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 munificently. 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 demigod. 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 (BG 3.10), 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 . . .
- yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam
- (BG 9.23)
Avidhi-pūrvakam. The tax department . . . there are different tax department, but if you pay the whole amount, government treasury 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 pitṟṇāṁ nāyam ṛṇī na kiṅkaro rājan (SB 11.5.41). Nārada Muni says to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira that we have got so many due taxes to be paid to the devatā, demigods, because we are utilizing so many material elements controlled by different devatā.