Love

There are two forms of Love. One binds you to God and the other binds you to the world. The mind is responsible for either of these states. It is like a lock. If you turn the key to the right, the lock opens; If you turn it to the left, it gets locked. The heart is the key to the lock of the mind. If you turn the key towards the world, you have attachment (bondage). You must see that desire and hatred do not get lodged in the mind. Bear no ill-will towards anyone. Avoid the company of those who are evil-minded. Through good company, your bad qualities get diluted, like sewage water that enters the sea. You can thereby raise yourself. Devotion means giving up all other desires and dedicating all actions and thoughts to God.

offerings

The Bhagavad Gita does not intend that you should pluck a leaf or a flower or a fruit from some plant or tree and place it before God. Nor does it ask you to bring water from a well or a river or a roadside tap. The Leaf that you have to offer is your own body, which like the leaf, sprouts green, fades, and finally falls off from the branch. The Flower is the heart freed from the pests of lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride, hate, etc. The Fruit is the mind, the consequence of its yearnings, which have to be dedicated to God. The Water is the stream of tears that flow from the eyes when one is in ecstatic bliss at the contemplation of God's glory. Offering these four is the real act of Sharanaagathi (total surrender).