Yajña (यज्ञ)
Yajña is usually translated “sacrifice,” but chapter 3 gives it a wider, technical sense: action offered without a private claim staked on its outcome. BG 3.9 states the core claim directly — the world is bound by action “unless performed for the sake of sacrifice,” in which case that same action stops generating the residue that binds. The chapter doesn’t stay at the level of ritual; it generalizes the offering structure into lokasangraha, the cohesion or welfare of the world, and gives that as the standing reason to keep acting even once personal need has fallen away (BG 3.20).
From ritual charter to Krishna’s own example
Verses 10-16 make the case mythically: Prajapati creates humankind together with sacrifice already built in, so offering-as-action isn’t a later refinement of self-interest, it is action’s original condition, and standing apart from it is living against a “wheel” that turns regardless (BG 3.14, BG 3.16). Myth alone doesn’t answer Arjuna’s opening objection, though, so verse 20 shifts register from cosmology to example: King Janaka reached perfection through action, and Krishna offers his own conduct as the same proof at maximal scale — he has nothing left to gain and nothing left undone, and keeps acting anyway, because people imitate whatever the exemplary do (BG 3.22). That argument is what turns yajña into more than a ritual instruction: Karma (कर्म) names the discipline of not clinging to a result; yajña supplies the positive reason to keep acting once that clinging is already gone, closing with the promise that surrendering action this way is what actually releases one from its binding (BG 3.30, BG 3.31).
Related
- Karma (कर्म) — karma yoga is the discipline of non-attachment to the fruit of action; yajña is the positive stance of offering that makes non-attachment sustainable rather than merely willed
- Dharma (धर्म) — svadharma (BG 3.35) supplies the content of right action; yajña is the manner in which that content is offered rather than claimed
Verses that reference this
The world is bound by action, unless performed for the sake of sacrifice; for that sake, free from attachment, O son of Kuntî, perform thou action.
Having in ancient times emanated mankind together with sacrifice, the Lord of emanation said: "By this shall ye propagate; be this to you the giver of desire;
"With this nourish ye the Shining Ones, and may the Shining Ones nourish you; thus nourishing one another ye shall reap the supremest good.
"For, nourished by sacrifice, the Shining Ones shall bestow on you the enjoyments you desire." A thief verily is he who enjoyeth what is given by Them without returning Them aught.
The righteous, who eat the remains of the sacrifice, are freed from all sins; but the impious, who dress food for their own sakes, they verily eat sin.
From food creatures become; from rain is the production of food; rain proceedeth from sacrifice; sacrifice ariseth out of action.
Know thou that from Brahma action groweth, and Brahma from the Imperishable cometh. Therefore the Eternal, the all-permeating, is ever present in sacrifice.
He who on earth doth not follow the wheel thus revolving, sinful of life and rejoicing in the senses, he, O son of Pritha, liveth in vain.
Janaka and others indeed attained to perfection by action: then having an eye to the welfare of the world also, thou shouldst perform action.
There is nothing in the three worlds, O Pârtha, that should be done by Me, nor anything unattained that might be attained; yet I mingle in action.
As the ignorant act from attachment to action, O Bhârata, so should the wise act without attachment, desiring the welfare of the world.
Surrendering all actions to Me, with thy thoughts resting on the supreme Self, from hope and egoism freed, and of mental fever cured, engage in battle.
Who abide ever in this teaching of Mine full of faith and free from caviling, they too are released from actions.
The Eternal the oblation, the Eternal the clarified butter, are offered in the Eternal fire by the Eternal; unto the Eternal verily shall he go who in his action meditateth wholly upon the Eternal.
Some Yogis offer up sacrifice to the Shining Ones; others sacrifice only by pouring sacrifice into the fire of the Eternal;
Some pour as sacrifice hearing and the other senses into the fires of restraint; some pour sound and the other objects of sense into the fires of the senses as sacrifice;
Others again into the wisdom-kindled fire of union attained by self-control, pour as sacrifice all the functions of the senses and the functions of life;
Yet others the sacrifice of wealth, the sacrifice of austerity, the sacrifice of yoga, the sacrifice of silent reading and wisdom, men concentrated and of effectual vows;
Yet others pour as sacrifice the outgoing breath in the incoming, and the incoming in the outgoing, restraining the flow of the outgoing and incoming breaths, solely absorbed in the control of breathing.
Others regular in food, pour as sacrifice their life-breaths in life-breaths. All these are knowers of sacrifice, and by sacrifice have destroyed their sins.
The eaters of the life-giving remains of sacrifice go to the changeless Eternal. This world is not for the non-sacrificer, much less the other, O best of the Kurus.