Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 13

यज्ञशिष्टाशिनः सन्तो मुच्यन्ते सर्वकिल्बिषैः । भुञ्जते ते त्वघं पापा ये पचन्त्यात्मकारणात्

yajñaśiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarvakilbiṣaiḥ | bhuñjate te tvaghaṃ pāpā ye pacantyātmakāraṇāt

Translation

The righteous, who eat the remnant of the sacrifice, are freed from all sins; but sin do the impious eat who cook for their own sakes.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

yajñaśiṣṭāśinaḥ

(who eat) of the sacrifice, remains

santaḥ

the good

mucyante

are freed

sarvakilbiṣaiḥ

by (from) all, by (from) sins

bhuñjate

enjoy

te

those

tu

indeed

agham

evil

pāpāḥ

sinners

ye

who

pacanti

cook

ātmakāraṇāt

of the self, from (for the) cause (sake)

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

Those who, after performing sacrifices to the Gods, etc., eat the remains of the food — which is called amṛta, ambrosia — are freed from all sins committed at the five places of animal-slaughter (fire-place, water-pot, cutting, grinding, sweeping apparatus), as well as from those sins which result from involuntary acts of injury. But as to the others, who are selfish and cook food for their own sakes, what they eat is sin itself, while they themselves are sinners.