पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति |
तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मन: || 26||
patraṁ puṣhpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayachchhati
tadahaṁ bhaktyupahṛitam aśhnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
patram—a leaf; puṣhpam—a flower; phalam—a fruit; toyam—water; yaḥ—who; me—to Me; bhaktyā—with devotion; prayachchhati—offers; tat—that; aham—I; bhakti-upahṛitam—offered with devotion; aśhnāmi—partake; prayata-ātmanaḥ—one in pure consciousness
Translation:
Whosoever offers Me, with devotion, a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water— that I accept, the pious offering of the pure in heart.
Commentary:
This verse is very important for all aspirants. In the previous verse, it was stated that the worshipper invariably goes to the object of his worship. If the Lord is the objective, the worshipper reaches Him. The same discipline and devotion needed for the worship of other Devas is enough to please the Lord. This being so, why should he have a lesser and lower objective than the Lord Himself? The Lord explains the very easy nature of His worship. No elaborate sacrifices are needed, no large charities are needed, no great offerings are needed. A leaf, a flower or a fruit or even water, is enough to please the Lord, and when the Lord is pleased, all the Devas, Pitris and Bhutas are pleased. All the rewards which the worshippers hope to derive from the worship of the Devas are derived by the worship of Paramatma and His worship is absolutely within the reach of every human being. Two conditions are stated here:
- The giver should be pure-minded.
- The offering should be made with devotion.
Kingdom, treasures and empires do not satisfy the Lord when there is no purity and devotion; where these are, even a leaf or a fruit is enough to draw the grace of God. He is pleased and satisfied with such offerings when the worshipper is a true Bhakta. Lord Krishna did not accept the hospitality of the proud Duryodhana, but dined with the humble Vidura. corn offered by Kuchela was accepted by the Lord with great pleasure, and the reward which he received is well known to all.
What is required is (1) purity of heart, and (2) true devotion. Even the humblest and the most ignorant man receives God’s grace by purity and devotion. The richest and the most powerful shall have to go without it, if they are arrogant and self-indulgent. That is why one comes across some learned scholars plunged in the mire of samsara in spite of their Sastric learning. That is why kings and emperors have sought refuge at the feet of sages in their troubles and sorrows. The pure man alone is happy. The devotee alone is fearless.
The Lord is the King of Kings. He is the maker and unmaker of all the worlds. Love and devotion are the only things by which the Lord is pleased. If he is pleased, all the world and all the beings are pleased.
We recall to mind the wonderful episode in the Mahabharata when the Pandavas were in exile, sage Durvasa came with all his disciples to the hermitage of Pandavas and wanted to be fed; Draupadi had nothing in the pot except a few bits of cooked food. She thought of the Lord and he came and tasted the few bits of cooked food, and lo, the miracle! and his disciples felt surfeited and could take no more food, even when they were requested by Pandavas to accept their hospitality. Please the Lord, and all other beings shall be pleased.
Those who worship Him with single-minded devotion are God’s own children. God’s mercy is on them at all times, and in all places. They receive Atmajnana. The Upanishads declare the same truth.
Draupadi and Vidura offered a leaf; Gajendra offered a flower; Sabari offered a fruit; Ranti Deva offered water. With their purity and devotion these great devotees attained the Lord by simple offerings.
Swami Vivekananda Says —
If you are strong, take up the Vedanta philosophy and be independent. If you cannot do that, worship God; if not, worship some image. If you lack strength even to do that, do some good works without the idea of gain. Offer everything you have unto the service of the Lord. Fight on! “Leaves and water and one flower — whosoever lays anything on my altar, I receive it with equal delights.”[Source]
So she (*) bathed and dressed the image, burned incense before it, and for offering? — Oh, she was so poor! — but with tears in her eyes she remembered her husband reading from the books: “I accept with gladness even leaves and flowers, fruits and water, whatever is offered with love”, and she offered: “Thou for whom the world of flowers bloom, accept my few common flowers. Thou who feedest the universe, accept my poor offerings of fruits. I am weak, I am ignorant. I do not know how to approach Thee, how to worship Thee, my God, my Cowherd, my child; let my worship be pure, my love for Thee selfless; and if there is any virtue in worship, let it be Thine, grant me only love, love that never asks for anything — ‘never seeks for anything but love’.”[Source]
… Continue your sadhana [spiritual practices]. It will surely bear results. The saint Tulasidas said, “Whatever way you sow the seed in the soil, pointing either up or down, its sprout will rise upward.” Similarly, if you practise your sadhana wholeheartedly, it will produce good results, even though your means may not be perfect. If you have real devotion in your heart, the Lord will see it; he does not count human imperfections. The Lord knows our inmost thoughts. There is a saying: “The prayer of an unlettered person may be grammatically wrong and the prayer of a learned man may be correct, but both prayers will render the same virtue; because God accepts only the inmost feelings.” …
— Swami Turiyananda (Spiritual Treasures: Letters of Swami Turiyananda)
Surendra was rich, aristocratic, and extremely sensitive. M. described how one day in 1881 the Master crushed Surendra’s ego at his own home:
Surendra approached the Master with a garland and wanted to put it around his neck. But the Master took it in his hand and threw it aside. Surendra’s pride was wounded and his eyes filled with tears. He went to the west porch and sat with Ram, Manomohan, and the others. In a voice choked with sadness he said: “I am really angry. How can a poor brahmin know the value of a thing like that? I spent a lot of money for that garland, and he refused to accept it. I was unable to control my anger and said that the other garlands were to be given away to the devotees. Now I realize it was all my fault. God cannot be bought with money; he cannot be possessed by a vain person. I have really been vain. Why should he accept my worship? I don’t feel like living anymore.” Tears streamed down his cheeks and over his chest.
