Bhagavad Gita 3.26

na buddhi-bhedaṁ janayed

ajñānāṁ karma-saṅginām

joṣayet sarva-karmāṇi

vidvān yuktaḥ samācaran

 

“The wise should not disturb the mind,

Of those to worldly work inclined.

Let them act while you gently show,

The path to truth that they may know.”

 

My dear Lord, you emphasize that good intention is not a substitute for good intelligence. Even when I want to do good for others and guide them toward a higher level of consciousness so that they ultimately connect with you, I need to carefully consider whether such instruction might be disruptive for them—even to the point of being destructive. When I want to help others rise, and even when they want to rise, I may expect, demand, or insist that they progress faster than they are capable of. Consequently, they may slip and fall—falling further than where they originally were.

 That is, they may become alienated from spirituality, thinking it to be impractical or impossible, or alienated from spiritualists, thinking them to be too critical or pushy. Grant me, my Lord, a holistic vision for giving guidance so that I seek to understand exactly where they are and how you have acted in their lives to bring them to that point. When I act with such a service attitude, I won’t try to force-fit others into my plan for their growth. Rather, I will try to discern what your plan for their growth is and mold my guidance  in a way that is doable and sustainable for them. Bless me, O Lord, with this vision of giving guidance as a form of service, wherein I first learn how to help others  learn.

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03.26 So as not to disrupt the minds of ignorant men attached to the fruitive results of prescribed duties, a learned person should not induce them to stop work. Rather, by working in the spirit of devotion, he should engage them in all sorts of activities [for the gradual development of Kṛṣṇa consciousness].