Bhagavad Gita 16.7

pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca

janā na vidur āsurāḥ

na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro

na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate

 

They know not what to do or refrain,

The demonic crave and slave in vain;

No purity, nor any righteous way,

No truth in what they think or say.

 

My dear Lord, the nature of this world is that everyone is sooner or later put into illusion. Some people fall into illusion more frequently and more severely than others. And a few fall so deep into illusion that they think they are not in illusion, or worse still, that they think there is no such thing as illusion.

O universally benevolent Lord, protect me from ever joining the ranks of those massively misled souls. Unfortunately, their ranks are swelling because of the increasing and increasingly aggressive temptations that fill and fuel contemporary culture.

O untiring Lord, those who believe that they are not in illusion think that whatever they are doing is right and that there is no external force impelling and inciting them to act in ways that are self-sabotaging or even self-destructive. They are most difficult to free because they believe they are already free.

O infallible Lord, help me to see the reality and gravity of the force of illusion each time I act in ways that undermine my own interests. Let that realization of its power drive me to wholeheartedly seek shelter in you. Please guard me while I am in this world of illusion and ultimately guide me out of it.

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16.07 Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in them.