Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 12
इष्टान्भोगान्हि वो देवा दास्यन्ते यज्ञभाविताः । तैर्दत्तानप्रदायैभ्यो यो भुङ्क्ते स्तेन एव सः
iṣṭānbhogānhi vo devā dāsyante yajñabhāvitāḥ | tairdattānapradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ
Translation
"Nourished by the sacrifice, the Gods shall indeed bestow on you the enjoyments ye desire." Whoso enjoys — without offering to Them — Their gifts, he is verily a thief.
— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri
Word meanings
- iṣṭān
- desired
- bhogān
- enjoyments
- hi
- indeed
- vaḥ
- to you
- devāḥ
- the Gods
- dāsyante
- will give
- yajñabhāvitāḥ
- by sacrifice, nourished
- taiḥ
- by them
- dattān
- given
- apradāya
- not having given (returned)
- ebhyaḥ
- to these
- yaḥ
- who
- bhuṅkte
- enjoys
- stenaḥ
- thief
- eva
- only
- saḥ
- he
Śaṅkarācārya's commentary
Pleased with your sacrifices, the Gods shall bestow on you all enjoyments. He who enjoys what is given by Gods — i.e., he who gratifies the cravings of his own body and senses without discharging the debt due to the Gods — is a thief indeed, a robber of the property of the Gods.