SB 3.20.51
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 51
- aho etaj jagat-sraṣṭaḥ
- sukṛtaṁ bata te kṛtam
- pratiṣṭhitāḥ kriyā yasmin
- sākam annam adāma he
SYNONYMS
aho — oh; etat — this; jagat-sraṣṭaḥ — O creator of the universe; sukṛtam — well done; bata — indeed; te — by you; kṛtam — produced; pratiṣṭhitāḥ — established soundly; kriyāḥ — all ritualistic performances; yasmin — in which; sākam — along with this; annam — the sacrificial oblations; adāma — we shall share; he — O.
TRANSLATION
They prayed: O creator of the universe, we are glad; what you have produced is well done. Since ritualistic acts have now been established soundly in this human form, we shall all share the sacrificial oblations.
PURPORT
The importance of sacrifice is also mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā, Third Chapter, verse 10. The Lord confirms there that in the beginning of creation Brahmā created the Manus, along with the ritualistic sacrificial method, and blessed them: "Continue these sacrificial rites, and you will be gradually elevated to your proper position of self-realization and will also enjoy material happiness." All the living entities created by Brahmā are conditioned souls and are inclined to lord it over material nature. The purpose of sacrificial rituals is to revive, gradually, the spiritual realization of the living entities. That is the beginning of life within this universe. These sacrificial rituals, however, are intended to please the Supreme Lord. Unless one pleases the Supreme Lord, or unless one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, one cannot be happy either in material enjoyment or in spiritual realization.