Even though studying the scriptures, practicing self-discipline, giving gifts of charity and performing formal religious rituals will provide you with good merit, these alone will not bring about union with God. Only through steady devotion to offering all of your actions to others, thus shedding any selfish attachment to personal gain or feelings of ill will toward anyone will you have the same knowledge of God that Krishna gave to Arjuna in the story of the Bhagavad Gita.