Everyone performs their activities by keeping something at the center of that activity. We keep Dharm (fulfilling our duties and responsibilities), Arth (earning money), Kam (fulfilling the desires) as the centers of the activity.
The devotee of God always keeps God at the center of all the activities. They take bath to perform Puja. They offer the food to Maharaj, and then take the prasad. They offer good part of the income to Maharaj making Him as the partner of the works, and so on.
The question is: Why should we keep God at the center at of all activities?
Every activity in this world includes some sins along with it even if they are religious activities. To reach the grains from the agriculture land to your mouth, there are many steps which are sometimes violent (like cutting the plants, transporting it to a place, etc.,) While cooking food some souls might get killed. While driving vehicle some animals might get hurt. There is not a single activity that directly or indirectly doesn’t involve violence. Even if we do as per the scriptures, some violence happens while performing them.
In Bhagavat-Gita, Lord Krishna mentioned that all the activities with God at the center becomes Yagna. Whatever is offered to Lord Vishnu, it becomes Yagna.
If we first offer food to the Lord, it removes all the sins that we committed to get the food. If we directly use it without offering it to Lord, all the sins committed to get the rice from the plant to your mouth goes to your account. We can’t live without eating. To relieve from these sins, we should do Yagna. If we offer it to God and take the prasad, our accounts would be clean, and we also get to enjoy the benefit of eating food.
Results of an activity is based on what is decided before the activity. Dasarath Maharaj wanted a son. So, he requested Brahmins to perform a Yagna. Before doing the Yagna, Brahmins decided that the result of the Yagna should go to their King Dasarath. If they did not decide that, the result would go to them and they would get more sons. So, results are always based on the decision that is taken before the activity.
We should decide before each activity that this activity is for the pleasure of Maharaj. We should be pure in our offerings to Maharaj. If we offer the food to Maharaj with the intention of pleasing Maharaj and for Maharaj’s taste, then Maharaj accepts. If we prepare the food for our taste and stomach, and offer it to Maharaj, He doesn’t accept it. He will not be pleased. If we completely offer it to Maharaj in real, Maharaj is also pleased, and then, we will also be able to use it.
We should have the intention to please God with whatever daily activities we perform like: taking bath, cooking, working, sleeping, eating, reading etc., even though we do them for our sake. It becomes part of our devotion to Maharaj and thus leads us our ultimate good.
Maharaj said in Vachanamrut that people do all the activities to achieve Dharm, Artha, Kam. But they don’t keep God at the center of activity. If they keep God, they also get the benefits of those activities, and they get to achieve their ultimate good as well.
If we do only for the sake of Dharm, Arth, Kam, we could at the most reach heaven but not Maharaj.
References:
5th June 2017: Gastonia, NC
Vachanamrut Kariyani 7, Gadhada Madhya 11