Bhagavad Gita 9.31

kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā

śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati

kaunteya pratijānīhi

na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati

 

Soon he walks the righteous way,

Finding peace that will not sway;

Proclaim with faith and flourish:

My devotee will never perish.

 

My dear Lord, let me take heart from your declaration that I will swiftly become righteous even if I have fallen. Let me not focus on how long the inner struggle seems, but on how eternal its destination will be. Rather than worrying about either overcoming temptations or failing to do so, help me see how I can keep moving forward through all situations. Help me treasure the peace that comes by irreversibly reaching your shelter, when no inner impurity pulls me toward experiences outside your shelter.

O infallible Lord, your love for me is unconditional; you are always ready to offer your shelter to me. But as long as I am conditioned, it is I who do not want to stay in your shelter or even seek your shelter, because my impure mind misleads me into believing that other experiences will be more exciting or enjoyable than you.

O supreme guru, help me realize and remember that whatever seems exciting turns out to be boring; whatever promises enjoyment delivers the opposite: entanglement, torment, bereavement. Let me stop craving new versions of the same things that have already disappointed me. Let me instead long for you.

O supremely merciful Lord, please weaken within me the inner forces that draw me away from you. Strengthen my longing to live with you, live in you, and live for you.

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09.31 He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.