नाहं तथाद्मि यजमानहविर्विताने
श्च्योतद्घृतप्लुतमदन्हुतभुङ्मुखेन ।
यद्ब्राह्मणस्य मुखतश्चरतोऽनुघासं
तुष्टस्य मय्यवहितैर्निजकर्मपाकैः ॥८॥

nÄhaá¹ tathÄdmi yajamÄna-havir vitÄne
ścyotad-ghṛta-plutam adan huta-bhuṅ-mukhena
yad brÄhmaṇasya mukhataÅ› carato 'nughÄsaá¹
tuṣṭasya mayy avahitair nija-karma-pÄkaiḥ

 na - not; aham - I; tathÄ - on the other hand; admi - I eat; yajamÄna - by the sacrificer; haviḥ - the oblations; vitÄne - in the sacrificial fire; Å›cyotat - pouring; ghá¹›ta - ghee; plutam - mixed; adan - eating; huta-bhuk - the sacrificial fire; mukhena - by the mouth; yat - as; brÄhmaṇasya - of the brÄhmaṇa; mukhataḥ - from the mouth; carataḥ - acting; anughÄsam - morsels; tuṣṭasya - satisfied; mayi - to Me; avahitaiḥ - offered; nija - own; karma - activities; pÄkaiḥ - by the results.


Text

I do not enjoy the oblations offered by the sacrificers in the sacrificial fire, which is one of My own mouths, with the same relish as I do the delicacies overflowing with ghee which are offered to the mouths of the brÄhmaṇas who have dedicated to Me the results of their activities and who are ever satisfied with My prasÄda.

Purport

The devotee of the Lord, or the Vaiṣṇava, does not take anything without offering it to the Lord. Since a Vaiṣṇava dedicates all the results of his activities to the Lord, he does not taste anything eatable which is not first offered to Him. The Lord also relishes giving to the Vaiṣṇava’s mouth all eatables offered to Him. It is clear from this verse that the Lord eats through the sacrificial fire and the brÄhmaṇa’s mouth. So many articles — grains, ghee, etc. — are offered in sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Lord. The Lord accepts sacrificial offerings from the brÄhmaṇas and devotees, and elsewhere it is stated that whatever is given for the brÄhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas to eat is also accepted by the Lord. But here it is said that He accepts offerings to the mouths of brÄhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas with even greater relish. The best example of this is found in the life of Advaita Prabhu in his dealings with HaridÄsa ṬhÄkura. Even though HaridÄsa was born of a Muhammadan family, Advaita Prabhu offered him the first dish of prasÄda after the performance of a sacred fire ceremony. HaridÄsa ṬhÄkura informed him that he was born of a Muhammadan family and asked why Advaita Prabhu was offering the first dish to a Muhammadan instead of an elevated brÄhmaṇa. Out of his humbleness, HaridÄsa condemned himself a Muhammadan, but Advaita Prabhu, being an experienced devotee, accepted him as a real brÄhmaṇa. Advaita Prabhu asserted that by offering the first dish to HaridÄsa ṬhÄkura, he was getting the result of feeding one hundred thousand brÄhmaṇas. The conclusion is that if one can feed a brÄhmaṇa or Vaiṣṇava, it is better than performing hundreds of thousands of sacrifices. In this age, therefore, it is recommended that harer nÄma — chanting the holy name of God — and pleasing the Vaiṣṇava are the only means to elevate oneself to spiritual life.