Bhagavad Gita 4.39

śraddhāvāṁl labhate jñānaṁ

tat-paraḥ saṁyatendriyaḥ

jñānaṁ labdhvā parāṁ śāntim

acireṇādhigacchati

 

“The faithful gain true wisdom’s grace,

With senses tamed and heart in place.

Once knowledge dawns, their doubts take flight,

And peace is theirs, serene and bright.”

 

My dear Lord, help me to understand that faith does not mean blind acceptance without evidence. The faith you ask for is simply curiosity about the nature of reality beyond what is visible and accessible to my senses. 

Please, O Lord, help me to complement that curiosity with a commitment to know—so that my seeking may demonstrate to you that I genuinely desire the higher truths of life, which you wish to enrich my life with. Please, my Lord, I beg for your mercy so that I may avoid the pitfall of idle armchair speculation and instead manifest tangible spiritual dedication to learning. 

O Lord, ultimately, the knowledge that is most important for me is that you are my well-wisher and that you want the best for me. Even when, at the visible level, things seem chaotic and haywire, it is faith in your invisible benevolence that will grant me unbreakable peace.

My Lord, you have sustained my life for many lifetimes. You have protected me, provided for me in ways I do not even recognize, and shielded me from dangers I know nothing about. When you didn’t abandon me in the past, I know that you will not abandon me now.

Grant me, My lord, this faith—this sacred curiosity about how your plan is still working when my plan has fallen apart—that will help me peacefully weather the toughest storms of life.

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04.39 A faithful man who is dedicated to transcendental knowledge and who subdues his senses is eligible to achieve such knowledge, and having achieved it he quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.