यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् |
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् || 27||
yat karoṣhi yad aśhnāsi yaj juhoṣhi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣhva mad-arpaṇam
yat—whatever; karoṣhi—you do; yat—whatever; aśhnāsi—you eat; yat—whatever; juhoṣhi—offer to the sacred fire; dadāsi—bestow as a gift; yat—whatever; yat—whatever; tapasyasi—austerities you perform; kaunteya—Arjun, the son of Kunti; tat—them; kuruṣhva—do; mad arpaṇam—as an offering to Me
Translation:
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give away, and whatever you practise in the form of austerities, Ο son of Kunti— do it as an offering to Me.
Commentary:
The Lord teaches Arjuna to cultivate the basic attitude of mind which enables him to offer whatever he does, to the Lord alone. Everything should be offered to the Lord, the food eaten, the sacrifice made, and the austerity performed. In fact, all the activities of life should be offered unto the Lord, without the expectation of any personal reward. The actions and the fruits of actions should be surrendered to the Lord with a loving heart.
Yat Karoshi: This does not mean bad actions.
Yadasnasi: This does not mean prohibited food.
Man has to do some work in the world, and instead of binding himself with that, the Lord instructs that it should be surrendered to Him, in the spirit of ‘Krishnarpanamastu‘ or ‘Brahmarpanamastu‘. By such surrender, man escapes the bondage of karma and also acquires God’s grace. This indeed is an easy path to liberation. To the house-holders particularly this method is of great help in their spiritual advancement.
The devotee should make self-surrender to the Lord whatever he is doing.
Swami Vivekananda Says —
Here are the two ways of giving up all attachment. The one is for those who do not believe in God, or in any outside help. They are left to their own devices; they have simply to work with their own will, with the powers of their mind and discrimination, saying, “I must be non-attached”. For those who believe in God there is another way, which is much less difficult. They give up the fruits of work unto the Lord; they work and are never attached to the results. Whatever they see, feel, hear, or do, is for Him. For whatever good work we may do, let us not claim any praise or benefit. It is the Lord’s; give up the fruits unto Him. Let us stand aside and think that we are only servants obeying the Lord, our Master, and that every impulse for action comes from Him every moment. Whatever thou worshippest, whatever thou perceivest, whatever thou doest, give up all unto Him and be at rest. Let us be at peace, perfect peace, with ourselves, and give up our whole body and mind and everything as an eternal sacrifice unto the Lord. Instead of the sacrifice of pouring oblations into the fire, perform this one great sacrifice day and night — the sacrifice of your little self.[Source]
Name, fame, good deeds, “Whatever sacrifices you perform, whatever penances you undergo, whatever you eat” — surrender everything to his feet. What on earth do we want? He has given us refuge, what more do we want? Bhakti is verily its own reward — what else is needed?[Source]
Question: How should man work?
Answer: Whatever he does, should be surrendered to the Lord.
Question: What is the effect?
Answer: He is freed from the bondage of karma, and obtains God’s grace.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 9 🔻 (34 Verses)
