The Vedas emanated from the breath of God
asya mahato bhūtasya ni śhvasitametad yadṛigvedo yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo ’thavaṅgirasaḥ
(Bṛihadāraṇyak Upaniṣhad 4.5.11) [v9]
“The four Vedas—Ṛig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sāma Veda, Atharva Veda—all emanated from the breath of the Supreme Divine Personality.”
In these eternal Vedas, the duties of humans have been laid down by God himself. These duties have been planned in such a way that through their performance materially engrossed persons may gradually learn to control their desires and slowly elevate themselves from the mode of ignorance to the mode of passion, and from the mode of passion to the mode of goodness. These duties are enjoined to be dedicated to him as
yajña
. Hence, duties consecrated as sacrifice to God verily become godly, of the nature of God, and non-different from him.
The Tantra Sār states
yajña
to be the Supreme Divine Lord himself
yajño yajña pumāṁśh chaiva yajñaśho yajña yajñabhāvanaḥ
yajñabhuk cheti pañchātmā yajñeṣhvijyo hariḥ svayaṁ
[v10]
In the Bhāgavatam (11.19.39), Shree Krishna declares to Uddhav
yajño ’haṁ bhagavattamaḥ
[v11]“I, the Son of Vasudev, am
Yajña
.” The Vedas state
yajño vai viṣhṇuḥ
[v12]
“
Yajña
is indeed Lord Vishnu himself.” Reiterating this principle, Shree Krishna says in this verse that God is eternally present in the act of sacrifice.