In the meantime Trailokya was singing inside the room. The Master began to dance in an ecstasy of joy. He put around his neck the garland that he had thrown aside; holding it with one hand, he swung it with the other as he danced and sang. Now Surendra’s joy was unbounded. The Master had accepted his offering. Surendra said to himself, “God crushes one’s pride, no doubt, but he is also the cherished treasure of the humble and lowly.”
When the kirtan was over, everyone sat around the Master and became engaged in pleasant conversation. Sri Ramakrishna said to Surendra, “Won’t you give me something to eat?” Then he went into the inner apartments, where the ladies saluted him. After the meal Sri Ramakrishna left for Dakshineswar. (Source: God Lived with Them)
Here is the narration of the profound story of Yogi Vemana, which illustrates his lifelong philosophy that purity of heart outweighs social status.
Yogi Vemana – The Wandering Mystic
Yogi Vemana, the great Telugu philosopher and poet, was a Parivrajaka—a wandering ascetic. He traveled from village to village, naked or clad only in a loincloth, challenging the rigid caste systems, empty rituals, and the hypocrisy of the wealthy.
One scorching afternoon, Vemana arrived in a small, bustling village. As news of the great saint’s arrival spread, the villagers gathered. Among them were the wealthy landlords, learned scholars, and priests, all eager to earn merit (Punya) by feeding the holy man.
The Feast of Pride
A wealthy merchant, dressed in fine silks, pushed his way to the front. He held a silver plate filled with exotic delicacies—sweet rice, ghee-laden curries, and fruits. He bowed, not out of humility, but to show the crowd his capacity to offer such a feast.
“Swami,” the merchant said, his chest puffed with pride. “Please accept this bhiksha (alms). It is the finest food in the village, prepared by the highest caste cooks in a ritualistically pure kitchen.”
Vemana looked at the silver plate, then at the merchant. With a dismissive wave of his hand, he refused.
“Take it away,” Vemana said abruptly. “This food smells of filth.”
The crowd gasped. The merchant was insulted. “Filth? Swami, this is pure vegetarian food served on silver! How can it be filthy?”
Vemana remained silent, closing his eyes, refusing to engage with the man’s ego. Other wealthy villagers tried to offer him food, but he rejected them all, sensing the arrogance and desire for social validation behind their charity.
The Offering of Love
Standing at the very edge of the crowd was an elderly beggar woman. She belonged to the so-called “untouchable” caste. She was dressed in rags, holding an old, chipped clay pot. Inside, she had a small amount of Ambali (a simple, watery ragi gruel) that she had begged for herself that morning.
She watched the rejection of the rich with fear. She thought, “If the Swami rejects the feasts of kings, surely he will spit on my poor gruel.”
However, seeing Vemana sitting under the hot sun, her heart ached with a motherly compassion. She forgot her caste and her poverty; she only saw a hungry child of God.
Vemana opened his eyes and looked straight at her. His face broke into a gentle smile. He extended his cupped hands toward her.
“Mother,” he called out gently. “I am very hungry. will you not feed me?”
The crowd was horrified. The woman trembled. “Swami, I… I am of low birth. This is just leftover gruel in a dirty pot.”
“Give it to me,” Vemana insisted.
With shaking hands, she poured the gruel into his hands. Vemana drank it with immense relish, licking his fingers as if he had just tasted the nectar of the heavens.
The Lesson
The rich merchant, unable to contain his anger, shouted, “Swami! You rejected my pure food on a silver plate, calling it filth, yet you eat the leftovers of an untouchable beggar from a clay pot? What kind of madness is this?”
Vemana stood up, his eyes blazing with the wisdom of a Yogi.
“Your food was cooked in a ‘pure’ kitchen, but it was served with a heart full of arrogance and pride. You wanted to feed your ego, not my hunger. Therefore, it was impure.”
He pointed to the old woman.
“She has nothing. She gave me the food that was meant for her own survival. She gave it not for fame, but because her heart cried for my hunger. Her pot may be made of clay, but her heart is made of gold. Food served with affection is nectar; food served with pride is poison.“
The Essence
The villagers stood in silence, humbled. Vemana had once again taught them that in the eyes of the Divine, the vessel does not matter—only the contents of the heart do.
This incident is often summarized by the essence of Vemana’s poetry (Vemana Padyalu):
“Metuku vendi paatra mida unna phalamemi?
Manasu niluva leni manishi kante…
Bhakthi leni puuja patri chetu…”
(Meaning: What is the use of a grain of rice on a silver plate if the mind is not steady? Worship without devotion is a waste.)
Question: What pleases the Lord?
Answer: Any simple offering given with purity and devotion pleases the Lord.
Question: What then are the conditions to receive God’s grace?
Answer: Purity and devotion.
* Gopal’s Mother, in the story narrated by Swamiji, “The Story of the Boy Gopala”.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 9 🔻 (34 Verses)
