FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 4.28

ద్రవ్యయజ్ఞాస్తపోయజ్ఞా యోగయజ్ఞాస్తథాపరే । స్వాధ్యాయజ్ఞానయజ్ఞాశ్చ యతయః సంశితవ్రతాః ॥ ౨౮ ॥
dravya-yajñās tapo-yajñā
[dravya-yajnaas tapo-yajnaa]
yoga-yajñās tathāpare
[yoga-yajnaas tathaapare]
svādhyāya-jñāna-yajñāś ca
[svaadhyaaya-jnaana-yajnaash cha]
yatayaḥ saṁśita-vratāḥ
[yatayah samshita-vrataah]
Word-for-word
dravya - yajñāḥ — sacrificing one’s possessions tapaḥ - yajñāḥ — sacrifice in austerities yoga - yajñāḥ — sacrifice in eightfold mysticism tathā — thus apare — others svādhyāya — sacrifice in the study of the Vedas jñāna - yajñāḥ — sacrifice in advancement of transcendental knowledge ca — also yatayaḥ — enlightened persons saṁśita - vratāḥ — taken to strict vows .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dravya-yajñās tapo-yajñā
dravya - yajñāḥ
sacrificing one’s possessions
tapaḥ - yajñāḥ
sacrifice in austerities
yoga-yajñās tathāpare
yoga - yajñāḥ
sacrifice in eightfold mysticism
tathā
thus
apare
others
svādhyāya-jñāna-yajñāś ca
svādhyāya
sacrifice in the study of the Vedas
jñāna - yajñāḥ
sacrifice in advancement of transcendental knowledge
ca
also
yatayaḥ saṁśita-vratāḥ
yatayaḥ
enlightened persons
saṁśita - vratāḥ
taken to strict vows .
Important Words
  • dravya - yajñāḥ — those who sacrifice possessions
    Compound: dravya (substance, wealth) + yajña (sacrifice). The first trade: giving up material goods. Many devotees historically — kings, merchants, householders — have walked this path.
  • tapaḥ - yajñāḥ — those who sacrifice through austerity
    Tapas + yajña. The second trade: austerity itself as the offering. The body and its comforts become the dravya. The brahmacārī's path in many forms.
  • yoga - yajñāḥ — those who sacrifice through yoga
    Yoga + yajña. The third trade: aṣṭāṅga-yoga's eight limbs as the offering. The disciplined yogī of Patañjali's tradition fits here.
  • svādhyāya — study (of self / of scripture)
    Sva + adhyāya — 'one's own study / study of the self.' The trade of the scholar-devotee: the disciplined daily reading of scripture as offering. Both senses (one's own portion of scripture, and study of the self) are active.
  • yatayaḥ — ascetics, those who strive
    From √yat — 'to strive.' Plural — the strivers. The verse honors not just the realized but those still striving. The trade is open to anyone who undertakes saṁśita-vrata.
  • saṁśita - vratāḥ — of strict vows
    Compound: saṁśita (sharpened, strict) + vrata (vow). The qualifier on all the above: strict-vow-takers. The yajñas are not casual hobbies; they require sharpened discipline.
Having accepted strict vows, some become enlightened by sacrificing their possessions, and others by performing severe austerities, by practicing the yoga of eightfold mysticism, or by studying the Vedas to advance in transcendental knowledge.
Purport

These sacrifices may be fitted into various divisions. There are persons who are sacrificing their possessions in the form of various kinds of charities. In India, the rich mercantile community or princely orders open various kinds of charitable institutions like dharma-śālā, anna-kṣetra, atithi-śālā, anāthālaya and vidyā-pīṭha. In other countries, too, there are many hospitals, old age homes and similar charitable foundations meant for distributing food, education and medical treatment free to the poor. All these charitable activities are called dravyamaya-yajña. There are others who, for higher elevation in life or for promotion to higher planets within the universe, voluntarily accept many kinds of austerities such as candrāyaṇa and cāturmāsya. These processes entail severe vows for conducting life under certain rigid rules. For example, under the cāturmāsya vow the candidate does not shave for four months during the year (July to October), he does not eat certain foods, does not eat twice in a day or does not leave home. Such sacrifice of the comforts of life is called tapomaya-yajña. There are still others who engage themselves in different kinds of mystic yogas like the Patañjali system (for merging into the existence of the Absolute), or haṭha-yoga or aṣṭāṅga-yoga (for particular perfections). And some travel to all the sanctified places of pilgrimage. All these practices are called yoga-yajña, sacrifice for a certain type of perfection in the material world. There are others who engage themselves in the studies of different Vedic literatures, specifically the Upaniṣads and Vedānta-sūtras, or the Sāṅkhya philosophy. All of these are called svādhyāya-yajña, or engagement in the sacrifice of studies. All these yogīs are faithfully engaged in different types of sacrifice and are seeking a higher status of life. Kṛṣṇa consciousness, however, is different from these because it is the direct service of the Supreme Lord. Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be attained by any one of the above-mentioned types of sacrifice but can be attained only by the mercy of the Lord and His bona fide devotees. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is transcendental.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
28. Others engage in severe vows of charity, austerities, aṣṭāṅga-yoga, and studying the Vedas.
Commentary

Those who offer goods in charity (dravya-yajṣa), those who perform austerities like cāndrāyaṇa-vrata (tapo-yajṣa), those who engage in aṣṭāṅga-yoga (yoga-yajṣa), those who put effort into engaging in knowledge by studying the Vedas—all these engage in very severe vrata.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
28. Others engage in severe vows of charity, austerities, visiting holy places, and studying the Vedas and their meaning. They make great endeavor with intense actions.
Commentary

Some karma yogīs are dedicated to giving charity such as food (dravya yajṣa). Some are engaged in severe austerities like the cāndrāyaṇa fast. Some are engaged in going to holy places. [Note: Yoga here is taken as uniting with or going to holy places. Rāmānuja takes the same meaning. Viśvanātha and Śrīdhara take it as aṣtāṅga yoga.] Some are dedicated to sacrifice in the form of study of the Vedas (svādhyāya), and finding the meaning of the Vedas (jṣāna yajṣa). They all make great endeavor, with intense conduct (saṁśita vratāḥ).

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: Varieties of sacrifices which lead to transcendental knowledge, are explained:

1. Demigod worship (4.25)

2. Sacrifices into Brahman (4.25)

3. Hearing process and senses in the fire of mental control – The unadulterated brahmacaris (4.26)

4. Objects of senses in the fire of the senses – Regulated grhastas (4.26)

5. Astanga-yoga  ‘Patanjali’ yoga system (4.27)

Offers the function of all the senses and of the life breath, as oblations into the fire of the controlled mind
Goal: Merging into existence of Absolute

6. Charity – Dravyamaya-yajna (study examples) (4.28)

Charitable institutions, old-age homes etc.

7. Austerity – Tapomaya-yajna (e.g. Caturmasya and Chandrayana) (4.28)

8. Yoga-yajna – Sacrifice for a certain perfection in material world (4.28)

E.g. Patanjali system – For merging into the existence into the Absolute
Hatha-yoga or Astanga-yoga – For particular perfections
Holy pilgrimage

9. Study of scriptures – Svadhyaya yajna – Upanisads and Vedanta Sutras, or the Sankhya philosophy

(4.28)

10. Hatha-yoga and Pranayama (4.29)

SUMMARIZED THEME 4B

SACRIFICES

A) Goal – Variety of sacrifices are described in Texts 4.25 – 4.33, because these sacrifices have

“transcendental knowledge” (The theme of this chapter) as their ultimate goal

1st goal: Control senses – This purifies one of all sins and makes one happy
2nd goal: Gain transcendental knowledge – Texts 4.19 – 4.24 explain how sacrifice uncovers Brahman (spiritual nature) and reveals transcendental knowledge
3rd goal: Devotional service

B) Why variety of sacrifices – different types are appropriate for different types of workers

(according to one’s position in Varnashrama and their level of realization) (4.32)

C) How to do – Perform sacrifices in consciousness of Texts 4.19 – 4.23, then the result will be

“realization of Brahman (4.24)”

Focus of Learning

(a) What all the varnas meant to achieve?

They are all meant to become perfect yogis or transcendentalists

(b) Brahmacaris

What does he hear – Only words concerning Krishna consciousness; especially engaged fully in “harer namanukirtanam” (Chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord)
What he does not hear – Restrains himself from vibrations of material sounds
How does he controls the mind – Stays under the care of a bona-fide spiritual master and abstains from sense gratification
How a pure brahmacari engages fully – ‘harer namanukirtanam’
“Basic principle of understanding” – Hearing is the basic principle for understanding

(c) Grhastas – Restricted unattached sex life (under marriage) is a kind of ‘yajna’ – how?

