“O son of Kunti [Arjuna], all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering to Me.” (Bg.9.27)

“Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.” (Bg.9.34)

“Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up but should be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls.” (Bg.18.5)

“In all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me. If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditional life by My grace.” (Bg.18.57-58)

“Of vibrations I am the transcendental om. Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa].” (Bg.10.25)

“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” (Bg.7.14)

“Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you the most confidential part of knowledge. Hear this from Me, for it is for your benefit. Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend. Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (Bg.18.64-66)

The above verses provide the formula for how best to serve God in a way that God most appreciates. It is said that you should not try to see God but act in such a way that God will see you. Then He will reveal Himself to you. So how do you act in that way? These verses make it easy to understand how to set aside some time each day to devote yourself to God. This is especially effective in the early morning. That is the most peaceful time of the day, the most powerful, and when the mind is the most receptive. At that time, whatever you do is most likely to carry the positive impressions with you throughout the day. Just taking some time for reflection, meditation and worship toward the Supreme is itself an act of sacrifice for spiritual progress.

So this is how we learn to dedicate as much as we can as an offering to God, whether it is all we do, all we eat, all austerities or hardships we perform to become spiritualized. The point is to do it as a means of pleasing God. Even our job and the time we spend working becomes spiritualized when we do it as a means of offering the results for the devotional service to Lord Krishna.

You can go to the temple to do your worship, or stay at home and study the scripture, meditate, or also chant the holy names [japa]. As is mentioned in these verses, Krishna is the sacrifice of chanting His holy names. This means He appears within the sound vibration of His holy names, which can be perceived by one who properly chants them. The best mantra for doing this is the Hare Krishna mantra, which is Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

The main thing is to engage the mind in thinking of God. In this way, things like acts of sacrificing your time or giving charity to your local temple can be done as an offering to the Lord which spiritually purifies a person. Then throughout the day, depend on God and be conscious of Him as much as practically possible.

It is said that by remembering God even hell can be like heaven, and by forgetting God even heaven can become like hell. So by being always conscious of God, we can pass over so many obstacles. Knowing how to become conscious of God is the most confidential part of spiritual knowledge. And the essence of that is to always think of God by some means or other and never forget Him, as well as worship Him and offer your activities to Him, as He explains in the above verses. If we take this and give up all other forms of religion and simply concentrate on this process of thinking of the Lord, and in this way surrender to Him, we will certainly come to Him. This is His promise to us. Thus, there is no reasons to fear. If we follow this process, we will be delivered.

“Work done as an offering to Vishnu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage.” (Bg.3.9)

“One who works in devotion, who is a pure soul, and who controls his mind and senses, is dear to everyone, and everyone is dear to him. Though always working, such a man is never entangled.” (Bg.5.7)

“The steadily devoted soul attains unadulterated peace because he offers the result of all activities to Me; whereas a person who is not in union with the Divine, who is greedy for the fruits of his labor, becomes entangled.” (Bg.5.12)

Here in these verses we see how a person gets the results of his or her actions. Work done selfishly, for one’s own pleasure or development, without considering its affects on others or the consequences, will certainly bind one to this material world. This describes the process of accumulating karma, which must be worked out through as many lifetimes as is necessary to arrive at a complete balance of all one’s actions. Practically speaking, however, to arrive at such a balance is impossible without incorporating the spiritual path into our life. All activities will have some degree of fault in them, which will entail karma and future births, which may be pleasant or miserable, heavenly or hellish.

So the only way we can become free from this karmic cycle of repeated births and deaths is to learn how to begin engaging in the service of the Lord. This consists of the genuine spiritual activities that nullify all of our karma, both good and bad. That is the way to be unentangled or get free from being bound to the ups and downs of material existence. Offering our service or the results of our activities to the Lord is the path to freedom.

“All of them–as they surrender unto Me–I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pritha.” (Bg.4.11)

As previously pointed out, we are rewarded with certain results according to what we do in life. And according to our level of surrender and approach to God, He reveals Himself to us.

Naturally, everything we see is a display of God’s energies. Thus, no matter whether it is rocks or gold, ghosts or demigods, the effulgent Brahman or Krishna himself, we are all interacting with different levels of Krishna’s energy. And we will get the degree of reciprocation that is available on that level. But when we focus our attention directly on Krishna, He rewards us according to the degree of our approach to Him and the love we have developed.

