DEVOTION  AND ITS EFFECTS

patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyaa prayacchati
    tadaham bhaktyupahritamashnaami prayataatmanah // 9.26 //

Whoever offers Me with  devotion and a pure mind, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water - that I  accept (the devout gift of the pure minded).

A gift, however small, is  accepted by The Lord when it is offered with profound faith and devotion. He is  satisfied even with a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water when it is  offered with single-minded devotion and pure heart. What is offered is not as  important as how it is offered. Although all the objects of the world belong to  Him only and not to the devotee, yet if they are offered to Him by a devotee  they become the conveyors of the latter's love and dedication unto The Lord.

Therefore the offerings serve  their purpose only if they are accompanied by (a) devotion and (b) pure mind  and heart. If these qualities are absent they are mere economic waste, vanity  and false belief breeding superstition. On the other hand, if properly done,  they are the means of transport in the spiritual path of self-development.

The way to the Highest is not by  way of subtle metaphysics or complicated ritual. It is by sheer self-giving,  which is symbolized by the offer of a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water.

WHY  AT ALL THE LORD REQUIRES OFFERING FROM A SEEKER?

yatkaroshi yadashnaasi yajjuhoshi dadaasi yat
    yattapasyasi kaunteya tatkurushva madarpanam // 9.27 //

Whatever you do, whatever you  eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give away, whatever you practice  as austerity, O Kaunteya, do it as an offering to Me.

This verse explains how through  all activities of life one can constantly live in the spirit of `devout  offering' unto the Supreme. It is repeatedly said in the Gita that mental  attitude is of utmost importance than the mere physical act and this fact is  generally overlooked by the seekers.

The Lord being the creator and  sustainer of all objects needs nothing from anybody. All that is required by  Him is the devotion expressed through the spirit of offering. Sri Krishna therefore  says that even simple common tasks of daily life like what we eat, what we  offer in sacrifices, what we give as gifts and what we practice as austerity,  can be done as a sacred offering unto the Eternal and thereby a constant  remembrance of the Supreme can be maintained although undergoing the vagaries  of life.

When all the activities of life  are performed with a spirit of offering, not only our love to the Supreme  increases in us but also our entire life becomes sanctified with a nobler and  diviner focus. A devotee who constantly remembers the Substratum behind  everything in life can give to life the respect and reverence that it deserves  and in turn the life bestows its rewards on him. Love of God is not an escape  from harshness of life but a dedication for service. Karma Yoga or the way  of works which starts with the duty of performance of prescribed rites  concludes with the position that all tasks are sanctified when done with  disinterestedness and dedication.

The message is when all actions  are consecrated unto Him with disinterestedness and dedication they become  sanctified by which one is freed from the bondage of Karma with no re-birth to  him. The individual becomes one with the Cosmic Will.

It is appropriate to quote here a  verse from Adi Sankara’s “Siva Manasa Pooja” which reads:

Aatmaa tvam girijaa matih sahacharaah praanaah shariiram griham |
    Poojaa te vishhayopabhogarachanaa nidraa samaadhisthitih |
    Sajnchaarah padayoh pradakshinavidhih stotraani sarvaagiro |
    Yadyat karma karomi tat tad akhilam shambho tavaaraadhanam||
   
  You are my self, Parvati is my  understanding. My five praanaas are your attendants. My body is your  house, and all the pleasures of my senses are objects to use for your worship.  My sleep is your state of samaadhii. Wherever I walk I am walking around  you (pradakshina), everything I say is a prayer in praise of you. Whatever  act is done by me, every one of them, O Lord, is worship unto You.

Dedication of all our activities to the Supreme is the corner-stone for  spiritual awakening.