In the previous text, Krishna said desireless work, especially when performed for Gods pleasure, is equivalent to religious sacrifice. In this text Krishna emphasizes this point with a metaphor - stressing that each and every aspect of such work is sacrificial and transcendental.
Brahman - Spirit
The word brahman appears 6 times in this text:
- Brahma arpanam - "The offering is spiritual." Work executed for God's pleasure is brahman, spiritual. It is not material.
- Brahma havir - "The butter is spiritual" Butter is an essential ingredient in traditional Vedic sacrifice, for it is butter that feeds the sacrificial fire. Butter may be metaphorically similar to the talents one employs in executing ones work. When done for the pleasure of God, such talents are brahman, spiritual.
- Brahma agni - "The fires are spiritual". Fire is the consuming agent in a Vedic sacrifice. The metaphorical equivalent may be the energy one expends to execute his work. When engaged for the pleasure of god, all one's efforts and energies become brahman, spiritual.
- Brahmana hutam - "The performer of the sacrifice is spiritual."
- Brahma eva gantavyam - "Certainly the result is spiritual." When every aspect of an act is spiritual - the offering, the talent, the effort, and the performer - certainly the result will not be material.
- Brahma-karma-samadhi - "Full absorption in spiritual action." How do all these things - the offering, the talent, the effort, the performer, and the result - become spiritual? By complete concentration (samadhi) on spiritual action, action performed as sacrifice for Gods pleasure (brahma karma).
The mechanics of "Spiritualization"
How is it that ordinary work and the ordinary objects with which one performs such work can be considered brahman?
According to the Vedas, everything is already brahman, spirit. However, desire to enjoy separately from the Supreme Brahman (god), causes us to enter an illusion wherein we cannot preceive the true spiritual nature of objects. Being unable to preceive how everything intimately belongs to Brahman (God) facilitates our desire to enjoy apart from Him.
Everything is brahman (spirit), yet selfish desire hides this from our eyes. Thus it follows that removal of selfish desire by acting for the pleasure of God removes the illusion and allows the original spiritual nature of all objects and persons to again become tangible to our eyes, senses and mind.