In this way, the purer and more intent we become, the more He rewards us with higher levels of insight and revelation of our relationship with Him. And those people who want to stay far away certainly are given the free will to remain far away from Krishna, at least in appearances and in their way of thinking. Otherwise, Lord Krishna is never far away from anyone or anything. Out of His causeless mercy He remains next to everyone and is the basis of everything as the Supersoul, Paramatma, in everyone’s heart. Thus, Krishna rewards everyone equally, according to the degree of their desire to be with Him and understand Him.

“The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for it remains. But ceasing such engagement by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.” (Bg.2.59)

It is not enough to merely repress our sensual desires or urges. You may be able to do that for some time, but at some point they may come out in some other form, possibly as anger, violence, or basic discontent or frustration. This is also unhealthy as is trying to satisfy all of your desires, which is not so easy either, as previously explained.

After you begin to realize your eternal nature and become increasingly free from bodily desires, the only way you can completely rise above the urges of the senses is by connecting with the spiritual strata and experiencing the higher taste of transcendental bliss. Such bliss, which is intrinsic to the soul, is awakened when one revives the soul’s original status as a servant of God. This bliss is tasted in the mood of servitude, which is the natural, constitutional position of the soul.

In the material world we are always serving something. It may be our spouse, children, employer, the government, or our mind and senses. We may not even want to serve, but are forced to do so. We are naturally engaged in serving. Of course, when we serve those we love, there is happiness in that. But the deeper happiness of the soul is reached when we dovetail our serving propensity and need to love toward the Supreme Being. He is the Supreme Lover, and the ultimate reciprocation and bliss can be attained when we direct our need to serve and love toward God. That is when we experience the higher taste from the spiritual platform that far outweighs the pleasure we get from sense enjoyment. For those who have reached this higher bliss, serving the senses will appear like a waste of time.

So as one increasingly experiences spiritual happiness, such a person’s concern for pleasant surroundings and facilities will also decrease. This does not mean that the person will simply stop caring about his living conditions, but he becomes more detached and has less regard for such things. He is naturally happier with whatever comes along. He is more easily content with simpler arrangements and is happier with the freedom for pursuing spiritual life. However, as one experiences this, such a person will understand the real value of it and will also want to share this and give to others the means for attaining spiritual bliss of their own. As more people get connected to this higher taste, it can indeed spread to change the whole world. That is certainly something worth working for.

“As the embodied soul continually passes in this body from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Bg.2.13)

“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.” (Bg.2.22)

As we can see, our body changes as we grow. It produces new cells, changes shape, we get taller, and then after middle age when we have stopped growing upward we often start growing outward. We first have a baby’s body, then a child’s, then a young person’s body, and later an old body. So the body may be healthy, fit and athletic while young, but sickly, wrinkled and slow while old. However, the person inside the old body may still have the same desires or ambitions of a youth, but no longer has a body that can do the things he wants to do. So we are witnesses of the changes that the body goes through. This means we are inside yet different from the body we inhabit. Similarly, as our body changes in this life, we change bodies at the time of death. Yet, if we realize our difference from the material vehicle, we can be free of bewilderment or distress when we are forced to give up the present form. This is compared to changing clothes. Naturally, if we are eternal, as previously established, our existence does not stop with the death of the body. It goes on. If we are aware of our spiritual identity at the time of death, then such a change will not bewilder us.

However, what we do in this life will determine what kind of body we will get in the next. The Earth planet is like a portal that allows us to enter into any of the other dimensions that exist. By our actions and thoughts, which are forms of meditation, we develop a particular type of consciousness. That consciousness at the time of death will take us to the form of existence that is most suitable for us. And one thing that has a strong impression on shaping our consciousness is the type of worship we do. That is why Lord Krishna explains the best thing we should do:

“Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with Me.” (Bg.9.25)

“A person in divine consciousness, although engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving about, sleeping, and breathing, always knows within himself that he actually does nothing at all. Because while speaking, evacuating, receiving, opening or closing his eyes, he always knows that only the material senses are engaged with their objects and that he is aloof from them.” (Bg.5.8-9)

“The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].” (Bg.5.18)

Here is a description of one who has attained divine consciousness. Such a person knows he or she is a spirit soul within the body. In divine consciousness you do not just know it but you can see it. You can see how your body performs so many actions, but you, as a spiritual being, are still different from those activities.

