Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Verse 25 भगवद् गीता अध्याय 4 श्लोक 25 दैवमेवापरे यज्ञं योगिनः पर्युपासते। ब्रह्माग्नावपरे यज्ञं यज्ञेनैवोपजुह्वति।।4.25।। English Translation - Swami Gambirananda 4.25 Other yogis undertake sacrifice to gods alone, Others offer the Self, as a sacrifice by the Self itself, in the fire of Brahman. English Translation - Swami Sivananda 4.25 Some Yogies perform sacrifice to the gods alone; while others (who have realised the Self) offer the self as sacrifice by the Self in the fire of Brahman alone. English Translation - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan 4.25. Certain other men of Yoga are completely devoted to yajna, connected with the devas and offer that yajna, simply as a yajna, into the insatiable fire of the Brahman. English Commentary - Swami Sivananda 4.25 दैवम् pertaining to Devas? एव only? अपरे some? यज्ञम् sacrifice? योगिनः Yogis? पर्युपासते perform? ब्रह्माग्नौ in the fire of Brahman? अपरे others? यज्ञम् sacrifice? यज्ञेन by sacrifice? एव verily? उपजुह्वति offer as sacrifice.Commentary Some Yogis who are devoted to Karma Yoga perform sacrificial rites to the shining ones or Devas (gods). The second Yajna is JnanaYajna or the wisdom sacrifice performed by those who are devoted to Jnana Yoga. The oblation in this sacrifice is the Self. Yajna here means the Self. The Upadhis or the limiting adjuncts such as the physical body? the mind? the intellect? etc.? which are superimposed on Brahman through ignorance are sublated and the identity of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul or Brahman is realised. To sacrifice the self in Brahman is to know through direct cognition (Aparoksha Anubhuti) that the individual soul is identical with Brahman. This is the highest Yajna. Those who are established in Brahman? those who have realised their oneness with the Supreme Soul or Paramatma perform this kind of sacrifice. This is superior to all other sacrifices. English Translation of Sanskrit Commentary By Sri Shankaracharya's 4.25 Apare, other; yoginah, yogis, ritualists; pari-upasate, undertake; yajnam, sacrifice; daivam, to gods; eva, alone. A sacrifice by which the gods are adored is daiva-yajna; they perform only that. This is the meaning. Brahma-agnau, in the fire of Brahman: By the word brahman is meant That which is referred to in such sentences as, Brahman is Truth, knowledge and infinite (Tai. 2.1), Knowledge, Bliss, Brahman (Br. 3.9.28), the Brahman that is immediate and direct-the self that is within all (Br.3.4.1), which is devoid of all worldly characteristiscs like hunger etc. and which is beyond all particular alifications-as stated in, Not this, not this (Br.4.4.22). That which is Brahman is the fire. [Brahman is called fire because, as reflected in wisdom, It burns away everything, i.e. ignorance, or because everything merges into It during dissolution (pralaya).] And it is spoken of as Brahmagni with a view to referring to It as that into which the offering is made. In that fire of Brahman, apare, others, other knowers of Brahman; upa-juhvati, offer; yajnam, the Self, which is referred to by the word yajna (sacrifice), it, having, been presented as a synonym of the Self;-that Self, which is a sacrifice, which is reality is verily the supreme Brahman, which is associated with such limiting adjuncts as the intellect etc., which is associated with all the alities of the limiting adjuncts superimposed on it, and which is the oblation, (they offer) yajnena, by the Self itself as described above. The offering (of the Self) in that (Brahman) is nothing but the realization of that Self which is assoicated with the limiting adjuncts to be the supreme Brahman which is free from adjuncts. The monks, steadfast in the realization of the identity of Brahman and the Self, make that offering. This is the meaning. Beginning with, The ladle is Brahman etc., this sacrifice characterized as full realization is being included among such sacrifices as daiva-yajna etc. with a view to eulogizing it in the verses beginning with, O destroyer of enemies, jnana-yajna is greater than the sacrifices involving (sacrificial) materials. English Translation of Commentary - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan 4.25 Daivam etc. the Devas are the sense-organs that are playful. The yajna that stands based on them is nothing but the act of receiving objects of their own. Certain persons are thoroughly devoted only to that yajna, i.e., they gain the gain of their own Self by examining this (yajna) from its root . That is why they are men of Yoga; for, they are absorbed in the Yoga permanently at all stages. Indeed in Yogin the suffix ini, a synonym of matup, here signifies perpetual connection. Further, they (Yogins) pour, as an offering, the self-same yajna, above defined, into the Brhaman-fire that is insatiable i.e. that cannot be satisfied. Thus [the verse] has been interpreted by some. However, the Sage (the author of the Gita) does not violate the context. Hence, that meaning which exists in his heart we shall show : Certain masters of Yoga perform godly sacrifice i.e., sacrifice, consisting of external objects, and intending only deities like Indra etc., of varied forms. Further, with a single conviction that It is a Yajna and a thing to be performed, i.e., with no craving for fruit, they offer the same sacrifice, that is being performed, into the Brahman - fire which is insatiable i.e., difficult to satisfy. Thus even those, who perform sacrificial rites with material objects, attain the Supreme Brahman. For, it is going to be declared in the seel : All these persons too have understood sacrifice (IV, 30 below). The Vedic text also [says] : The gods offered sacrifice [just] as sacrifice. (RV, I, 164, 50; TS, III, v, II, 5; etc.) English Translation of Ramanuja's Sanskrit Commentary 4.25 Some Karma Yogins resort to the sacrifice relating to gods, i.e., the sacrifice which takes the form of worshipping gods. The meaning is that they have steadfast devotion only in this. Others offer sacrifice into the fire of Brahman solely by means of sacrifice. Here the term, sacrifice is used in the sense of the oblation, the ladle etc., reired for performing a sacrifice and therefore they are said to constitute sacrificing. These are of the nature of Brahman. Offer by means of sacrifice indicates the ladle and other implements for the accomplishment of sacrifice. Commentary - Chakravarthi Ji Hear about many other types of yajnas. The Lord explains this in eight verses. Daivam refers to that in which devatas like Indra and Varuna are worshipped. Thus the phrase daivam yajnam means worship having Indra and other devatas as subject. This is derived from the rule sasya devata (Panini 4.2.24). In this worship, it is indicated that there is lack of consciousness of brahman. The karma yogis (yoginah) worship the devatas. Others, the jnana yogis, offer the jiva (yajnam) (what is called tvam: you) as the oblation into the fire of brahman or paramatma (what is called tat: that), using the mantra pranava as the instrument (yajnena). This jnana yoga will be praised later (verse 33). The words yajna and yajnena used as object and instrument refer to the pure jiva and pranava through the metaphor of the previous verse. Rudra Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary The ability to see the Brahman or spiritual substratum pervading all existence everywhere is factually a potent form of yagna or offerings of worship as propitiation to the Supreme Lord Krishns. This type of yagna is superior to all other yagnas. In order to show its superiority; the various sacrifices which are methods to attain this knowledge are given in descending order of importance in the next eight verses. Those yagnas in which demi-gods like Indra and Varuna are worshipped are called Daiva- Yagnas. The word eva meaning only shows that Indra and the demi-gods are not viewed as being Brahman. The karma yogis or those performing actions for specific rewards worship the demigods fastidiously. The jnana yogis or those cultivating Vedic knowledge offer the sacrifice back to the Brahman by means of that very sacrifice and dissolve all actions into the Brahman by the sacrifice of spiritual intelligence. Brahma Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary There is no commentary for this verse. Shri Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary Lord Krishna begins with the word daivam meaning the demi-gods. Karma yogis or those following the path of prescribed Vedic activities being on a lower platform devotedly worship the demigods such as Indra for rainfall and Surya for sunlight and derive the desired results sought. While the jnana yogis those following the path of cultivating knowledge offer all their oblations such as ghee or clarified butter and food grains exclusively into the fire as offerings to the Brahman or spiritual substratum pervading all existence and this is their yagna or worship to the Supreme. Kumara Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary Lord Krishna begins with the word daivam meaning the demi-gods. Karma yogis or those following the path of prescribed Vedic activities being on a lower platform devotedly worship the demigods such as Indra for rainfall and Surya for sunlight and derive the desired results sought. While the jnana yogis those following the path of cultivating knowledge offer all their oblations such as ghee or clarified butter and food grains exclusively into the fire as offerings to the Brahman or spiritual substratum pervading all existence and this is their yagna or worship to the Supreme. Transliteration Bhagavad Gita 4.25Daivam evaapare yajnam yoginah paryupaasate; Brahmaagnaavapare yajnam yajnenaivopajuhwati. Word Meanings Bhagavad Gita 4.25daivam—the celestial gods; eva—indeed; apare—others; yajñam—sacrifice; yoginaḥ—spiritual practioners; paryupāsate—worship; brahma—of the Supreme Truth; agnau—in the fire; apare—others; yajñam—sacrifice; yajñena—by sacrifice; eva—indeed; upajuhvati—offer