Enjoyment must be balanced by gratitude and giving.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
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||
Use this verse when you need to shift from taking to giving.
Meaning
The devas, nourished by yajna, will grant you desired enjoyments. One who enjoys what is given by them without offering back is truly a thief.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Taking without giving back is spiritual theft.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse gives a sharp ethical teaching. Everything we enjoy is received through countless visible and invisible contributions: nature, ancestors, society, teachers, workers, family, and divine grace. To consume without gratitude or contribution is theft at a subtle level. Modern life often trains people to take more. The Gita trains us to receive with gratitude and return with responsibility.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna draws a sharp moral conclusion. The cosmic powers, sustained by sacrifice, freely provide the gifts of life — food, air, light, abundance. But the one who consumes all these blessings while giving nothing back is called a stena — a thief — for he takes from the universal exchange without contributing his share.
The word is deliberately strong. Ingratitude, in this vision, is not a minor failing but a kind of theft, a quiet violation of the sacred order. Everything we enjoy comes from sources beyond ourselves; to receive endlessly and offer nothing breaks the reciprocity on which life depends.
The remedy is a life of conscious gratitude and contribution — giving back through service, generosity, and offering. To live as a giver, not merely a taker, is to remain honest within the great economy of existence.
In daily life
Before consuming, remember the chain of support behind it.
Eating food without respecting farmers, nature, cooks, and waste is unconscious consumption.
Try this today
Give back in one area where you usually only consume.
I receive gratefully and give responsibly.Reflect
What do I enjoy without giving back?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘अप्रदाय एभ्यः’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on reciprocity, in other chapters
- Verse 4.11However sincerely you approach the divine, it meets you in that very way — every honest path is honored.
- Verse 9.29Divine grace shines equally on all, like the sun; devotion is simply opening the window to let that ever-present light in.
- Verse 11.1 · ArjunaTrue teaching is received as grace, and its first gift is the quiet lifting of inner confusion.
- Verse 15.13The strength that holds you up and the nourishment that sustains you are both the Divine at work.
Swipe left for 3.13 · Offering purifies enjoyment.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 3.12
Who says Bhagavad Gita 3.12, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 3.12, in Chapter 3, Karma Yoga (Karma Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 3.12 mean?
The devas, nourished by yajna, will grant you desired enjoyments. One who enjoys what is given by them without offering back is truly a thief. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 3.12 for daily life?
Before consuming, remember the chain of support behind it. Eating food without respecting farmers, nature, cooks, and waste is unconscious consumption.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 3.12 mean?
इष्टान् भोगान् हि वः — the desired enjoyments to you; देवाः दास्यन्ते — the gods will grant; यज्ञभाविताः — nourished by sacrifice; तैः दत्तान् — the things given by them; अप्रदाय एभ्यः — without offering back to them.
Where does verse 3.12 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 12 of 43 in Chapter 3, Karma Yoga. The next verse is 3.13.