Bhagavad Gita 6.22

yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ

manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ

yasmin sthito na duḥkhena

guruṇāpi vicālyate

 

“Having relished this, there is no greater gain —

In this deep conviction, they firmly remain.

No distress, not even a catastrophic affliction,

Can shake them from this divine realization.”

 

My dear Lord, whatever I achieve in this world is always characterized by two problems—insufficiency and insecurity.

Whenever I attain something wonderful, it soon starts feeling insufficient. And something else—something I do not have—starts appearing more attractive, making me crave for that. And this cycle goes on and on, leaving me dissatisfied even after achieving the best of successes.

On the flip side, my Lord, whatever I achieve—even the crowning success of my life—still leaves me vulnerable. It may be seized from me at any moment by forces beyond my control. When this happens—as it inevitably will, sooner or later—I end up not just disturbed or distressed, but even devastated. And the mere possibility of this happening keeps me unsettled at the very least, and fearful at worst.

Thankfully, my Lord, offer me an alternative accomplishment—one beyond the reach of insufficiency and insecurity. That accomplishment is the complete absorption of my consciousness in you, which results from the purification of my heart and its undistracted, undiluted attraction toward you.

This state is so enriching that I no longer crave anything beyond it. And it is so  empowering that no adversity can shake me as to make me fall from this state of divine absorption.

Please, O Lord, let me make this state my highest aspiration. And bless me so that I can take steady steps—through every moment of my life—to progress toward that state.

***

06.22 Upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty.