Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 15

कर्म ब्रह्मोद्भवं विद्धि ब्रह्माक्षरसमुद्भवम् । तस्मात्सर्वगतं ब्रह्म नित्यं यज्ञे प्रतिष्ठितम्

karma brahmodbhavaṃ viddhi brahmākṣarasamudbhavam | tasmātsarvagataṃ brahma nityaṃ yajñe pratiṣṭhitam

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

karma

action

brahmodbhavam

from Brahma (the Vedas), arising, whose, that

viddhi

know

brahma

Brahma

akṣarasamudbhavam

from the Imperishable, arising, whose, that

tasmāt

therefore

sarvagatam

everywhere-going

brahma

Brahman

nityam

constantly

yajñe

in sacrifice

pratiṣṭhitam

(is) established

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

These activities are enjoined in the Veda (Brahman), and the Veda comes from the Imperishable, the Paramātman, the Highest Self. Because the Veda has arisen from the Highest Self — the Akṣara — as the breath comes out of a man, therefore the Veda, though all-comprehending as revealing all things, ever rests in sacrifice, i.e., it treats mainly of sacrifices and the mode of their performance.