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Study a Verse
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Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 4.31
नायं लोकोऽस्त्ययज्ञस्य कुतोऽन्यः कुरुसत्तम ॥ ३१ ॥
nāyaṁ loko ’sty ayajñasya
kuto ’nyaḥ kuru-sattama
O best of the Kuru dynasty, without sacrifice one can never live happily on this planet or in this life: what then of the next?
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
Without sacrifice, one cannot live happily in this life, so how can one be happy in the next?
Prabhupāda explains that sacrifice leads toward freedom from material bondage, and the highest perfection is to associate with the Supreme Lord.
Practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which brings the highest happiness and solves all the problems of material existence.
Sacrifice is essential — Without that, no happiness in this life or next
Material entanglement — a loop difficult to escape:
Ignorance Sinful life Drags one into material existence
Only loophole — Human life
Role of Vedas to help us escape
Vedas gives us a chance for escape by pointing out Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha
Dharma give Artha – Path of religion, or different kinds of sacrifices, automatically solves our economical problems – By Yajna we get enough food, milk etc.
After Artha comes Kama – When the body is fully satisfied, next stage is to satisfy the senses, therefore Vedas prescribe sacred marriage for regulated sense gratification
Gradually one is elevated to the platform of Moksha; All this starts from performance of Yajna, therefore yajna is very important for happiness
Life of Krishna consciousness — only solution to all problems because there is higher level of happiness
Fruit of all kinds of Vedic sacrifices is ‘transcendental knowledge’
This leads to liberation and ultimately to pure devotional service
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 4.31 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.