Bhagavad Gita · Karma YogaChapter 3, Shloka 14 (3.14)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
अन्नाद् भवन्ति भूतानि पर्जन्यादन्नसम्भवः
यज्ञाद् भवति पर्जन्यो यज्ञः कर्मसमुद्भवः
॥ 3.14 ॥
annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyādannasambhavaḥ
yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karmasamudbhavaḥ
Translation
"From food all beings come into being, from rain food is produced, from yajña comes rain, and yajña is born of action."
Interpretation
The links of the wheel: action → yajña → rain → food → beings → (and beings act again).
Shankaracharya: annāt bhuktāt lohita-retaḥ-pariṇatāt — food that is eaten turns into blood and seed and gives birth to beings. How does rain come from yajña? He quotes the Manusmriti (3.76) — agnau prāstāhutiḥ samyag ādityam upatiṣṭhate; ādityāj jāyate vṛṣṭir vṛṣṭer annaṃ tataḥ prajāḥ — the offering made into the fire reaches the sun, from the sun comes rain, from rain food, from food living beings. And here yajñaḥ apūrvam — yajña means the unseen power born of it (apūrva), which arises from the actions of the priests and the sponsor of the sacrifice.
Acharya Ramanuja: That beings come from food and food from rain is sarva-loka-sākṣikam — proven by everyone's experience; that rain comes from yajña śāstreṇa avagamyate — is known from scripture (the same Manusmriti saying). And yajña is dravyārjanādi-kartṛ-puruṣa-vyāpāra-rūpa-karma-samudbhavaḥ — born of action in the form of a person's work, such as earning wealth.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.