Bhagavad Gita BG 3.12
Chapter 3, Verse 12 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
इष्टान्भोगान्हि वो देवा दास्यन्ते यज्ञभाविताः । तैर्दत्तानप्रदायैभ्यो यो भुङ्क्ते स्तेन एव सः ॥ १२ ॥
iṣṭān bhogān hi vo devā dāsyante yajña-bhāvitāḥ tair dattān apradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ
Meaning
The devas, nourished by yajna, will bestow upon you all desired enjoyments. But whoever enjoys these gifts without offering back to the devas — that person is indeed a thief.
Understanding
Krishna extends the reciprocity principle of v11 with a sharp moral edge. The devas (forces of nature) respond generously to sacrifice — they give iṣṭān bhogān (desired enjoyments: food, rain, health, beauty). But the one who takes these gifts without acknowledging the source and reciprocating is called a stena (thief). This is a striking word choice — not just 'selfish person' but thief. In the Vedic worldview, all enjoyment is fundamentally borrowed from the cosmic commons. Consuming without returning is extraction — it breaks the cycle that sustains life. This principle applies not just to ritual but to all resource use: gratitude and reciprocity are ethical requirements.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| इष्टान् भोगान् | iṣṭān bhogān | desired enjoyments / wished-for pleasures |
| यज्ञभाविताः | yajña-bhāvitāḥ | nourished by yajna / those who are sustained by sacrifice |
| अप्रदाय | apradāya | without offering back / without giving in return |
| स्तेनः | stenaḥ | a thief |
| भुङ्क्ते | bhuṅkte | enjoys / consumes / partakes of |
| हि | hi | for / indeed (causal) |
| वः | vaḥ | to you / for you (plural) |
| देवाः | devāḥ | the gods / the divine beings |
| दास्यन्ते | dāsyante | will give / will grant / will bestow |
| तैः | taiḥ | by them / with those (gifts) |
| दत्तान् | dattān | those given / the gifts |
| यः | yaḥ | he who / the one who |
| एव | eva | certainly / indeed (emphatic) |
| सः | saḥ | he (that thief) |