Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3, Verse 13

Chapter 3 – Karma Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

यज्ञशिष्टाशिनः सन्तो मुच्यन्ते सर्वकिल्बिषैः ।
भुञ्जते ते त्वघं पापा ये पचन्त्यात्मकारणात् ॥

Transliteration

yajñaśiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarvakilbiṣaiḥ .
bhuñjate te tvaghaṃ pāpā ye pacantyātmakāraṇāt ॥

Meaning

The good, who eat what remains after sacrifice, are freed from all sins; but the sinful, who cook only for themselves, eat sin itself.

Word meanings

यज्ञशिष्टाशिनः – those who eat the remnants of sacrifice
सन्तः – the good, the righteous
मुच्यन्ते – are freed
सर्वकिल्बिषैः – from all sins
भुञ्जते – eat
ते – they
तु – but
अघम् – sin
पापाः – the sinful
ये – who
पचन्ति – cook
आत्मकारणात् – for themselves alone

Anvaya (word order)

यज्ञशिष्टाशिनः सन्तः सर्वकिल्बिषैः मुच्यन्ते; ये तु आत्मकारणात् पचन्ति, ते पापाः अघं भुञ्जते ।

Explanation

This verse hides a deep spiritual lesson in a simple act: eating. One who first offers to God, the guest, the ancestors, living beings and the needy, and then receives the remainder as prasada, has pure food. This is ‘yajna-shishta’. Such people are the ‘santah’, the good.

On the other side, those who cook ‘atma-karanat’ — only for themselves — eat not food but sin. Shankara explains that in a householder's life the five great daily sacrifices cleanse the unavoidable small harms done in running a home; one who skips them and merely fills his stomach incurs sin. Ramanuja adds that food is pure only when offered to the Lord before it is taken.

The spirit of prasada keeps a meal from being only a physical need; it becomes a moment of gratitude, sharing and humility. When we give first, even our enjoyment becomes clean.

The message is clear even today: food eaten after sharing becomes nectar, while pleasure hoarded for oneself turns inwardly into a burden.

Context

Verse 3.12 called the one who enjoys without giving a thief. Verse 3.13 praises, by contrast, those who partake of the remnant of sacrifice, and the next verses describe the cycle of creation built on yajna and food.

Life lesson

Set aside a share of your food and income for giving. Pleasure received in the spirit of prasada keeps the mind light and pure.

Key terms

Yajna-shishta: what remains after sacrifice or offering; prasada
Kilbisha: sin, fault
Atma-karana: solely for oneself