Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.49
—
Māyāpura, October 29, 1974
Besides that, as soon as one is born, he becomes debtor to so many things.
devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ
na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan
sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ
gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam
[SB 11.5.41]
We become debtor to the demigods as soon as we are born on this earth. As a human being, not as cats and dogs. Cats and dogs, they are not debtor to anyone because they have no sense, nonsense. So first of all we become debtor to the demigods—the sun, moon, the Indra, Candra and many others. So how we become debtor? Because the sun is giving sunshine. We are taking advantage of the sunshine. Unless there was sunshine, you could not live even. Sunshine is so important. It is said that little this side or that side of the orbit of the sun makes the whole world frozen or blazing. Sun is so important thing. It has got an orbit. Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. Sun is very powerful planet, very important planet, of all the other planets. Rājā, it is the king of planets. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā: the sun is the king of all planets. Because without sun all planets will be frozen, or if the sun becomes too much bright, then everything will be ablaze. At the last stage of annihilation the whole universe will be ablaze by the scorching heat of the sun, and then there will be torrents of rain. For one hundred years the whole universe will remain ablaze. And then for one hundred years there will be heavy rain. In this way the creation will be annihilated.
So we are so much indebted to the sun, to the moon, to the heavenly king, because they are supplying our necessities. The Indra sends the cloud. By the electrical action... We have got experience. And the cloud gives you sufficient rain. Ghanavad vatarhit(?). Most munificent. The cloud gives you rain even where you do not require. On the hill you do not require, on the ocean you do not require, but when there is cloud, there is no miserly behavior. "Take even samudra, you take." Therefore one who is very charitable and munificent, he's compared with the cloud. If you want to sprinkle water even a few yards, you have to take so much trouble. But you see the cloud distributes rain like anything. More than sufficient. Even on the hill, even on the sea. So we are indebted to the demigods. Just like water department. You have to pay tax. Or the light department, you have to pay tax. If you don't pay the bill of the electrical department, it will be cut off, will be discontinued. But we are not paying any bill to the sun-god. Just see. We are taking advantage of the sunshine, but what payment we are paying? Nothing. Therefore this yajña is recommended. Saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said. Saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā. You are born with the responsibility of performing yajña. If you perform yajña or if you perform sacrifice in the name of Sūrya, in the name of Candra, in the name of Indra, Vāyu, then they will be pleased and will give you regular sunshine, regular moonshine, regular rain. Then you'll be happy. Therefore in the Vedas this deva-yajña is recommended.
But this yajña is performed not for satisfying the particular demigod. Even if you perform any yajña for satisfying the demigod, the Nārāyaṇa is situated there. The nārāyaṇa-śilā, śālagrāma-śilā is there whenever there is some yajña. Because He is the yajña-puruṣa. Actually, when you pay tax to the light department or water department, it is not that the director or the in-charge of the light department and water department takes that money. He does not take money. It goes to the government treasury. Similarly... Therefore it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā,
ye 'py anya-devatā-bhaktā
yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ
te 'pi mām eva kaunteya
yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam
Avidhi-pūrvakam. The tax department... There are different tax department, but if you pay the whole amount, government treasure making a bill for this department, this, this department, this, then automatically it will be distributed. Similarly the deva-yajña, to perform yajña in the name of the demigods, can all be performed in one yajña when you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. When you become... How? That is also stated in the śāstra, that devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan [SB 11.5.41]. Nārada Muni says to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira that we have got so many due taxes to be paid to the devatās, demigods, because we are utilizing so many material elements controlled by different devatās. And then we are debtor to the ṛṣis. Ṛṣis means saintly person. Just like we are reading this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And who has given this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? By Vyāsadeva. So we are debtor. Vyāsadeva has given us Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, mahāmuni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is made by Vyāsadeva. So we are taking advantage of the knowledge, so we are so much indebted to Vyāsadeva. We are indebted to the demigods, we are indebted to Vyāsadeva or other ṛṣis. Manu-saṁhitā, we are indebted to the great Manu. Viṁśati,(?) we are indebted to Parāśara Muni. He has given dharma-śāstra. In this way, there are so many Vedic literatures, and we take advantage of it. Therefore we must be indebted. Deva, ṛṣi, and bhūta. We are taking milk from the cows. Bhūta, āpta. Āpta, friends, relatives. We are taking advantage in the family from the father, from the mother, from the elderly brother, from the servant.