In the strict Vedic sense this verse refers to the means by which the householder is freed from evil acts performed inadvertently. Thus by performing the five sacrifices one counteracts the sins inadvertently committed by using the five items essential to the householder's livelihood. Central to these sacrifices is the offering of food to the gods in the Vaisvadeva yajna. Taking this verse beyond the scope of the Vedic law to the heart of the principle of sacrifice, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada comments that the devotees, who are truly saintly people, are freed from all sins merely by the act of offering all of their food to Krishna and partaking of the remnants. Krishna next further explains the system that calls for sacrifice on the part of humanity, thereby connecting humanity with divinity.
Humanity subsists on food, and food is a product of rain.
Rain in turn is a product of sacrifice, and sacrifice is born of prescribed duties and ritual. Therefore, the all-pervading Absolute is eternally situated in acts of sacrifice. In verses fifteen and sixteen Krishna says that it is sacrifice that makes the world go 'round. While we often hear that love keeps the world turning on its axis, we do not stop to think that love arises out of sacrifice. Without such introspection one often mistakes selfishness for love, the result of which is that one goes around only in confusion as to what the working of the world is really all about.