The Yoga of Action

Krishna uses food as a metaphor for how you relate to life. 'Eating after yajna' (yajña-śiṣṭa) means you contribute first, then receive—you work, serve, give value, then take your share. But 'cooking only for yourself' (ātma-kāraṇāt) means pure extraction—taking without giving, consuming without contributing. Those who live extractively accumulate agham (karmic weight of one-sided taking). Those who contribute before consuming are mucyante (freed)—unburdened because they're in harmony with reciprocity.