Love makes a small offering sacred.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति |तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः ||९-२६||
patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyaṃ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati . tadahaṃ bhaktyupahṛtamaśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ ||9-26||
Use this verse for a simple daily offering ritual.
Meaning
Whoever offers Me a leaf, flower, fruit, or water with devotion, I accept that loving offering from the pure-hearted.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna values devotion more than material size of offering.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This is one of the most accessible verses for devotion. No one is too poor or ordinary to offer love to Krishna.
Read the traditional commentary
After the lofty cosmic teachings, Krishna gives one of the Gita's most beloved and tender verses. He asks for nothing grand — no costly sacrifice, no elaborate rite. A patra (leaf), a pushpa (flower), a phala (fruit), or simply toya (a little water): the humblest offering is enough. What he receives is not the object but the bhakti, the love, with which it is given.
The condition is purity of heart — prayatatmanah. The Divine, who possesses all things and needs nothing, delights only in the sincerity behind the gift. This democratises devotion utterly: the poorest person can offer as fully as the richest, for the currency of true worship is love, not wealth.
The verse assures every seeker that the path is open to all. What matters is never the size of the offering, but the depth of the heart that offers it.
In daily life
Offer something simple with sincerity.
A glass of water offered with love can become sacred.
Try this today
Offer water or a flower to Krishna with love.
My sincere offering is enough.Reflect
What simple offering can I make today?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘अश्नामि’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on devotion, in other chapters
- Verse 8.14To the heart that remembers the Divine with undivided, constant love, even the supreme goal becomes easy to attain.
- Verse 6.10Meditation flourishes in solitude and simplicity, with a mind free of craving and the urge to possess.
- Verse 7.17The purest devotion seeks the Divine for nothing but Itself — and there, love flows mutually between the soul and God.
- Verse 10.8When you truly grasp that everything flows from the Divine, knowledge naturally blossoms into love and worship.
Swipe left for 9.27 · Life becomes yoga through offering.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 9.26
Who says Bhagavad Gita 9.26, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 9.26, in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga (Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 9.26 mean?
Whoever offers Me a leaf, flower, fruit, or water with devotion, I accept that loving offering from the pure-hearted. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 9.26 for daily life?
Offer something simple with sincerity. A glass of water offered with love can become sacred.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 9.26 mean?
पत्रं — a leaf; पुष्पं — a flower; फलं — a fruit; तोयं — water; यः मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति — whoever offers Me with devotion.
Where does verse 9.26 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 26 of 34 in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga. The next verse is 9.27.