The purpose of Vedic Sacrifices (Mundaka Upaniṣad #06)

In the previous verses, the difference between parā-vidyā and aparā-vidyā was already revealed, and the cultivation of materialistic knowledge that leads just to an improvement of one's material position was already condemned. This idea will be further emphasized in the next verses, where the destination of karmis who attain svarga-loka by performing ritual sacrifices is described and equally frowned upon.Materialists perform such fire sacrifices with the desire of obtaining fruitive results, such as material auspiciousness and promotion to the celestial planets. Often, due to a poor fund of knowledge, they can't even understand the purpose of the sacrifice, seeing the demigods as separated deities. When sacrifices are executed with material desires, they produce only secondary material results, that are temporary. Even such material results are uncertain because fruitive sacrifices produce auspicious results only when properly executed. When there are faults in the execution, they produce negative results or no results whatsoever. Even if such sacrifices are successful, the material facilities obtained will remain only for a short time, being lost at the time of death, if not earlier. Even if one attains the celestial planets, he will have to come back to Earth after exhausting his pious credits. Such persons as described by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gita as alpa-medhasām (men of small intelligence), who take the endeavor of executing costly sacrifices without obtaining their true fruit. Get full access to Mysteries of the Vedas (Caitanya Chandra Dasa) at www.ccdas.net/subscribe