ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi sannyasya mat-paraḥ
ananyenaiva yogena māṁ dhyāyanta upāsate
ye — who;
tu — but;
sarvāṇi — all;
karmāṇi — actions;
mayi — to me;
sannyasya — dedicating;
mat-paraḥ — regarding me as the Supreme goal;
ananyena — exclusively;
eva — certainly;
yogena — with devotion;
mām — me;
dhyāyantaḥ — meditating;
upāsate — worship;
In this verse from the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna is talking about what it means to truly dedicate yourself to Him in worship. He says that there are people who completely dedicate all their actions to Him, seeing Him as the main purpose of their lives.
This means that those who choose to follow this path are not just doing things casually; they are engaged in a kind of focused practice. They set aside everything else and concentrate on pleasing Krishna. This is called 'single-minded yoga.' It's like having your mind set on a very important goal, where every thought and action is aligned with that goal. For someone following this path, their entire life becomes about serving and worshipping Krishna.
When Krishna talks about renouncing all actions to Him, it doesn't mean that you stop doing things in your life. Instead, it means you change your attitude towards your actions. You do everything with the intention of serving Krishna, not just for your own benefit. For example, if someone goes to work, it’s not just about earning money for themselves; they do their job in a way that they would offer the fruits of their labor to Krishna or see it as a kind of service to Him.
Krishna is emphasizing that this kind of worship is not about the type of work you do, but about how you do it. The heart of true devotion is to act without wanting anything in return except to please Krishna. This is the essence of pure devotional service.
A perfect example of this is Arjuna from the Bhagavad Gita. In a difficult situation, he was ready to set aside his own worries and desires and act according to Krishna's guidance. He showed us that true devotion can sometimes mean putting aside personal feelings to do what is right or pleasing to Krishna.
One way that many people express this devotion today is by chanting mantras, like the Hare Krishna mantra. By repeating these phrases, they connect with Krishna on a deeper level, helping to focus their minds and hearts. This practice helps them become more attracted to Krishna and His teachings.
So, to put it simply, this verse is about making Krishna the central part of your life, acting with the intention of making Him happy, and focusing your thoughts purely on Him. This kind of devotion is what Krishna views as the path towards spiritual success.