Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 3: The Path of Action

Bhagavad Gita 3.10

sahayajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā purovāca prajāpatiḥ | anena prasaviṣyadhvameṣa vo'stviṣṭakāmadhuk ||

In the beginning the Lord of creatures created humankind together with sacrifice, and said: "By this you shall prosper. Let this be the cow that yields all you wish for."

Modern context

The Gita pictures life as created together with the principle of giving. Living beings are made to flourish through mutual offering, each giving something of itself so that others may live. It is an old way of stating what ecology and economics also show: nothing thrives by taking alone.