Bg. 9.26

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति ।
तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः ॥२६॥

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

patramplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpatram

a leaf.—a leaf; puṣpamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpuspam

a flower.—a flower; phalamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigphalam

a fruit; fruit (which has come down without being distorted); fruit; fruitive result; fruits; result; result of sacrifice; results; results of action; the fruit; the perfect result of the action; the perfection of activities; the result; the resultant action.—a fruit; toyamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtoyam

the vast water; the water; water.—water; yaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyah

who; a devotee who; a person; a person who; all those; any person who; any such master who; anyone (king or governor); anyone; anyone who; Bali Mahārāja; because; everything; he (who has); he; he person who; He who (Govinda); he who (Jahnu); He who (Lord Nārāyaṇa); He who (Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu); he who (my so-called husband); he who (Somadatta); He who (the Lord); He who (the Personality of Godhead); He who (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); he who (Śunaḥśepha); he who; I who; it is He only; King Khaṭvāṅga who; Lord Rāmacandra who; Mahārāja Sagara who; on account of; one; one of the sons of Sagara Mahārāja; one which; one who (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); one who (Viśvāmitra); one who; one who is; person; such a person (as you); such a person; that; that is; that person; that Personality of Godhead who; that same person who; that which; the Lord who; the one; the one who; the person; the person who; the same Jaḍa Bharata who was formerly Mahārāja Bharata, the son of Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva; the same Rāhu; the Supreme Lord who; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the Supreme Personality of Godhead who; the system; who; who are; who is; whoever; whom; you who; Your Lordship.—whoever; meplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigme

about me; by me; executed by me; for me; from Me; Me; mind; mine; my; my duty; myself; of me (Hiraṇyakaśipu); of me; of Mine; of Myself; on me; to Me; unto me; upon me; with me.—unto Me; bhaktyāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhaktyā

because of pure devotion; by a devotional attitude; by devotion; by devotional service (executed in nine different processes); by devotional service; by pure devotion; by pure devotional service; by rendering service in devotion; by the devotion; devotion; devotional service; in devotion; in devotional service; in full devotion; simply by devotional service; through devotion; whose devotional service; with a devotional attitude; with devotion; with devotion and faith; with devout attention; with faith and devotion; with great devotion; with great devotional love.—with devotion; prayacchatiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigprayacchati

awarding; awards; delivers; gives; offers.—offers; tatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtat

establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.—that; ahamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigaham

as far as I am concerned; as I am; egotism; false ego; false identification (in the bodily concept of life); false identity; I ("I am this body"); I (am); I (Kṛṣṇa); I (Lord Brahmā); I (Lord Śiva); I (Prahlāda Mahārāja); I (the person desiring release from material life); I (Śukadeva Gosvāmī); I; I am; I am everything; I am independent; I am the material body; I myself; I, Lord Kṛṣṇa; I, the Personality of Godhead; I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; I, Yamarāja; me; my existence ("I am something"); my humble self; myself (Brahmājī); Myself; the word aham; the wrong mental conception.—I; bhaktiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhakti

and devotion; and devotional service; bhakti; by devotional service; by dint of devotional service; devotion; devotional cult; devotional service; known as devotional service; of devotional service; respect; the cult of devotional service; the devotional service; the platform of devotional service; through devotion; with devotion.-upahṛtamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigupahrtam

brought by someone.—offered in devotion; aśnāmiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigaśnāmi

accept; eat.—accept; prayataplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigprayata

by observing rules and regulations.-ātmanaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigatmanah

