Chapter 9 verse 26
“If one offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even water, I delightfully partake of that article offered with love by My devotee in pure consciousness.”
This multi-verse creation of Lord is full of miracles happening every second of every space. When one becomes aware of the many and mini miracles around us, we feel blessed. One such miracle happened today. I read the Srimad Bhagavatam last night before going to bed and it happened to be chapter on Krishna and Sudhama. This same verse is quoted in Srimad Bhagavatam to Lord Krishna receiving the beaten rice from Sudhama since it is offered with so much love, affection and devotion. Sudhama was so hesitant to give that offering to Krishna but He grabbed it from his upper cloth and ate 2 handfuls of the beaten rice. The message of devotion and surrender couldn’t be drilled into me more clearly from the Lord. What we offer is NOT important, how you offer what you have to LORD is the key!
Sri Sathya Sai Baba has simplified for His devotees, to an even greater degree, the tradition of making offerings. We do not need to buy flowers or fruits. Swami tells us the real flower we should offer God is the flower of our pure heart. The fruit we should offer is the fruit of our good deeds. The water we should offer is the blissful tears of devotion that flow when we pine intensely for God. The leaf that we should offer—is a body utilized for selfless service. Leaves from a plant will dry with time and flowers from a garden will fade, losing their fragrance and shriveling within days. Water and fruits may spoil with time. But the offerings that please God do not fade or lose their fragrance. They do not shrivel or spoil with time. The true offerings are our good deeds, our pure hearts, our tears of joy flowing from intense longing for God, and a body sanctified by selfless service. If we offer these He is pleased.
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