apare niyatāhārāḥ prāṇānprāṇeṣu juhvati .
sarve.apyete yajñavido yajñakṣapitakalmaṣāḥ ||4-30||
Others who regulate their diet offer life-breaths in life-breaths. All these are knowers of sacrifice, whose sins are destroyed by sacrifice.
In simple words
Krishna says: "Others practice through careful eating and discipline of the body. All of these people understand the spirit of giving, and through their practice, their past wrongs are washed away."
Word-by-word meanings
अपरेother personsनियताहाराःof regulated foodप्राणान्lifreathsप्राणेषुin the lifreathsजुह्वतिsacrificeसर्वेallअपिalsoएतेtheseयज्ञविदःknowers of sacrificeयज्ञक्षपितकल्मषाःwhose sins are destroyed by sacrifice
4.30 अपरे other persons? नियताहाराः of regulated food? प्राणान् lifreaths? प्राणेषु in the lifreaths? जुह्वति sacrifice? सर्वे all? अपि also? एते these? यज्ञविदः knowers of sacrifice? यज्ञक्षपितकल्मषाः whose sins are destroyed by sacrifice.Commentary Niyataharah means persons of regulated or limited food. They take moderate food. By rigid dieting they control the passions and appetites by weakening the functions of the organs of action.Yogis pour the lifreaths as sacrifice in the controlled lifreath. The former becomes merged in the latter.Performance of the above sacrifice leads to the purification of the mind and destruction of sins.
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.
Modern
# BG 4.30
There are certain practitioners who, through disciplined eating habits, endeavor to master the mental agitations arising from desire and anger. In India, the practice of dietary discipline is neither unfamiliar nor novel. The ancient sages possessed complete knowledge of the nourishing properties of food. Moreover, they scientifically classified vegetables and grains suited to the nature and occupations of people at various levels of society. Not merely through theory, but through practice, they demonstrated how through dietary discipline a person could refine their qualities and conduct, thereby advancing in cultural development.
The term "sacrifice-knower" refers to those practitioners who, understanding the aforementioned disciplines, engage in all or some of these practices with selfless intention. Such persons alone shall benefit from them. It is noteworthy that this verse explicitly states that through sacrifice one becomes freed from sin—not that one directly attains the Supreme Self.
The ego, born from identification with the body and other non-self objects, becomes attached to the body and external objects, constantly generating countless desires. In accordance with these desires, actions and their fruits generate vasanas—latent impressions—which perpetually incline the human being toward sensory pursuits. This is sin, which degrades humanity to the level of beasts. Through the performance of the aforementioned sacrifices, not only are existing vasanas destroyed, but new destructive vasanas do not arise.
In summary, all these sacrifices are not ends in themselves, but merely means for purifying the inner consciousness. When the mind becomes pure, the Supreme Self is attained through the practice of deep meditation. Many practitioners, through ignorance, become so attached to one particular discipline that their further progress becomes obstructed.
In all these sacrifices, personal effort—one's own endeavor—is absolutely essential. The Blessed Lord says: