Chapter 3, Verse 11
देवान्भावयतानेन ते देवा भावयन्तु वः | परस्परं भावयन्तः श्रेयः परमवाप्स्यथ ||३-११||
devānbhāvayatānena te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ . parasparaṃ bhāvayantaḥ śreyaḥ paramavāpsyatha ||3-11||
Meaning
3.11 With this do ye nourish the gods and may those gods nourish you; thus nourishing one another, ye shall attain to the highest good.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna unfolds the mechanics of the sacred cycle. Through yajna, human beings nourish the devas — the cosmic powers that govern rain, sun, harvest, and the forces of life — and these in turn nourish humanity. The phrase parasparam bhavayantah, 'nourishing one another,' captures a law of mutual sustenance that runs through the universe.
This is interdependence raised to a spiritual principle. Nothing exists in isolation; we are sustained by powers and people beyond ourselves, and we owe sustenance back. To take from the web of life without giving is to break a sacred contract. When we honour our part in this exchange — contributing rather than merely extracting — we move toward parama shreyas, the highest good. Reverent reciprocity, not self-centred accumulation, is the way of true prosperity.
💡 Key Takeaway
We flourish through mutual nourishment — give back to the forces and people that sustain you, and the highest good follows.
Related Verses
यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः | तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर ||३-९||
yajñārthātkarmaṇo.anyatra loko.ayaṃ karmabandhanaḥ . tadarthaṃ karma kaunteya muktasaṅgaḥ samācara ||3-9||
3.9 The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice; do thou, therefore, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), perform action for that sake (for sacrifice alone), free from attachment.
सहयज्ञाः प्रजाः सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापतिः | अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक् ||३-१०||
sahayajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā purovāca prajāpatiḥ . anena prasaviṣyadhvameṣa vo.astviṣṭakāmadhuk ||3-10||
3.10 The Creator, having in the beginning (of creation) created mankind together with sacrifice, said, "By this shall ye propagate; let this be the milch cow of your desires (the cow which yields all the desired objects)."
इष्टान्भोगान्हि वो देवा दास्यन्ते यज्ञभाविताः | तैर्दत्तानप्रदायैभ्यो यो भुङ्क्ते स्तेन एव सः ||३-१२||
iṣṭānbhogānhi vo devā dāsyante yajñabhāvitāḥ . tairdattānapradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ ||3-12||
3.12 The gods, nourished by the sacrifice, will give you the desired objects. So, he who enjoys the objects given by the gods without offering (in return) to them, is verily a thief.