Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Verse 26

[bilva]

Chapter 9. The Most Confidential Knowledge

TEXT 26
patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah

SYNONYMS
patram--a leaf; puspam--a flower; phalam--a fruit; toyam--water; yah--
whoever; me--unto Me; bhaktya--with devotion; prayacchati--offers;
tat--that; aham--I; bhakti-upahrtam--offered in devotion; asnami--
accept; prayata-atmanah--of one in pure consciousness.

TRANSLATION
If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or
water, I will accept it.

EXPLANATION
Here Lord Krsna, having established that He is the only enjoyer, the
primeval Lord, and the real object of all sacrificial offerings,
reveals what types of sacrifices He desires to be offered. If one
wishes to engage in devotional service to the Supreme in order to be
purified and reach the goal of life--the transcendental loving service
of God--then he should find out what the Lord desires of him. One who
loves Krsna will give Him whatever He wants, and he avoids offering
anything which is undesirable or unasked for. Thus, meat, fish and
eggs should not be offered to Krsna. If He desired such things as
offerings, He would have said so. Instead He clearly requests that a
leaf, fruit, flowers and water be given to Him, and He says of this
offering, "I will accept it." Therefore, we should understand that He
will not accept meat, fish and eggs. Vegetables, grains, fruits, milk
and water are the proper foods for human beings and are prescribed by
Lord Krsna Himself. Whatever else we eat cannot be offered to Him,
since He will not accept it. Thus we cannot be acting on the level of
loving devotion if we offer such foods.
In the Third Chapter, verse thirteen, Sri Krsna explains that only
the remains of sacrifice are purified and fit for consumption by those
who are seeking advancement in life and release from the clutches of
the material entanglement. Those who do not make an offering of their
food, He says in the same verse, are said to be eating only sin. In
other words, their every mouthful is simply deepening their
involvement in the complexities of material nature. But preparing
nice, simple vegetable dishes, offering them before the picture or
Deity of Lord Krsna and bowing down and praying for Him to accept such
a humble offering, enable one to advance steadily in life, to purify
the body, and to create fine brain tissues which will lead to clear
thinking. Above all, the offering should be made with an attitude of
love. Krsna has no need of food, since He already possesses everything
that be, yet He will accept the offering of one who desires to please
Him in that way. The important element, in preparation, in serving and
in offering, is to act with love for Krsna.
The impersonalist philosophers, who wish to maintain that the
Absolute Truth is without senses, cannot comprehend this verse of
Bhagavad-gita. To them, it is either a metaphor or proof of the
mundane character of Krsna, the speaker of the Gita. But, in
actuality, Krsna, the Supreme Godhead, has senses, and it is stated
that His senses are interchangeable; in other words, one sense can
perform the function of any other. This is what it means to say that
Krsna is absolute. Lacking senses, He could hardly be considered full
in all opulences. In the Seventh Chapter, Krsna has explained that He
impregnates the living entities into material nature. This is done by
His looking upon material nature. And so in this instance, Krsna's
hearing the devotee's words of love in offering foodstuffs is wholly
identical with His eating and actually tasting. This point should be
emphasized: because of His absolute position, His hearing is wholly
identical with His eating and tasting. Only the devotee, who accepts
Krsna as He describes Himself, without interpretation, can understand
that the Supreme Absolute Truth can eat food and enjoy it.

Following is a quotation by Swami Gaurangapada:
"It's faith in the Lord and enthusiasm to chant His Holy Names that
makes life worth living."

Please chant Nityananda, Gauranga and Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, as
it is the ultimate offering for this age of kali.