Verse 9.26

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति ।

तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः ॥

9.26

Transliteration

patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyaṃ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati |

tadahaṃ bhaktyupahṛtamaśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ ||

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3

Translation

Whoever offers Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water that, so offered devotedly by the pure-minded, I accept.

From the owner's sheet · +1 more

Word by word

a leaf
a flower
a fruit
water
who
to me
with devotion
offers

that
I
offered with love
accept
of the pure hearted

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08

Explanation

This is among the most beloved verses in the Gita. Krishna says that whoever offers him with devotion (bhakti) a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water, he accepts that offering from one whose heart is pure. The value of the gift lies not in its cost but in the love with which it is given. The verse contrasts sharply with the elaborate sacrifices described earlier. It makes worship available to anyone, rich or poor, learned or not, and has shaped devotional practice across India.