It is a Yajna because the restricted householder sacrifices his general tendency towards sense gratification for higher, transcendental life

(a) Who is perfect yogi or a first class mystic – a person engaged in discharging duties in Krishna

consciousness

(b) Varieties differ superficially, but one factual aim

Different categories of sacrifices by different types of performers only superficially demark the varieties
One factual aim of all sacrifices is to satisfy the Supreme Lord, Vishnu who is also known as yajna

(c) Two primary divisions to classify sacrifices

Sacrifice of worldly possessions
Sacrifice in pursuit of transcendental knowledge

(d) Comparison of sacrifices performed by different worshippers –

Krishna conscious devotee: sacrifices all material possessions and own self for Krishna’s satisfaction
e.g. Arjuna sacrifices everything for satisfaction of Krishna
Thus Arjuna is a first class yogi, without losing his individual existence
Demigod worshipper: Sacrifice material possessions for material enjoyment
They worship demigods for various material benefits and are called ‘Bahu-isvara-vadi’ (believers in many Gods)
Impersonalist: Sacrifices own self into fire altar of “Supreme Brahman”
They regard the forms of demigods as temporary
They sacrifice their material designations and end their individual existence by merging into the existence of the Supreme
Sacrifice their time in philosophical speculation

(a) Pranayama is the system of yoga for controlling the breathing process

In the beginning it is practiced in the hatha-yoga system through different sitting postures

(b) Goal of ‘hatha-yoga’ and ‘pranayama’

To control senses
To increase longevity – Intelligent yogi wants to achieve spiritual perfection in one life only; therefore needs increased life span for perfection in spiritual realisation
To help in spiritual advancement

(c) Practicing pranayama – This practice involves controlling the airs within the body so as to reverse

the directions of their passage (Study purport for details of the air currents)

(d) Conclusion 4.25 – 4.29: Krishna consciousness is transcendental to all types of sacrifice – Why?

Because it is direct service to the Lord (4.28)
Automatically controls all the senses and one is transcendental from the very beginning (4.29)

▪ e.g. Controlling senses is done by honoring Krishna prasadam

All the senses are thoroughly engaged and naturally transferred at the end of life to Krishna’s planet – therefore no need to increase longevity (4.29)
Ref. Bg. 14.26 By Devotional Service, one immediately transcends the modes and elevates to Spiritual Kingdom (4.29)
It is attained only by mercy of the Lord and devotees (4.28)
Krishna consciousness cannot be attained by any of the above mentioned methods in Texts 4.25 – 4.29

(a) What is ‘parag-atma’ and ‘pratyag-atma’

‘Parag-atma’ – the soul attached to sense enjoyment
‘Pratyag-atma’ – the soul unattached to sense enjoyment

