इष्टान्भोगान्हि वो देवा दास्यन्ते यज्ञभाविताः | तैर्दत्तानप्रदायैभ्यो यो भुङ्क्ते स्तेन एव सः || १२ ||
iṣṭān bhogān hi vo devā dāsyante yajña-bhāvitāḥ tair dattān apradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ
iṣṭān—desired; bhogān—necessities of life; hi—certainly; vaḥ—unto you; devāḥ—the demigods; dāsyante—will award; yajña-bhāvitāḥ—satisfied by the performance of sacrifice; taiḥ—by them; dattān—things given; apradāya—without offering; ebhyaḥ—to these demigods; yaḥ—he who; bhuṅkte—enjoys; stenaḥ—thief; eva—certainly; saḥ—he.
“The cosmic powers, satisfied by sacrifice, will indeed grant you desired enjoyments. But one who enjoys their gifts without offering in return is indeed a thief.”
One who takes from nature and society — food, water, air, knowledge, infrastructure — without contributing anything is spiritually a thief. The Gita is uncompromising here: gratitude and reciprocity are moral imperatives, not optional courtesies. A life of pure self-consumption, however comfortable, is a form of moral and spiritual degeneration.
Take stock of what you receive daily from the world — clean water, food, education, safety — and honestly reflect on what you give back. This verse calls each of us to live with an orientation of contribution rather than merely consumption. Identify one way to shift the balance even slightly toward giving today.