Whatever thou doest, whatever thou eatest, whatever thou offerest in sacrifice, whatever thou givest, whatever thou practisest as austerity, O Arjuna, do it as an offering unto Me.
In simple words
Krishna gives Arjuna a way to make every moment sacred: "Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, whatever discipline you practice — do it as an offering to Me."
यत्whateverकरोषिthou doestयत्whateverअश्नासिthou eatestयत्whateverजुहोषिthou offerest in sacrificeददासिthou givestयत्whateverयत्whateverतपस्यसिthou practisest as austerityकौन्तेयO Kaunteyaतत्thatकुरुष्वdoमदर्पणम्
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offering unto Me
9.27 यत् whatever? करोषि thou doest? यत् whatever? अश्नासि thou eatest? यत् whatever? जुहोषि thou offerest in sacrifice? ददासि thou givest? यत् whatever? यत् whatever? तपस्यसि thou practisest as austerity? कौन्तेय O Kaunteya? तत् that? कुरुष्व do? मदर्पणम् offering unto Me.Commentary Consecrate all acts to the Lord. Then you will be freed from the bondage of Karma. You will have freedom in action. He who tries to live in the spirit of this verse will be able to do selfsurrender unto the Lord. Gradually he ascends the spiritual path step by step. His greedy nature is slowly dissolved now. He always gives. He is not eager to take. His whole life with all its actions? thoughts and feelings? is dedicated to the service of the Lord eventually. He lives for the Lord only. He works for the Lord only. There is not a bit of egoism now. His whole nature is transformed into divinity. When actions are dedicated to the Lord? there is no rirth for you. This is the simplest method of Yoga. Do not waste your time any longer. Take it up from today.All actions? all results and all rewards will go to the Lord. There is no separte living for the individual. Just as the river joins the sea abandoning its own name and form so also the individual soul joins the Supreme Soul giving up his own name and form? his own egoistic desires and egoism. The individual will has become one with the cosmic will.Whatever thou doest of thy own sweet will? whatever thou offerest in sacrifice as enjoined in the scriptures? whatever thou givest -- such things as gold? rice? ghee? clothes? etc.? to the Brahmins and others -- whatever austerity such as the ChandrayanaVrata (to destroy sin)? control of the senses? etc.? thou doest? do thou all these as an offering unto Me. (Cf.V.32XII.6and8)Now listen to what you will gain by doing thus.
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.
Modern
# BG 9.27
In living life and performing all manner of actions, we may remain established in the spirit of offering to the Divine. Throughout the entire Bhagavad Gita, it is emphasized countless times that the sentiment of dedication to the Divine holds far greater significance than mere physical action alone—yet this is a truth that seekers often forget.
Whatever actions arise at the level of body, mind, and intellect—all perceptions of objects and our responses to them—offer all of these with devotion to Me. This is not merely a matter of belief, nor is it an exaggeration, nor should it be thought that its practice is impossibly difficult for human beings. The one Self, which is the Divine, the Guru, and the devotee, pervades everywhere. In our practical life, we engage with countless names and forms. We know that the existence of the Self is necessary to sustain all of these. If we could remember this principle of the Self in all our dealings, that remembrance would itself be a remembrance of the foundation of the universe.
Consider a cloth merchant whose shop holds cotton garments of various designs, colors, weaves, and prices. The merchant is advised to always remember that he is engaged in the trade of cotton cloth. No intelligent merchant would find this difficult. In truth, maintaining such remembrance is safer and more profitable for him—otherwise, he might overcharge for cotton cloth at the rate of wool, or sell his goods at the cheap price of burlap sacks. If a goldsmith is advised to remember that he works with gold, that counsel serves his benefit.
Just as gold is the essential substance in ornaments and thread in cloth, so too the Self is the fundamental reality in all names and forms of the universe. The devotee who can remember this divine principle in all the dealings of life—that person alone can give life the honor and respect it deserves. This is the law: what you give to life, life will give back to you. If you smile, life smiles; if you are irritable, life becomes irritable. If you approach life with the reverence and honor born of Self-knowledge, then life will bestow upon you reverence and honor.
When all actions are performed with the spirit of dedication, not only does our love for the Divine increase, but our life itself becomes sanctified through its noble purpose and divine aim. The Gita places special emphasis on unwavering devotion and continuous Self-inquiry. In this verse, we see described a means by which, through its practice, the seeker will unknowingly maintain unbroken remembrance of the Divine. For this, there is no need to withdraw to a desolate forest or hidden caves—this practice can be fulfilled right in our daily field of action.
What benefit comes from living a life of such dedication? That shall now be explained.