4-24

ब्रह्मार्पणम् ब्रह्म हविः ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम् ।
ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यम् ब्रह्म कर्म समाधिना ॥ २४ ॥

brahmArpaNam brahma haviH brahmAgnau brahmaNA hutam |
brahmaiva tena gantavyam brahma karma samAdhinA || 24 ||

ब्रह्मार्पणम् [brahmArpaNam] With the implement of contribution, which is the work of the Lord, ब्रह्म हविः [brahma haviH] the offering, which is the work of the Lord, ब्रह्मणा हुतम् [brahmaNA hutam] is offered by a person, who is the work of the Lord, ब्रह्माग्नौ [brahmAgnau] in the fire, which is the work of the Lord. ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यम् [brahmaiva tena gantavyam] The Lord is certainly reached by ब्रह्म कर्म समाधिना [brahma karma samAdhinA] a person who firmly believes that every activity has the Lord embedded in it.

All activities burn something provided by the Lord, for the purpose of the Lord. This is worship.

The firm belief that all actions have the Lord as their basis, that all actions are pervaded by the Lord is explained here.

Every time we work, we intend to make a contribution to others or to ourselves. For the explanation here, consider our activity to be analogous to making a contribution or offering to the fire.

While making an offering during worship, the contribution is being offered to the Lord. The ladle that is used to make the offering is the implement which helps us in our work. By virtue of being a work of the Lord, it is the same as the Lord. The ladle used in contributing the offering to the Lord is itself pervaded by the Lord.

In this way, the contribution, the tool used in the work, the fire into which the contribution is made and the doer himself – all these are pervaded by the Lord. In this way, all actions have the Lord embedded in them.

The person who firmly believes that all actions are pervaded by the Lord will certainly reach the Lord. He will gain the knowledge of the Self with the Lord embedded in it – The Self that’s pervaded by the Lord.

In summary, a person who desires moksha works with the firm belief that every activity is pervaded by the Lord. With this belief, his activity leads him to realize the true nature of the Self. This will lead the person to know the Self without needing an exclusive pursuit of knowledge .

In this way, after teaching the knowledge that’s embedded in activity, The Lord goes ahead to describe the different methods of working without being driven by outcomes.

The translation here has made a few interpretations. ब्रह्मकार्य [brahmakArya] in the commentary has been translated to ‘work of the Lord’, which could either mean ‘The Lord is the cause of it’, or it could mean ‘being performed for the Lord’. Though they mean two different things, both are valid meanings. Also, phrases like तत् ब्रह्म [tat brahma] – ‘it is the Lord’ – have been translated to ‘it is the same as the Lord’. While reading this, equate it to ‘being pervaded by the Lord’. Of course, the whole universe is pervaded by the Lord. This firm belief while working will lead us to realize the Self and reach the Lord.

How do I worship with activity?