(b) What is the principle and goal of this yoga system

Principle – The soul is subjected to the functions of ten kinds of air at work within the body and this is perceived through the breathing system
Patanjali system instructs one how to control the functions of the body’s air in a technical manner so that ultimately all the functions become favorable for purifying the soul of material attachment
Goal – Pratyag-atma
Different functions of the airs
‘Prana-vayu’ – Interaction of senses with sense objects and their engagements in activities outside the self
‘Apana-vayu’ – Goes downwards
‘Vyana-vayu’ – Acts to shrink and expand
‘Samana-vaya’ – Adjusts equilibrium
‘Udana-vayu’ – Goes upwards
Status of enlightenment – One engages all these airs in searching for self-realisation
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
4.28 Tatha, similarly; apare, others; are dravya-yajnah, perfomers of sacrifices through wealth-those sacrificers who spend wealth (dravya) in holy places under the idea of performing sacrifices; tapo-yajnah, performers of sacrifices through austerity, men of austerity, to whom austerity is a sacrifice; [This is according to Ast.-Tr.] yogayajnah, performers of sacrifice through yoga-those to whom the yoga consisting in the control of the vital forces, withdrawal of the organs, etc., is a sacrifice; and svadhyaya-jnana-yajnah, performers of sacrifices through study and knowledge. Sacrificers through study are those to whom the study of Rg-veda etc. accroding to rules is a sacrifice. And sacrificers through knowledge are those to whom proper understanding of the meaing of the scriptures is a sacrifice. Others are yatayah, ascetics, who are deligent; samsita-vratah, in following severe vows. Those whose vows (vratah) have been fully sharpened (samsita), made very rigid, are samsita-vratah. [Six kinds of sacrifices have been enumerated in this verse.] Further,
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
4.28 Some Karma Yogins perform the sacrifice of material objects. Some worship the gods with materials honestly acired. Some practise charity, some engage themselves in sacrifices and in making oblations into the sacred fire. All these perform sacrifice with material objects. Some do the sacrifice of austerity by devoting themselves to Krcchra, Candrayana, fast, etc. Others perform the sacrifice of Yoga. Some devote themselves to making pilgrimages to sacred sanctuaries and holy places. Here the term Yoga means pilgrimages to sacred sancturaries and holy places as the context relates to aspects of Karma Yoga. Some are devoted to recitation of Vedic texts and some to learning their meaning. They are all devoted to the practice of self-control and of strict vows, i.e., they are men to steady resolution.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
4.27-28 Sarvani etc. Dravyayajnak etc. Again all the activities of their sense-organs, the activities of their mind, and the activities of their vital airs, such as issuing through the mouth and nose, driving down the urine etc., other [seekers] established in the fire of concentration, named Yoga, which is the means for subduing the self i.e., the mind, and which is set ablaze by i.e., to be filled with, knowledge. The idea is this : With their intellect that has completely abandoned all other activities due to their concentration on the object, they receive the object that is being perceived on conceived. That has been stated in the Sivopanisad : 'When the intellect, concentrated on a certain object, not rejected, would not go to another object, at that time the meditation, remaining in the core of the objects, blossoms very much.' Thus the Yoga-sacrifices are explained. So far the performers of the material-object-sacrifices, the austerity-sacrifices, and the yoga-sacrifices have been defined. Those, who are the performers of the svadhyaya-knowledge-sacrifices are defined now [as] -
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
4.28 Others again offer wealth, austerity and Yoga as sacrifice, while the ascetics of self-restraint and rigid vows offer study of scriptures and knowledge as sacrifice.
Commentary

4.28 द्रव्ययज्ञाः those who offer wealth as sacrifice? तपोयज्ञाः those who offer austerity as sacrifice? योगयज्ञाः those who offer Yoga as sacrifice? तथा thus? अपरे others? स्वाध्यायज्ञानयज्ञाः those who offer study and knowledge as sacrifice? च and? यतयः ascetics or anchorites (persons of selfrestraint)? संशितव्रताः persons of rigid vows.Commentary Some do sacrifice by distributing their wealth to the deserving as charity some offer their Tapas (austerities) as sacrifice some practise the eight limbs of Raja Yoga? viz.? Yama (the five great vows)? Niyama (the canons of conduct)? Asana (posture)? Pranayama (restraint of breath)? Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses)? Dharana (concentration)? Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (superconscious state)? and offer this Yoga as a sacrifice some study the scriptures and offer it as sacrifice.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
4.28 Similarly, others are performers of sacrifices through wealth, through austerity, through yoga, and through study and knowledge; others are ascetics with severe vows.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
4.28 And yet others offer as their sacrifice wealth, austerities and meditation. Monks wedded to their vows renounce their scriptural learning and even their spiritual powers.
Related values & verses
Primary values
Svadhyaya (Self-study & Scripture Study)
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)
Related verses
BG 4.25 BG 17.7 BG 9.15 SB 11.3.43 SB 7.15.1 SB 11.19.20 CC Madhya 24.329 CC Madhya 22.78 CC Madhya 9.256 Taittirīya Upaniṣad 1.9Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.1
Stories
svadhyaya_epic_primary
Concepts
YajnaDharma
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Material possessions, austerity, yoga, study, knowledge — there are many forms of sacrifice for those of strict vows.
Practical Applications
  • Recognize that even vows themselves can be a sacrifice.
  • Identify the sacrifice your nature can sustain.
  • Don't envy a sacrifice that isn't yours; perform your own faithfully.
Reflection Questions
  • What kind of sacrifice can I sustain steadily?
  • Whose sacrifice am I admiring but not actually positioned to do?
Analogy

A craftsman's guild has many trades — woodworking, metal, weaving, dyeing — each producing real goods. The verse opens a similar guild of yajñas: possessions, austerity, eightfold yoga, scriptural study, knowledge. Different trades, all under the discipline of strict vows. Each is the right work for some constitution.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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