the other, but for the Atma – for your Beloved Lord – for your own Self.

If you perform yagya with this attitude, then you are not doing a favour to anybody. Such an attitude will establish you in Yoga.

He who considers the Supreme Lord to be Suhrid (सुहृद), knows Him to be:

a) the Friend of all beings;

b) the sole Refuge of all;

c) the sole Well-wisher and Benefactor of all;

d) the One who belongs to all.

He who worships That Self of all through gyan and tapas, he becomes an Atmavaan. He, who knows That One in Truth, attains peace.