Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 9: The Royal Knowledge and Royal Secret
Bhagavad Gita 9.26
पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति ।
तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः ॥
patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyaṃ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati | tadahaṃ bhaktyupahṛtamaśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ ||
Whoever offers me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water: that offering of love from a pure-hearted person I accept.
Modern context
This is perhaps the gentlest verse in the Gita. A leaf, a flower, a fruit, a little water: the simplest things anyone can find. Offered with love, Krishna says, I accept them. After pages about grand sacrifices and cosmic ages, the measure turns out to be love, not size. A child's drawing given to a parent, a cup of tea made for a tired friend: what makes the gift precious is the heart behind it.