Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.2.34

te 'pi viśva-sṛjaḥ satraḿ

sahasra-parivatsarān

saḿvidhāya maheṣvāsa

yatrejya ṛṣabho hariḥ

SYNONYMS

te — those; api — even; viśva-sṛjaḥ — progenitors of the universal population; satram — the sacrifice; sahasra — one thousand; parivatsarān — years; saḿvidhāya — performing; maheṣvāsa — O Vidura; yatra — in which; ijyaḥ — to be worshiped; ṛṣabhaḥ — the presiding Deity of all demigods; hariḥ — Hari.

TRANSLATION

The sage Maitreya continued: O Vidura, all the progenitors of the universal population thus executed a sacrifice for thousands of years, for sacrifice is the best way to worship the Supreme Lord, Hari, the Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

It is clearly stated here that the stalwart personalities who generate the entire population of the world are interested in satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead by offering sacrifices. The Lord also says in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29), bhoktāraḿ yajña-tapasām. One may engage in performing sacrifices and severe austerities for perfection, but they are all meant to satisfy the Supreme Lord. lf such activities are performed for personal satisfaction, one is involved in pāṣaṇḍa, or atheism; but when they are performed for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord, one is following the Vedic principle. All the assembled sages performed sacrifices for one thousand years.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness