Bhagavad Gita 16.14

asau mayā hataḥ śatrur

haniṣye cāparān api

īśvaro ’ham ahaṁ bhogī

siddho ’haṁ balavān sukhī

 

“That foe by me was laid forever low,

And others too shall meet that fatal blow;

I am the lord, the enjoyer of all,

Perfect, strong, and happy—I stand tall.”

 

My dear Lord, mundane desires don’t just take me away from you, but take me away from the awareness of how far away they have taken me—not just from you, but even from myself, leading me to transgress the boundaries that I consider essential to who I am and what I stand for.

O omnipotent Lord, when I let go of you, consciously or even unconsciously, because I become infatuated with certain desires, sooner or later those desires end up becoming omnipotent. But whereas your omnipotence works for me to elevate and liberate me, the omnipotence of those desires works on me to delude and degrade me.

O supremely illuminating Lord, desires that seem indulgent yet harmless can soon degenerate into desires that are adamant and reckless, and can propel me into deeds that are thoughtless, heartless, even shameless. You outline here how, in demoniac people, desires can degenerate from the covetous—where they crave wealth—to the murderous, where they nonchalantly, even exultantly, eliminate those who come in the way of their pursuit.

O all-pure Lord, please sharpen my self-awareness so that whenever my unhealthy desires start impelling me toward unacceptable misdeeds that violate my boundaries, I may immediately see that potential degradation as a reminder of my urgent need for you. Help me seek your shelter, so that I can stay secure within my boundaries—and better still, gradually become pure.

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16.14 [The demoniac person thinks:] “…He is my enemy, and I have killed him, and my other enemies will also be killed. I am the lord of everything. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful and happy…”