Sacrifice of Sacrifice

August 31, 2026

Yajna symbolizes sacrifice or selfless action. In this context, Sri Krishna says that some yogis perform yajna for the gods; others offer the sacrifice to the fire of Brahman (4.25). For one who lives without awareness, life is merely a matter of accumulating and preserving things. The next stage of life is the renunciation of things, thoughts, and emotions.

The seeds of ego are sacrificed in the fire rather than sown in the fertile soil of the mind. The third stage involves the sacrifice of the sacrifice itself, realizing that they are all Brahman, the Supreme Being. It can be said that the mind-oriented Karmayogi seeks action, and for him, sacrifice is the path. The intellect-oriented Jnanayogi is about pure awareness, and he sacrifices only sacrifice. While the former is sequential, the latter is an exponential or quantum leap, but rarely.

However, both paths lead to the same destination. Shree Krishna explains this reality in the context of the senses, saying, “Other yogis offer the hearing and other senses as oblations to the fires of restraint, and yet others offer the senses, such as words, and other objects, as oblations to the fires of senses” (4.26). In short, this is the path of offering sacrifice to the sacrifice. Shree Krishna repeatedly explains the relationship between the senses and their objects.

The main explanation is that the senses naturally experience attachment and aversion for their respective objects, and we must be aware of this duality (3.34). Through special effort, a Karmayogi breaks the bridge between the senses and objects, which is the sacrifice described in the first part. The second part is for a Jnanayogi who, through awareness, becomes a witness and sacrifices the sacrifice itself. In both cases, we transcend duality.