IV: 28

Chapter 4, Verse 28

"Some practice austerities.
That is their way of worship.
Others offer their wealth as worship,
Or their Yoga practice,
Or their sacred studies,
Or their knowledge."

Sri Eknath Easwaran:

"In order to progress on the path, we can all follow this principle of worship and give some of our time, talents, resources, skill and love to those around us. The more we give, the more we shall have to give. It is not the person who has much who is rich; it is the person who gives much. Krishna is telling us in these verses that there are many, many ways in which we can worship the higher power which is alive in each of us."

Paramahansa Yogananda:

"Knowledge of the scriptures is beneficial only when it stimulates a desire for practical realization. Otherwise, theoretical knowledge gives one a false conviction of wisdom. Intellectual knowledge of scriptures can be an obstacle to the practical realization of spiritual truths. However, when theoretical, scriptural knowledge is converted into inner perceptions of wisdom, that knowledge becomes a source of redemption. Many pundits and learned professors, for all their mental acumen, daily demonstrate by their untempered lives their failure to put philosophy to practical use.

My Guru never permitted his students to read the Gita with only theoretical interest. 'Meditate on the scriptural truths until you become one with them,' he would say. The kernels of truth in scriptural sayings are covered by the hard shell of language. Gradually, one learns how to use the nutcracker of intuitive perception to open the verbal shells and obtain the divine food within."