सहयज्ञाः प्रजाः सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापतिः । अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक् ॥
saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā purovāca prajāpatiḥ | anena prasaviṣyadhvam eṣa vo 'stv iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk ||
At creation, the Creator embedded yajna into existence itself — give and the cosmos gives back.
Word by word (3)
- saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā
- — having created beings together with yajna · Saha = together with. Yajña = sacrifice/offering. Prajāḥ = creatures/beings. Sṛṣṭvā = having created. Creation itself was accompanied by yajna — sacrifice was built into the structure of existence from the beginning. This is not a later addition but the original design of the cosmos.
- iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk
- — wish-fulfilling cow / the one that milks your desires · A reference to the mythological kāmadhenu (wish-fulfilling cow of the gods). Iṣṭa = desired, wished. Kāma = desire. Dhuk = one who milks/gives. Yajna, when practiced, is like this divine cow — it fulfills what is truly needed. Not ego-wants, but the deeper needs of the soul and society.
- anena prasaviṣyadhvam eṣa vo 'stv iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk
- — anena = by this (yajna); prasaviṣyadhvam = let this sustain/nourish you (prosper you); eṣa vaḥ astu = let this be for you; iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk = the fulfiller of wished-for desires (iṣṭa = desired/cherished; kāma = desire; dhuk = milker/fulfiller; the image of the cow that gives wished-for milk — yajna as the cosmic wish-fulfilling mechanism when honoured)
In the beginning, the Creator made beings together with the principle of sacrifice, and said: 'By this principle of mutual giving shall you thrive — let yajna be the fulfillment of your needs.'
A modern analogy
The ecological principle of mutual reciprocity: trees release oxygen, animals exhale CO2. Rivers flow to the ocean, evaporation returns them as rain. The universe is built on reciprocal exchange — not hoarding. Yajna is the human participation in this cosmic exchange: give fully, receive fully.
Take with you
- Yajna is not a religious duty but a cosmic principle — the universe runs on reciprocal exchange.
- When you hold back, hoard, or take without giving, you obstruct the cosmic flow.
- Iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk: the yajna principle fulfills your deepest needs — not necessarily your surface wants.
- The Creator embedded this principle at the start — it is not optional but foundational.
V10 situates yajna in a cosmic creation narrative. The Creator (Prajāpati) created beings simultaneously with the principle of sacrifice — they are co-created, not sequential. This means yajna is not a religious practice added to life but the fundamental structural principle by which life sustains and reproduces itself. Shankaracharya comments that this verse establishes the cosmic necessity of yajna: just as the universe runs on reciprocal exchange (V11-14 will elaborate the chain), humans who participate in yajna align themselves with the deep structure of existence. The kāmadhenu image is important: not all desires are fulfilled but the iṣṭa (truly desired/appropriate) ones — the yajna principle is intelligent, not indiscriminate.
Modern parallels
Systems ecology: every healthy ecosystem is built on energy exchange and nutrient cycling. Organisms that only take without returning (parasites without reciprocity) destabilize systems. Human social systems mirror this: communities built on pure competition without mutual exchange deteriorate. Gift economies (Marcel Mauss) and commons governance (Elinor Ostrom) confirm the yajna-principle empirically.
Public-domain translations (5) compare all →
In the beginning, having created mankind along with sacrifice, the Lord of creatures said: 'By this shall ye multiply; may this be to you the yielder of all desired objects.' [1]
In the beginning, having created mankind together with sacrifice, the Progenitor said: 'By this shall ye propagate; let this be the milch-cow of your desires.' [4]
In the beginning the Lord of creatures, having created mankind together with sacrifice, said: 'By this shall ye increase and multiply; let this be the milch-cow of your desires.' [6]
In the beginning, when He made all things, The Lord of Creatures fashioned sacrifice And said: 'By this shall ye increase and thrive; This be the Milk of all your milk of life!' [7]
Having in olden times created mankind together with sacrifice, the Progenitor said: By this shall ye multiply; let this be the wish-fulfilling cow for you. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Nourish the cosmic forces and they nourish you back. Mutual giving is the path to the highest good.
Action → yajna → rain → food → all beings. Human right-action sustains the entire chain of life.
Many forms of yajna spread through Brahman's mouth — all born of action. Knowing this, you will be freed.
Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises — I project Myself forth. The divine responds to every crisis.
I am the ātman, O Guḍākeśa, seated in the heart of all beings — their beginning, middle, and end.
But why such detail, O Arjuna? With a single fragment of Myself I establish and uphold this entire universe.