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Study a Verse
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Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 3.11
देवान्भावयतातेन ते देवा भावयन्तु वः ।
परस्परं भावयन्तः श्रेयः परमवाप्स्यथ ॥ ११ ॥
devān bhāvayatānena
te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ
parasparaṁ bhāvayantaḥ
śreyaḥ param avāpsyatha
The demigods, being pleased by sacrifices, will also please you, and thus, by cooperation between men and demigods, prosperity will reign for all.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
Sacrifices please the demigods, who in turn please people. This cooperation brings prosperity for all.
Prabhupāda explains that demigods manage material supplies, but Lord Viṣṇu is the chief beneficiary of every sacrifice.
Make pleasing the Lord the purpose of sacrifice. Sacrifice purifies life and leads to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
These notes cover verses 3.11–12
How our desire can be fulfilled in material world by demigod worship
Demigods being pleased by sacrifices will please the living entities; thus by co-operation between men and demigods prosperity will reign over all (3.11)
Without yajna, one is a thief – One who enjoys the gifts without offering them to the demigods is certainly a thief (3.12)
Texts 3.10 & 3.11
Two results of sacrifices are: 1. Fulfilling all material desires (3.11 – 3.14) 2. Purify the heart to elevate one out of the material world (3.15 – 3.16)
If one cannot perform detached, dutiful work; it is better to follow Karma-kanda section of Vedas
But do it for Krishna’s pleasure (All the Vedic duties which prescribe sacrifices, etc.)
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Key ideas: karma, sva-dharma.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does BG 3.11 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to duty & action?
Do one task today purely because it is right.
Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.
Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.
Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.