154. Leaf, Flower, Fruit or Water
T he general fear regarding dropping the desires is, who will take care of us, our families and our organisations if we drop the desire to grow and protect. This looks natural and logical. To dispel this fear, Krishna assured His devotees of both kshema (welfare) and yoga (union with Him) - 'Yoga-kshemam vahāmyaham' (9.22). This union is the ultimate goal and the assurance of welfare is from the all-powerful existence. He gives a couple of simple ways to be a bhakt (devotee). Firstly, he says that even if one worships any other form with shraddha , they also worship Him alone (9.23) as He is the enjoyer and Lord of all worship (9.24). This is the crystal-clear indication that we should possess shraddha and that the rest is secondary. Krishna further says, “The reverent offering to Me of a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, given with pure devotion, is a devotional offering I accept” (9.26). We can offer simple and easily available things like leaves, flower...