Without divine consciousness, people often forget that they are spiritual beings and think their real identity is the body. With that state of mind, they become quite enthused and motivated to give pleasure and all kinds of care to the body. That becomes their primary goal in life. But that also brings fear when they get older and closer to death. What will they do then? What will they do when they lose their possessions and that which gives their mind and senses the most pleasure? What will be their reasons for living then?

Yet those in divine consciousness can see that the body is merely a vehicle in which we are riding. And not only are we spiritual beings covered in material forms, but so are all the other living entities in this material world. Thus, such a person can see that a sophisticated human being, or a cow, an elephant, or cats and dogs, birds, insects, plants, etc., are also different forms which exhibit life, consciousness, which is the symptom of the soul within. Therefore, a person in divine consciousness displays respect for and is friendly toward all living beings. He can see that they are all parts and parcels of God. This is how the devotee, who is equal to a topmost yogi, sees the Lord everywhere and is thus never lost to God. As Lord Krishna explains elsewhere:

“A true yogi observes Me in all beings, and also sees every being in Me. Indeed, the self-realized man sees Me everywhere. For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me. The yogi who knows that I and the Supersoul within all creatures are one worships Me and remains always in Me in all circumstances.” (Bg.6.29-31)

“The nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.” (Bg.2.14)

“Before giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is a yogi and is happy in this world.” (Bg.5.23)

Once we understand our eternal nature, which is beyond the body, we should become decreasingly influenced or motivated by bodily desires. Such desires and the pleasures we want to attain for the body are themselves temporary. They have a beginning and an end. Thus, happiness of this sort comes and goes, like the winter and summer seasons. If you don’t like the weather, wait a while and it will change. Similarly, no matter whether you are happy or sad, in due time it will change. It is automatic. Sadness is followed by happiness which may again be followed by moments of sadness. Material nature provides the changes that make this happen.

However, such changes are recognized through the mind’s interpretation of them. The senses detect various sensations and the mind judges whether it is agreeable or not. Then the mind develops certain moods based on the external conditions with which it is dealing. That is why this is called the mental platform.

As we can see, a person who is engaged in chasing after all their desires is often preoccupied with the superficialities of life. Like a drug addict always chasing after his next high, he is completely obsessed with it and so much of his endeavor is wasted for such temporary thrills. He gets no rest. So much time, energy and money is spent, and he is still not truly happy, though he may feel satisfied for only short periods of time.

In the same way, a person chasing after material desires or ways to satisfy the mind and senses loses so much energy and time, yet remains absorbed in the anticipation and hope for finding happiness, but in the guise of sensual or mental pleasure. This is not real contentment or fulfillment. Thus, genuine happiness eludes such a person. This is why it is said that, in order to be happy, it is better for a person to tolerate the dictates of the senses rather than giving into all of them. It is like the ocean that receives the waters from so many rivers, yet remains steady in spite of so much input.

One problem with trying to please the mind is that the mental platform is very flickering, and the mood of the mind is always changing. In other words, what was satisfying at one moment becomes boring or distasteful later. So the mind is always changing its wants. And the more you give it, the more it hankers. The more it will tell you how much it needs. Lust is a relentless master. It is like a fire being fed with gasoline. The more you feed it, the more it will consume.

So the point is that as we become free from the bodily conception of life by knowing we are actually the eternal soul within this temporary body, we will also become free from the bodily influence and sensual or mental urges and desires. The more we can do that, the more we can be happy in this world, and the easier it will be for our spiritual pursuits.

The Blessed Lord said: “While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead. Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (Bg.2.11-12)

“For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (Bg.2.20)

Once we truly understand that we, as spirit souls, are eternal, our whole attitude changes. Death can be a great fear for many individuals, but death is only a change of bodies, like a change of clothes. The soul never dies, so there is also no need to unnecessarily lament or grieve for those who have died. Naturally we may miss them but they have gone elsewhere just as we will when our time comes.

If we are spiritually prepared, then there will be nothing to fear from death. Actually, for those advanced souls, they can rise above the body enough to where they can actually perceive what lies beyond death. They can see it. Thus, they know where they will go, according to their level of consciousness. It is like dying now but leaving later. So there is nothing to fear. This is one of the goals of human life, if a person can do it.

So the point to understand is that we are eternal and that birth and death are only appearances on the material plane. Like an actor who enters a stage and plays a part in a costume until it is time to exit the stage and be reminded of who we really are. Ultimately, since we are already eternal beings, entering that spiritual dimension is the real goal of life.

