yo yo mayi pare dharmaḥ
kalpyate niṣphalāya cet
tad-āyāso nirarthaḥ syād
bhayāder iva sattama
yah, yah -- whatever; mayi -- unto Me; pare -- the Supreme; dharmah -- is religion; kalpyate -- tends; nishphalaya -- toward becoming free from the result of material work; cet -- if; tat -- of that; ayasah -- the endeavor; nirarthah -- futile; syat -- may be; bhaya-adeh -- of fear and so on; iva -- as; sat-tama -- O best of saintly persons.
O Uddhava, greatest of saints, in a dangerous situation an ordinary person cries, becomes fearful and laments, although such useless emotions do not change the situation. But activities offered to Me without personal motivation, even if they are externally useless, amount to the actual process of religion.
Even the most insignificant activity, when offered to the Supreme Lord without personal desire, can elevate one to the perfection of spiritual life. Actually, Lord Krishna always protects and maintains His devotee. But if a devotee cries to the Lord for protection or maintenance, desiring to continue his devotional service unimpeded, Lord Krishna accepts such apparently unnecessary appeals to be the highest religious process.
