Text 9
yat-pūjayā kāma-dughān
yāti lokān gṛhānvitaḥ
brāhmaṇo ’gniś ca vai viṣṇoḥ
sarva-devātmano mukham
yat-pūjayā — by worshiping the fire and brāhmaṇas; kāma-dughān — which fulfill one’s desires; yāti — one goes; lokān — to the destination of the higher planetary system; gṛha-anvitaḥ — a person attached to household life; brāhmaṇaḥ — the brāhmaṇas; agniḥ ca — and the fire; vai — indeed; viṣṇoḥ — of Lord Viṣṇu; sarva-deva-ātmanaḥ — the soul of all the demigods; mukham — the mouth.
By worshiping the fire and the brāhmaṇas, a householder can achieve the desired goal of residing in the higher planets, for the sacrificial fire and the brāhmaṇas are to be considered the mouth of Lord Viṣṇu, who is the Supersoul of all the demigods.
According to the Vedic system, a fire sacrifice is held in order to offer oblations of ghee, grains, fruits, flowers and so on, so that Lord Viṣṇu may eat and be satisfied. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.26):
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” Therefore, all these items may be offered in the sacrificial fire, and Lord Viṣṇu will be satisfied. Similarly, brāhmaṇa-bhojana, feeding of the brāhmaṇas, is also recommended, for when the brāhmaṇas eat sumptuous remnants of food after yajña, this is another way that Lord Viṣṇu Himself eats. Therefore the Vedic principles recommend that in every festival or ceremony one offer oblations to the fire and give sumptuous food for the brāhmaṇas to eat. By such activities, a householder may be elevated to the heavenly planets and similar places in the higher planetary systems.