Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9, Verse 27

English Translation

O son of Kunti, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer as a sacrifice, whatever you give and whatever austerities you undertake, (all) that you offer to Me.

Detailed Commentary

It is Bhagavan's rule that just as one takes refuge in Me, I grant them shelter in the same manner (Bhagavad Gita 4.11). When a devotee offers their possession to Me, I give them My own. The devotee offers limited things, but I return them infinitely multiplied. But whoever surrenders themselves to Me, I also give Myself to them. In reality, I have given Myself to the world (Bhagavad Gita 9.4) and granted freedom to all. If a human being surrenders the freedom I have bestowed upon them back to Me, I also surrender My freedom to them. This is why here Bhagavan asks Arjuna to surrender his freedom. 'Yatkaroṣi' is a term that encompasses all types of actions. Bhagavan says to surrender all your actions to Me, meaning you yourself should become offered to Me. Now Bhagavan further categorizes these actions: 'Yadaśnāsi' includes physical activities such as eating food, drinking water, taking care of one's health, wearing clothes, etc. Offer all these actions to Me. This is the first part of physical activities. 'Yajjuhoṣi' includes all actions of Yajña, such as gathering materials, chanting mantras, and offering oblations (āhutis). Offer this also to Me. 'Dadāsi yat' – whatever service you render, whatever you give to others, offer all that to Me. 'Yattapasyasi' – whatever tapas you perform, self-control, performance of duty, and devotional practices, dedicate all of this to Me. These are the second category of spiritual actions (pāramārthika kriyāeṁ). 'Tatkurusva Madarpaṇam' – Here Bhagavan explains the significance of surrendering oneself. By offering everything to Bhagavan, the sense of 'I' and 'mine' within you will cease, and you will become free from bondage. This will grant you completeness (pūrṇatā), which no other benefit can provide. The word 'yat' has been used five times in this verse, indicating that the surrender of every action is important. **Special Note** In the previous verse, Bhagavan spoke of offering things like leaves, flowers, etc., which require little effort. However, in this verse, there is no need to make any new effort or offer any new object; rather, one must simply offer one's daily activities to Bhagavan. This means that it's not about offering a special object to Bhagavan, but about surrendering oneself. By surrendering oneself, all actions will naturally become dedicated to Bhagavan and will become a cause for His pleasure. Just as a child plays before their mother and the mother is pleased, similarly, Bhagavan is pleased by every action of a surrendered devotee (śaraṇāgata bhakta). Here, the instruction 'Tatkurusva Madarpaṇam' in conjunction with 'karoṣi' does not include forbidden (niṣiddha) actions. To offer something to Bhagavan means that it must be in accordance with Bhagavan's will. If this is not the case, and someone claims to offer forbidden actions like theft to Bhagavan, then the fruit will also be infinitely multiplied, meaning they will have to suffer the full punishment! **Connection** After discussing the offering of materials and actions in the previous verse, we will now examine the fruit of surrender in the next verse.