Text 13
yajna-sistasinah santo
mucyante sarva-kilbisaih
bhunjate te tv agham papa
ye pacanty atma-karanat
Translation
The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.
Commentary by Srila Prabhupada
The devotees of the Supreme Lord, or the persons who are in Krishna consciousness, are called santas, and they are always in love with the Lord as it is described in the Brahma-samhita(5.38): premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hridayesu vilokayanti. The santas, being always in a compact of love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda (the giver of all pleasures), or Mukunda (the giver of liberation), or Krishna (the all-attractive person), cannot accept anything without first offering it to the Supreme Person. Therefore, such devotees always perform yajnas in different modes of devotional service, such as shravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, arcanam, etc., and these performances of yajnas keep them always aloof from all kinds of contamination of sinful association in the material world. Others, who prepare food for self or sense gratification, are not only thieves but also the eaters of all kinds of sins. How can a person be happy if he is both a thief and sinful? It is not possible. Therefore, in order for people to become happy in all respects, they must be taught to perform the easy process of sankirtana-yajna, in full Krishna consciousness. Otherwise, there can be no peace or happiness in the world.
Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur
Those who eat the food remnants of yajnas such as the vaisvadeva yajna become freed from all sins caused by the five types of violence to living entities. The five violent actions (panca suna) are described in the smrti:
kandani pesani culli udakumbhi ca marjani panca-suna grhasthasya tabhih svargam na vindati
The grhastha does not enjoy svarga by commission of the five violent actions towards other living entities caused by using the mortar, grinding stone, the stove, the broom and water pot. Visnu Smrti 59. 19-20