3:13: The righteous who eat the remnants of sacrifice are freed from all kinds of trespasses, but those sinful people who cook for their own sake eat only sin.
3:14: Material bodies are beholden to the production of foods. Food grains are produced from rains. Rains come from the performance of sacrifice and sacrifice is born of action.
3:15: Right actions are prescribed in the Vedas. Understand that Lord Brahma -- who is directly manifested from the all-pervading Imperishable One -- has eternally established all sacrificial actions.
It is through the ceaseless performance of actions that the embodied jiva, atman or soul is enslaved by material consciousness and it is through sacrificial actions that the atman is liberated. Karma Yoga therefore is the Way of performing yajna (sacrifices) for the liberation of the Self as described in the Vedas (Holy Scriptures). It is said that all knowledge comes from Lord Brahma. Originally there was One Veda, One Truth. As the ages passed however the One Truth become too great for the conditioned souls to comprehend and so towards the end of Treta Yuga (the age before ours) the One Veda was quartered. It is explained that from the four mouths of Lord Brahma the Four Vedas were revealed: i.e. the Rg Veda, Atharva Veda, Yajur Veda and Sama Veda. The Bhagavad Gita is the creme of all Vedic knowledge.
3:16: Those who are compelled by these cyclic reactions -- who do not adapt to spiritual consciousness in this life -- are locked onto the wheel of repeated birth and death. They live vain lives of sin; they are never satisfied, O son of Partha.
3:17: However one who delights in the Self, who is satisfied in the Self and is satiated in the Self alone, for such a person there are no obligatory activities.
3:18: Such a person does not perform actions for personal gain nor avoid actions that need to be done, neither relies on the acts of others.
3:19: Therefore always perform your obligatory actions without attachment. By performing such activities without attachment you will attain the Highest.
Although one may seek pleasure through the material senses, any enjoyments gained this way will be short lived. True satisfaction is only attained by focusing on the Self. For this reason one who performs required actions without attachment, through devotion to the One God, is thereby elevated to spiritual consciousness.
The Supreme Lord is present everywhere and exists within the embodied beings as paramatman, the supreme Self. For those who seek to please the Self material desires are nothing. By serving the Self (paramatman) the self (atman) finds true and lasting fulfillment and satisfaction.
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