3-14 to 3-16

अन्नात् भवन्ति भूतानि पर्जन्यात् अन्न सम्भवः ।
यज्ञात् भवति पर्जन्यो यज्ञः कर्म समुद्भवः ॥ १४ ॥
कर्म भह्मोद्भवम् विद्धि ब्रह्माक्षर समुद्भवम् ।
तस्मात् सर्वगतम् ब्रह्म नित्यम् यज्ञे प्रतिष्ठितम् ॥ १५ ॥
एवम् प्रवर्तितम् चक्रम् नानुवर्तयतीह यः ।
अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघम् पार्थ स जीवति ॥ १६ ॥

annAt bhavanti bhUtAni parjanyAt anna sambhavaH |
yajJAt bhavati parjanyo yajJaH karma samudbhavaH || 14 ||
karma bhahmodbhavam viddhi brahmAkSara samudbhavam |
tasmAt sarvagatam brahma nityam yajJe pratiSThitam || 15 ||
evam pravartitam cakram nAnuvartayatIha yaH |
aghAyurindriyArAmo mogham pArtha sa jIvati || 16 ||

भूतानि [bhUtAni] Bodies of conscious beings भवन्ति [bhavanti] are made अन्नात् [annAt] from food. अन्न [anna] Food सम्भवः [sambhavaH] is created पर्जन्यात् [parjanyAt] using rain water. पर्जन्यः [parjanyaH] Rain भवति [bhavati] is a result of यज्ञ [yajJa] a method of worship . यज्ञः [yajJaH] Such worship समुद्भवम् [samudbhavam] is a result of कर्म [karma] activity. विद्धि [viddhi] Know that कर्म [karma] actions ब्रह्मोद्भवम् [brahmodbhavam] result from the environment. ब्रह्म अक्षर समुद्भवम् [brahma akSara samudbhavam] The environment comes alive as your body by virtue of the indestructible Self. तस्मात् [tasmAt] Thus, सर्वगतम् [sarvagatam] the ubiquitous ब्रह्म [brahma] environment नित्यम् प्रतिष्ठितम् [nityam pratiSThitam] is always involved in यज्ञे [yajJe] a method of worship. इह [iha] Over here, यः [yaH] the one who न अनुवर्तयति [na anuvartayati] does not follow प्रवर्तितम् चक्रम् [pravartitam cakram] the continuous cycle एवम् [evam] in this way अघायुः [aghAyuH] spends a lifetime collecting faults. इन्द्रियारामः [indriyArAmaH] He wanders where his sense organs take him मोघम् [mogham] and wastes जीवति [jIvati] his life away.

To comprehend this Shloka, think about all activities of nature (including your body) as a procedure to worship. Worship is done to please the Lord. The Lord created everything for his own enjoyment. Hence, anything that happens in the environment is for His pleasure and is a method of worship - including sunshine, rain, the growth of food, nourishment and so on.

All living beings survive by consuming food. Food is created using rain water- this fact is known to everyone. The fact that rain water is a result of a method of worship is stated in the scriptures such as ब्रह्म पुराण [brahma purANa] , 16-4: ‘The Sun has fuel that burns. Rain happens due to the Sun’.

Activity happens in the environment, not for our purpose. The Self must engage in worship.

Any method of worship results from activity. An example of such activity is to earn or acquire materials. This activity pans out in a series of transactions involving all things that make the activity happen .

Activity happens in the environment. In this Shloka, the word ब्रह्म [brahma] is used to denote the body, which is a contribution of nature. Our environment is an attribute of the Lord, as said in मुंडक [muMDaka] , 1-1-16: ‘The environment, along with all things that are distinguishable in it arise from the Supreme Lord’. Also, in (14-3), it is said ‘the entire universe is my womb’.

The word अक्षर [akSara] in this Shloka denotes the Self. This Self, being satisfied with food and water, instructs the body to work. In this way, the body is the vehicle of activity. This possibility arises in the presence of the Self.

In summary, all actions relate to the body and are enabled by the Self. The Self must engage in worship. Worship is the origin of all actions.

The cycle kept in motion by the Lord runs like this: Bodies of conscious beings comes from food; Food comes due to rain; Rain results from a method of worship; Worship results from activity, put together by the transactions of the doers; activity comes from bodies of conscious beings. The bodies come from food - This is the cycle, which runs in the form of a cause-and-effect chain.

People who do not acknowledge and follow this cycle while actually being in it earn a lot of guilt. They don’t nurture their bodies with the residue of worship. They spend a lifetime gathering and finding fault. These people continue to look for contentment in the sense organs. They do not look for contentment in the Self. Sense organs restrict their field of play.

With the body and mind nurtured by things other than the residue of worship, the properties of rajas (passion) and tamas (ignorance) are abundant. They are turned away from the realization of the Self and immerse themselves in experiencing material things alone. This applies to those who are able to contemplate, as well as to the rest who are eligible to work without being driven by outcomes.

In this way, they are said to waste away life without achieving moksha , even while focusing their thoughts on the Self.

The next Shloka explains that only a truly free person isn’t bound to initiate any actions. Such a person can see his Self without the need to achieve or strive for anything.