Sanskrit
देवान्भावयतानेन ते देवा भावयन्तु वः । परस्परं भावयन्तः श्रेयः परमवाप्स्यथ ॥
devān bhāvayatānena te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ parasparaṃ bhāvayantaḥ śreyaḥ param avāpsyatha
Translation
"With this nourish ye the Shining Ones, and may the Shining Ones nourish you; thus nourishing one another ye shall reap the supremest good.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Prajapati’s speech continues: the relationship between humans and the devas (“Shining Ones”) is framed as reciprocal nourishment, not one-directional worship. That reciprocity is the mechanism the chapter is arguing for more broadly — action-as-offering sustains a mutual system rather than a private transaction, which is what makes it categorically different from action performed “for its own sake,” condemned two verses later in verse 13. Paraspara-bhāvana — mutual sustaining — is the structural claim: in a system of offerings, giving and receiving are the same motion seen from two ends. Self-interested action breaks that loop, which is why BG 3.12 can call it theft.
Study deeper
Word by word
- devānदेवान्
- the gods
- bhāvayatānenaभावयतानेन
- nourish by this (bhāvayata + anena)
- te devāते देवा
- those gods (te + devāḥ)
- bhāvayantu vaḥभावयन्तु वः
- shall nourish you (bhāvayantu + vaḥ)
- parasparaṃपरस्परं
- one another
- bhāvayantaḥभावयन्तः
- nourishing
- śreyaḥ paramश्रेयः परं
- the supreme good (śreyaḥ + param)
- avāpsyathaअवाप्स्यथ
- you shall attain
Commentary
Site Commentary
“Parasparam” — mutually, reciprocally — does more work than the myth strictly needs: it’s not just describing how humans and devas relate, it’s quietly ruling out a one-directional model of either worship or extraction. Nourishment that only flows one way isn’t the relationship being described here at all.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
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Lessons
Personal
- In any relationship you depend on — a mentor, a community, a practice — check whether you're only extracting from it or actually feeding it back. A one-directional flow isn't the kind of sustaining relationship this verse describes.
Professional
- In a partnership with another team you depend on for support, make sure the relationship runs both ways — sending help back, not just requesting it. A one-directional flow of favors isn't sustainable and isn't what a functioning system actually requires.
Family & Social
- In a relationship where someone consistently supports you, check that you're nourishing it back rather than only receiving — reciprocity isn't a nice extra here, it's what keeps the relationship itself viable long-term, not sentiment.
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