Understanding devotion is one thing. Living it on a Monday morning is another. There are twelve items on the list, the mind is already racing with worry, and at the office there is someone it is heavy to talk to. At that moment "fix your mind on the Lord" is a fine sentence that puts nothing in your hand.
The answer is plain. Give the day four moments: a small offering in the morning, one act done for the Lord, a pause in a hard meeting, and a short review at night. Each moment has one line to say and one question to ask, and each question is taken from a verse. Each takes a minute or two.
Here the verses are used as questions to put to yourself, not explained. For their meaning, see A Leaf, a Flower, a Fruit, Water, The Devotee Dear to the Lord and By Devotion Alone.
Morning: a small offering
तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः ॥ ९.२६ ॥
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛitam aśhnāmi prayatātmanaḥ || 9.26 ||
Whoever offers Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I accept that offering of devotion from the pure-hearted.
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ॥ ९.२७ ॥
yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣhva mad-arpaṇam || 9.27 ||
O son of Kunti, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give, and whatever austerity you practice, do it as an offering to Me.
The Lord says that whoever offers a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water with devotion, he accepts it (Gita 9.26). So choose something small: a glass of water, a flower, a fruit, or just a few words. As you place it, say one line: "Accept this; today is yours."
The question is one: am I giving this with love, or out of habit? If it began as habit, pause and say it once with love. The worth of an offering is not in the thing but in the giving.
During the day: one act for the Lord
The Lord asks Arjuna to do whatever he does, eats, gives or practises as an offering to him (Gita 9.27). Offering every act at once is hard on the first day. So pick one act: a phone call, a meal, a report. Before you begin it, say: "This is for you."
The question: whose act is this? This is the devotee's first mark, that he does his work for the Lord (Gita 11.55). The work stays the same. The way you see it changes.
In a hard meeting: remember the dear devotee
Now the person you find heavy is in front of you. Before you reply, take one breath and recall the marks of the devotee the Lord holds dear.
हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः ॥ १२.१५ ॥
harṣhāmarṣha-bhayodvegair mukto yaḥ sa cha me priyaḥ || 12.15 ||
One by whom no one is agitated, who is not agitated by anyone, and who is free from elation, resentment, fear, and anxiety, is dear to Me. The devotee lives in such harmony with the world that neither causes disturbance to others nor is thrown off balance by them.
The devotee dear to the Lord is the one by whom no one is agitated and who is not agitated by anyone (Gita 12.15). The portrait begins with hatred toward no being and with friendliness and compassion for all (Gita 12.13). It goes on to evenness toward friend and foe, honour and dishonour, praise and blame (Gita 12.18, Gita 12.19). Three questions come from these:
- Am I adding to this person's agitation, or taking it into myself?
- Am I seeing this person as an enemy?
- If this person praised me now, or blamed me, would I stay the same?
Then say one line inwardly: "May this person be well too." It does not make their point right. It only means that you are not feeding hatred inside. After that, say what has to be said.
At night: a short review
Take two minutes before sleep. Three questions are enough.
- Where did I remember the Lord today?
- What did I offer today?
- Where did my evenness break, and what friendly thought can I hold for that person?
The review is for seeing, not for scoring. At the end, repeat your aim once: to walk with faith, taking the Lord as the highest goal. At the close of the twelfth chapter the Lord calls such devotees exceedingly dear to him (Gita 12.20).
An example: Anita at the bank counter
Take Anita, who works at a bank branch and lives in a rented room far from her family. The worry about the monthly target sits on her mind, and in the evening the room feels empty.
In the morning she places a glass of water on her desk and says, "Today is yours." She starts the first form of the day with the words, "This is for you."
In the afternoon a customer begins to raise his voice. Anita takes a breath and asks herself whether she is seeing him as an enemy. She speaks quietly, and his voice comes down a little. At night she goes through the three questions. Her mind went to worry four times today, and it came back four times.
The target was not met that month. But the evening room did not feel as empty as before.
How to run the first week
Do not begin everything on the first day. Add one moment at a time.
| Days | What to add |
|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | Only the morning offering |
| 3 and 4 | One act of the day "for you" |
| 5 | A breath and a friendly line in a hard meeting |
| 6 and 7 | The three questions at night |
This is practice: doing the same small thing again and again. What is done in the spirit of offering slowly settles into habit. If the day is very full, run the short form: one line in the morning and one at night. If a day is missed, return the next day at the same size.
Where the practice goes wrong
The first mistake is to turn the offering into a tick: I put it down, so it is done. The offering is the moment in which you turn to the Lord.
The second is to use the pause as a way of pushing anger down. The aim is not to bury anger but to put friendliness in its place, and that friendliness is for you as well.
The third is to wait for the feeling before starting. The line comes first and the feeling follows.
- Which one act today will I do for the Lord?
- What could I place in the morning offering that is natural for me?
- Who is hard for me, and what would my friendly line for them be?
- Which one moment will I make firm this week?
The four moments in one view
A small offering in the morning, one act for the Lord, a breath and a friendly line in a hard meeting, and three questions at night. This is the everyday shape of the devotee, whose aim the Lord states so directly:
निर्वैरः सर्वभूतेषु यः स मामेति पाण्डव ॥ ११.५५ ॥
nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣhu yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava || 11.55 ||
One who performs actions for Me, regards Me as the supreme goal, is devoted to Me, free from attachment, and without enmity toward all beings, comes to Me, O Pandava.
This verse is the subject of By Devotion Alone.
Going deeper
A shorter form with one act and three lines is in the simple reading. The step before this one is By Devotion Alone, and the whole sequence is in The Path of Devotion.