216 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 8, Ch. 16
TEXT 9
TAN TAG AAla staryeeaa: |
8
mer sfreg a Fear: TASTE FAA 8
yat-piijaya kidma-dughan
yati lokan grhanvitah
brahmano ’gnis ca vai visnoh
sarva-devatmano mukham
yat-pijaya—by worshiping the fire and brahmanas; kadma-dughan—
which fulfill one’s desires; yati—one goes; lokan—to the destination of
the higher planetary system; grha-anvitah—a person attached to house-
hold life; brahmanah—the brahmanas; agnih ca—and the fire; vai—
indeed; visnoh—of Lord Visnu; sarva-deva-dtmanah—the soul of all
the demigods; mukham—the mouth.
TRANSLATION
By worshiping the fire and the brahmanas, a householder can
achieve the desired goal of residing in the higher planets, for the
sacrificial fire and the brahmanas are to be considered the mouth
of Lord Visnu, who is the Supersoul of all the demigods.
PURPORT
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 Visnu
may eat and be satisfied. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (9.26):
patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnadmi prayatatmanah
“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 Visnu will be satisfied. Similarly, brahmana-bhojana,
feeding of the brahmanas, is also recommended, for when the
