9.26
पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं
यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति ।
तदहं भक्त्युपहृतम्
अश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः ॥
patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyaṃ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṃ bhaktyupahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
Whoever offers me a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water with devotion, that, brought in devotion, I eat, from the one whose self is restrained.
नेपालीमा
जसले भक्तिले मलाई पात, फूल, फल वा पानी चढाउँछ, संयमित आत्मा भएको त्यस व्यक्तिले भक्तिले ल्याइदिएको त्यो कुरा म खान्छु।
Where it sits
9.25 said his sacrificer comes to him. This verse says what the sacrifice can be. The thing offered can be small. The eating is his. 9.27 will take the same idea off the altar and put it on whatever the hearer does.
Split: पत्रम् + पुष्पम् + फलम् + तोयम् + यः + मे + भक्त्या + प्रयच्छति + तत् + अहम् + भक्ति-उपहृतम् + अश्नामि + प्रयत-आत्मनः
patram + puṣpam + phalam + toyam + yaḥ + me + bhaktyā + prayacchati + tat + aham + bhakti-upahṛtam + aśnāmi + prayata-ātmanaḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| पत्रम् | patram | accusative | a leaf. |
| पुष्पम् | puṣpam | accusative | a flower. |
| फलम् | phalam | accusative | a fruit. |
| तोयम् | toyam | accusative | water. |
| यः | yaḥ | nominative | who. |
| मे | me | dative | to me. |
| भक्त्या | bhaktyā | instrumental | with devotion. |
| प्रयच्छति | prayacchati | present, 3rd singular | offers, holds out. pra-yam (प्र-यम्). |
| तत् | tat | accusative | that. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| भक्ति-उपहृतम् | bhakti-upahṛtam | accusative | brought with devotion. upa-hṛ (उप-हृ) is "bring near." |
| अश्नामि | aśnāmi | present, 1st singular | I eat. aś (अश्), the verb of 9.20. |
| प्रयत-आत्मनः | prayata-ātmanaḥ | genitive | of the one whose self is held in check. prayata (प्रयत) is restrained. ātman (आत्मन्) is self. |
The phrases
patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyam (पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयम्) is the offering, and any one of the four will do. A leaf, a flower, a fruit, water. Nothing in the list is gold.
yaḥ me bhaktyā prayacchati (यः मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति) is the giver. Who offers it to him, with devotion. The devotion is the instrumental, the means.
तत् अहम् भक्ति-उपहृतम् अश्नामि tat aham bhakti-upahṛtam aśnāmi is his answer. That thing, brought in devotion, he eats. prayata-ātmanaḥ (प्रयत-आत्मनः) is whose offering: the person whose self is restrained.
Sanskrit in this line
यः + मे yaḥ + me is recited yo me (यो मे). aḥ (अः) before a voiced consonant becomes o (ओ). तत् + अहम् tat + aham is tad aham (तदहम्): t (त्) before a vowel becomes d (द्), as in 9.9 and 9.19.
Say it back
Cover the English. Say the four offerings and the verb he uses for taking them. If aśnāmi (अश्नामि) softens into a polite "I receive," stay here.