“Those with the vision of eternity can see that the soul is transcendental, eternal, and beyond the modes of nature. Despite contact with the material body, O Arjuna, the soul neither does anything nor is entangled.” (Bg.13.32)

In spiritual training, perhaps the single most important point to understand is that you are not your body. You are the soul within it. The soul is completely transcendental to the body, and does not come under the same designations that we give to the body. It does not belong to a certain family name or ethnic group. The soul is not Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc. It is also not American, Indian, Russian, Chinese, Pakistani, or anything else. According to the Upanishads it is also not happy, sad, frustrated or content, nor does it imagine anything but what it ought to imagine. It does not take birth, grow, change or die. It may be in the body, and we may think we are the body due to false ego, but we have the freedom to think whatever we like.

There is a saying that anything that is temporary or changes is not the eternal truth. We have to go beyond what is temporary to get a glimpse of what is real and true. And the soul exists in that field of eternity that is completely beyond the mind, body and senses.

Only with genuine spiritual vision can we see our real identity, beyond the body, beyond all of material nature. The soul is never entangled in the material energy or actions, nor does it engage in such. It is only the body and our bodily desires which keep us bound up in material nature. It is only by thinking we are these bodies which keeps us in the bodily existence. This is why it is so important to pursue spiritual life and rise above the mental and bodily dictates that limit our perception of our spiritual identity. That is where we can reach our full potential, beyond the limitations that are forced on us by our absorption in material existence. The more spiritual we become, the more we can perceive the spiritual dimension.

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” (Bg.9.26)

This verse shows a few things. First it shows how simple the worship of God can be. Often times it seems expected that Vedic or Hindu rituals cost much money, especially those performed in the temples. Sometimes when we visit certain temples in India the priests try to force us into engaging in a ritual and then ask for a large offering of money, dakshina. However, we should not feel forced to make extravagant offerings or pay a priest large amounts of money if we have no such facility. Devotional service is not meant to be a business, but a means of offering our love to God. Without that even the most opulent offerings do not gain much favor in the eyes of God. If we have much love and devotion, that is the biggest asset even if our offering is simple. Such a modest offering filled with love and devotion is more than acceptable to Lord Krishna.

So we can certainly worship God by going to the temple, seeing the Deity, saying our prayers, and provide a little offering according to our capacity. Or we may simply have a Deity or a picture or symbol at home and offer a little something there. Of course, if we do have plenty of funds, then we can even help build a temple if we want, or sponsor a huge festival or something else. The point is that it must be a sign of our love and devotion to be accepted.

The second thing this verse shows is that God asks for items which cause no harm to others. He asks for no blood offerings or for the meat of slaughtered animals. Thus, as He outlines here, we offer nice flowers, fruits, grains, or sumptuous vegetable preparations. Similarly, after the items are offered, we accept the remnants of such offerings as prasada, known as His mercy on us. Because we partake of such sacred food that has been offered to God, we also make great spiritual advancement. The prasada purifies our minds and bodies.

There have already been experiments that show how praying over food will subtly change its molecular structure in a positive way. So when we prepare food in the proper consciousness, with the intent of offering it to God, in the form of His Deity or picture, with prayers and worship, then we can imagine how much more the food changes and becomes purified.

Furthermore, if we are serious about making spiritual advancement, we do not want to put things in our body which depletes our energy, our health, or lowers our vibration, thoughts and consciousness. So a few things that will do that are tobacco, intoxicants like drugs or alcohol, as well as meat. Meat is a product of violence since the animal has to be killed. No entity wants to be killed. So this kind of violence enters your system when you eat the meat. It lowers your consciousness and sensitivity to the point where you may no longer perceive anything wrong with killing the lives of animals so you can satisfy your tongue. This, of course, does not take into consideration how many drugs are put into the bodies of livestock which are bred to be butchered, nor the conditions in which they are slaughtered. But if you are sincere about raising your own consciousness, and keeping yourself free from the karma of contributing to the violence of unnecessary killing, then you should consider these points and adjust your intake of foods accordingly and at least take to the vegetarian diet. In other words, we do not want to cause harm to others or ourselves, so we do not partake in eating things that will do that, or that will cause resistance to our spiritual progress. And the meat diet is not difficult to give up when we have experienced the higher taste of what can be done with delicious vegetable preparations.