PHRASES IN THE GITA - 104

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PHRASES IN THE GITA - 104

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयम् यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति ... तदहं भक्त्युपह्रुतम् अश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः ...  (अध्याय ९ - श्लोक २५)
பத்ரம் புஷ்பம் ஃபலம் தோயம் யோ மே பக்த்யா ப்ரயச்சதி .. ததஹம் பாக்த்யுபஹ்ருதம் .. அஶ்நாமி ப்ரயதாத்மனஹ ...  (அத்யாயம் 9 - ஶ்லோகம் 25)
Patram Pushpam Phalam Toyam Yo Me Bhaktyaa Prayachchati ... Tadaham Bhaktyupahrutham Ashnaami Prayaataatmanah  ...  (Chapter 9 - Shlokam 26)

Meaning :  A leaf , a Flower , a Fruit or a drop of Water , whatever My devotee offers with devotion and pure heart , is accepted by Me ...  (I acknowledge and accept the purity in heart ..)

This is a suggestion for the devotee .  A suggestion made by the Lord Himself ..

Everything has an exterior and an interior , a body and a soul .  An object's outer form is its body and its utility the soul .  For an edible substance , the shape , size and colour make its body . Taste , effect on health make its soul .  Sound is the body of a spoken word , while its meaning is its soul .  The action is the body and its intention is its soul .

We commoners tend to look at the exterior .  We ignore the interior or we are incapable of knowing the soul .  We evaluate everything on the basis of appearance .  We give more marks for glamorous and dazzling exterior .  We evaluate men as high and low on the basis of their clothings , mannerisms and their possessions like vehicles , house etc .  That is the reason most of us tend to give greater importance to outer decorations , pomp and show rather than decorating the 'inner self' with better qualities .  We tend to pay more and buy objects and services lured by advertisements and attractive packing and get fooled by inferior quality objects and services .  This tendency has resulted in more falsehood , hypocrisy , flattery and false praise , extravagance etc . in social , political organizations and unfortunately in families too .

We can not see the inner , nor are we interested in looking at the inner .  But , Shri Krishna is different .  He looks at the soul  .  He gives more importance to the intent .  He refuses to be swayed by the exterior .  He can not be duped by attractive , glamorous , finely packaged exterior .  He says , "What you offer may be anything .  I look at your heart , not at what you give .  I accept the devotion , the purity in your heart" .

Draupadi , Gajendra , Shabari , and Vidura are the four who respectively offered Patram (Leaf) , Pushpam (Flower) , Phalam (fruit) and Toyam (water) and were showered with His Blessings and Grace .  Pandavas were in exile then .  Draupadi was in predicament when Rshi Durvasa arrived with his thousand disciples at their hut and demanded to be fed .  Draupadi had AkshayaPatra , a perennial source of food but lunch was over and the vessel had been already cleaned .  She was in tears and remembered Shri Krishna .  He arrived at the doorstep and demanded food .  Helpless Draupadi sobbed .  Shri Krishna asked her to bring the vessel .  There was a bit of cooked leaf in the vessel .  Shri Krishna took and consumed that .  Rshi Durvasa and his disciples felt full and never returned .  Gajendra , the King of a herd of elephants , was caught in a duel with an alligator .  The alligator had Gajendra's leg in his strong jaws .  Gajendra struggled with all his might to get rid of the foe .  He remembered Shri Mahavishnu and plucked a Lotus flower and threw it in the air taking His name .  Shri MahaVishnu appeared and killed the alligator to save Gajendra .  Shabari , the old lady was overwhelmed when Shri Ram arrived at her doorsteps .  She offered Him fruits she had gathered in the forests , but not before chewing and checking if they tasted right .  Thus, she was offering half eaten fruits to the Lord .  He smilingly received and ate those fruits .  Shri Krishna refused ceremonial lunch at the royal palace of Duryodhana and arrived at Vidura's cottage instead .  Vidura , had nothing but rice porridge at his hut .  He humbly offered that to Shri Krishna .  Shri Krishna partook that .  In all these cases , the devotees offered their humble offering with joy .  The receiver accepted the offering , least bothering about the thing being offered .  The devotees' hearts were filled with ecstasy , humility , love and devotion .  The receiver's heart accepted the Joy , the humility , the devotion and the purity in devotee's hearts and gleefully received the things offered .

Not the objects , but the heart which offers is more important for the God .