Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 14

अन्नाद्भवन्ति भूतानि पर्जन्यादन्नसम्भवः । यज्ञाद्भवति पर्जन्यो यज्ञः कर्मसमुद्भवः

annādbhavanti bhūtāni parjanyādannasambhavaḥ | yajñādbhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karmasamudbhavaḥ

Translation

From food creatures come forth; the production of food is from rain; rain comes forth from sacrifice; sacrifice is born of action; know thou that action comes from Brahman and that Brahman comes from the Imperishable. Therefore, the all-pervading Brahman ever rests in sacrifice.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

annāt

from food

bhavanti

become

bhūtāni

creatures

parjanyāt

from rain

annasambhavaḥ

of food, the production

yajñāt

from sacrifice

bhavati

becomes

parjanyaḥ

rain

yajñaḥ

sacrifice

karmasamudbhavaḥ

from action, the arising, whose, that

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

All living creatures are born from food, which, when eaten, is converted into blood and semen. Rain proceeds from sacrifice as taught in the Smṛti: "The offering thrown into the fire reaches the sun; from the sun comes rain; from rain food; and from this food all creatures" (Manu iii.76). Yajña here spoken of refers to what is called apūrva — the unseen form which a sacrifice is said to assume between the time of its performance and the time when its results become manifested.