Bhagavad Gita 9.13

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ

bhajanty ananya-manaso jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam

 

The great souls take shelter in nature divine,

With minds undistracted, their hearts align.

Knowing me as the Supreme, the imperishable source,

They worship me always, beyond temptations’s force.

 

My dear Lord, nothing in life is meant to distract us from you, yet everything holds the potential to direct us toward you. You call us to come to you—to realize that loving you is the heart’s highest enrichment and ecstasy.

Yet, O Lord Almighty, to experience you and your creation rightly, I must turn away from illusion and take shelter of your divine energy—whose essence is the attitude of service. As long as I retain the urge to enjoy selfishly and separately from you, everything remains a potential distraction.

Please, O beloved Lord, transform my heart’s aspiration, for without that transformation, neither my head’s conception nor my eyes’ vision will truly change. My eyes will keep seeking enjoyment like a moth drawn to fire; my head will keep justifying that those things exist for my pleasure. Such vision and conception will prevent my heart from developing steady devotion to you, let alone uninterrupted absorption in you.

Yet, O ever-accessible Lord, your mercy allows me to start from wherever I am—be it a small shift in vision toward you, a gentle refinement of my understanding of life’s purpose, or even a tiny turning of my heart’s aspiration toward you. Let your accepting me from wherever I start inspire me to start right now.

***

09.13 O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.