Geethartha Chinthane – 300: The link between noble actions and food production

annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ,
yajñād bhavanti parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ || (3.14)

Where does food come from? From the fields. How do crops grow there? Through rainfall. And where does rain come from? Rain comes from yajña. Then what is yajña? It is satkarma — noble and selfless actions.

If such satkarma and offerings are not done to please the deities, the deities will not bestow rain. Without rain, crops will not grow. Without food, living beings (creatures) will have no strength. In such a case, the entire wheel of worldly life would come to a halt.

It is only because a few people still perform satkarma that the cycle of the world continues.

If the number of evil-doers and wrongdoers increases, deities will no longer grant rain regularly. One can observe this in government systems as well. It is often only a few honest officers who keep the system running.

Governments have both revenue and expenditure departments. If the income tax department does not function properly, all spending departments will weaken. Only when wealth is earned can it be spent.

Therefore, just as governments need taxpayers and executors, the world needs both dānis (those who give) and kāryakartas (those who act).