and one's own self; children; consisting of; done by himself; expansions; expansions of His person; for herself; for himself; for His personal benefit; for my personal self; for personal sense gratification; for personal service; for self-preservation; for the benefit of the soul; for the body; for the living entities; for the real self; for the self; for the soul; for themselves; from my body; from the self; from the Supreme Soul; her own; himself; His; his own; his own self; His personal; his personal interest; in the self; mind; My; my own; of all living entities; of herself; of Him; of himself (Lord Śiva); of himself; of himself, personally (the head of the state); of his body; of His own; of his own real identity, the soul; of his own self; of his own welfare; of his personal self; of his self; of his soul; of myself; of one's own; of one's own self; of one's self; of oneself; of self-realization; of the Absolute; of the body; of the conditioned soul; of the living being; of the living beings; of the living entities; of the living entity; of the mind; of the most dear; of the person; of the same category as You (viṣṇu-tattva); of the self; of the soul; of the spirit soul; of the Supersoul; of the Supersoul of everyone; of the Supreme; of the Supreme Being; of the Supreme Lord; of the Supreme Lord and of oneself; of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu; of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; of the Supreme Soul; of the supreme spirit soul or the Transcendence beyond the material conception of life; of the Supreme Spirit Soul, or the transcendence beyond the material conception of life; of the vital energy; of themselves; of us living beings; of you; of your own body; of your own body, mind and soul; of Yourself; of yourselves; on Transcendence; one's own; one's self; oneself; own; own selves; personal; self; self-caused; self-dependant; self-sufficiently; soul; than the Supreme Soul; the living entities; the mind; the senses; the soul; the soul or the Supersoul; the spiritual identity of the universe; the Supersoul of everyone; their minds; their own property; to himself (Kardama); unto His own (Brahmā); whose mind; whose minds; whose nature.—of one in pure consciousness. ¶

If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it. ¶

Here Lord Kṛṣṇa, having established that He is the only enjoyer, the primeval Lord, and the real object of all sacrificial offerings, reveals what types of sacrifices He desires to be offered. If one wishes to engage in devotional service to the Supreme in order to be purified and to reach the goal of life—the transcendental loving service of God—then he should find out what the Lord desires of him. One who loves Kṛṣṇa will give Him whatever He wants, and he avoids offering anything which is undesirable or unasked for. Thus, meat, fish and eggs should not be offered to Kṛṣṇa. If He desired such things as offerings, He would have said so. Instead He clearly requests that a leaf, fruit, flowers and water be given to Him, and He says of this offering, “I will accept it.” Therefore, we should understand that He will not accept meat, fish and eggs. Vegetables, grains, fruits, milk and water are the proper foods for human beings and are prescribed by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. Whatever else we eat cannot be offered to Him, since He will not accept it. Thus we cannot be acting on the level of loving devotion if we offer such foods. ¶

In the Third Chapter, verse thirteen, Śrī Kṛṣṇa explains that only the remains of sacrifice are purified and fit for consumption by those who are seeking advancement in life and release from the clutches of the material entanglement. Those who do not make an offering of their food, He says in the same verse, are said to be eating only sin. In other words, their every mouthful is simply deepening their involvement in the complexities of material nature. But preparing nice, simple vegetable dishes, offering them before the picture or Deity of Lord Kṛṣṇa and bowing down and praying for Him to accept such a humble offering, enable one to advance steadily in life, to purify the body, and to create fine brain tissues which will lead to clear thinking. Above all, the offering should be made with an attitude of love. Kṛṣṇa has no need of food, since He already possesses everything that be, yet He will accept the offering of one who desires to please Him in that way. The important element, in preparation, in serving and in offering, is to act with love for Kṛṣṇa. ¶

The impersonalist philosophers, who wish to maintain that the Absolute Truth is without senses, cannot comprehend this verse of Bhagavad-gītā. To them, it is either a metaphor or proof of the mundane character of Kṛṣṇa, the speaker of the Gītā. But, in actuality, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Godhead, has senses, and it is stated that His senses are interchangeable; in other words, one sense can perform the function of any other. This is what it means to say that Kṛṣṇa is absolute. Lacking senses, He could hardly be considered full in all opulences. In the Seventh Chapter, Kṛṣṇa has explained that He impregnates the living entities into material nature. This is done by His looking upon material nature. And so in this instance, Kṛṣṇa’s hearing the devotee’s words of love in offering foodstuffs is wholly identical with His eating and actually tasting. This point should be emphasized: because of His absolute position, His hearing is wholly identical with His eating and tasting. Only the devotee, who accepts Kṛṣṇa as He describes Himself, without interpretation, can understand that the Supreme Absolute Truth can eat food and enjoy it. ¶