Bhagavad Gita 8.28
vedeṣu yajñeṣu tapaḥsu caiva
dāneṣu yat puṇya-phalaṁ pradiṣṭam
atyeti tat sarvam idaṁ viditvā
yogī paraṁ sthānam upaiti cādyam
Whatever fruits from Vedas, sacrifices, and prayer,
From penance and giving, praised as rare,
Surpasses the yogi who knows this way—
They reach the supreme abode, where I ever stay.
My dear Lord, many are the ways in which you provide me opportunities to raise my consciousness—by cultivating knowledge, doing austerities, performing worship rituals, engaging in fire sacrifices, and giving in charity. Through such activities given in the sacred texts, you give me an opportunity to bring your light into my life. When I invest a part of my life into these activities, I let the light of your wisdom enter into that area of my life, drawing me upward from ignorance and passion toward goodness.
O supremely merciful Lord, what you want from me—and what will bring the greatest auspiciousness into my life—is not just bringing your light into a part of my life, but bringing my entire life into your light so that I can progress straight and smooth and swift toward you, my heart’s innermost aspiration.
Even if the surface desires that crowd and cloud my heart obscure my awareness of my need for you, O all-illuminating Lord, bless me with just a few moments of sublime absorption in you, and let the memory of those moments inspire me to offer my entire being to you in this moment and in every moment thereafter.
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08.28 A person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of the results derived from studying the Vedas, performing sacrifices, undergoing austerities, giving charity or pursuing philosophical and fruitive activities. Simply by performing devotional service, he attains all these, and at the end he reaches the supreme eternal abode.
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