दैवमेवापरे यज्ञं योगिन: पर्युपासते |
ब्रह्माग्नावपरे यज्ञं यज्ञेनैवोपजुह्वति || 25||
Karma-yogis follow the path of yoga by actions engage in worship offering sacrifices to the demigods only; Gyana-yogis worship perfectly by invoking offerings of sacrifice into the sacrificial fire of the Ultimate Truth, as sacrifice itself.
There are two types of Yagnas as per Shri Krishna Bhagwan mentioned in this shloka to enlighten Arjuna and initiate the perfect action required by a true yogi.
Bhagwan talks about two yogis and the yagnas they perform. One is Karma Yogi who performs the yagna to worship the demi-gods(not Brahma) to obtain the desired results.
The Karma yogis perform the karma(Yagna) to please the demigods and fulfil their own desires which they accept as the results of their actions. They worship the demigods such as Indra for rainfall and Surya for sunlight and derive the desired results sought.
The demigods, appointed by the Supreme Bhagwan, wield great power to oversee and maintain material functions like heating, watering, and lighting the universe. Those seeking material benefits worship these celestial beings through Vedic rituals and sacrifices.
According to the philosophy of the Bhagwan Swaminarayan, there are five eternal elements: jiva, Ishwar, Maya, Brahma, and Parabrahma. We, the jivas, perform yagna(sacrifice, actions) to please the ‘ishwars’ that are appointed by the Supreme Bhagwan(Parabrahma) for the creation, sustenance, and destruction of that particular Brahmand(universe). There are infinite universes and for that, there are infinite ishwars. To understand more about this philosophy, click here.
The Gyana yogis also perform the action(yagna) by surrendering themselves completely to the Supreme Bhagwan. These yogis offer all their oblations such as ghee or clarified butter and food grains exclusively into the fire as offerings to the Brahma and they dissolve all of their actions into the Brahma.
They dedicate themselves to the Supreme Bhagwan by merging their individual selves into the Supreme Bhagwan. These seekers engage in philosophical contemplation to understand the transcendental nature of the Supreme.
Unlike those who seek material enjoyment, they sacrifice their material designations to unite with the Supreme. For them, the fire altar of sacrifice symbolizes the Supreme Brahman, and the offering is their own self merging into the fire of Brahman.
Choose wisely.
