ब्राह्मणोऽग्निश्च वै विष्णोः सर्वदेवात्मनो मुखम् ॥९॥
yat-pÅ«jayÄ kÄma-dughÄn
yÄti lokÄn gá¹›hÄnvitaḥ
brÄhmaṇo 'gniÅ› ca vai viṣṇoḥ
sarva-devÄtmano mukham
yat-pÅ«jayÄ - by worshiping the fire and brÄhmaṇas; kÄma-dughÄn - which fulfill one's desires; yÄti - one goes; lokÄn - to the destination of the higher planetary system; gá¹›ha-anvitaḥ - a person attached to household life; brÄhmaṇaḥ - the brÄhmaṇas; agniḥ ca - and the fire; vai - indeed; viṣṇoḥ - of Lord Viṣṇu; sarva-deva-Ätmanaḥ - the soul of all the demigods; mukham - the mouth.
By worshiping the fire and the brÄhmaṇas, a householder can achieve the desired goal of residing in the higher planets, for the sacrificial fire and the brÄhmaṇas are to be considered the mouth of Lord Viṣṇu, who is the Supersoul of all the demigods.
According to the Vedic system, a fire sacrifice is held in order to offer oblations of ghee, grains, fruits, flowers and so on, so that Lord Viṣṇu may eat and be satisfied. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (9.26):
patraá¹ puá¹£paá¹ phalaá¹ toyaá¹
yo me bhaktyÄ prayacchati
tad ahaá¹ bhakty-upahá¹›tam
aÅ›nÄmi prayatÄtmanaḥ
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.†Therefore, all these items may be offered in the sacrificial fire, and Lord Viṣṇu will be satisfied. Similarly, brÄhmaṇa-bhojana, feeding of the brÄhmaṇas, is also recommended, for when the brÄhmaṇas eat sumptuous remnants of food after yajña, this is another way that Lord Viṣṇu Himself eats. Therefore the Vedic principles recommend that in every festival or ceremony one offer oblations to the fire and give sumptuous food for the brÄhmaṇas to eat. By such activities, a householder may be elevated to the heavenly planets and similar places in the higher planetary systems.
