Bhagavad Gita 16.24

tasmāc chāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ te

kāryākārya-vyavasthitau

jñātvā śāstra-vidhānoktaṁ

karma kartum ihārhasi

 

Let scripture guide what’s right to do,

And what must be avoided too;

Knowing its laws, act here with care,

Perform your duty as declared there.

 

My dear Lord, a part of me wants to rebel against authority. Help me to see that part as wounded and blinded, not as strong or wise.

O all-knowing Lord, your desires for me are ultimately in harmony with my innermost desires, because at the core of my being is my soul, which is eternally a part of you and longs for your eternal love. Having somehow turned away from you, I have been following many authorities. Despite the good guidance I have sometimes received, the memories of bad guidance or bad authority have scarred me severely, and therefore I am reluctant to follow any authority. From this inner woundedness comes my aversion to authority.

O merciful Lord, help me to see that my reluctance to follow authority has a reason, and yet it is not reasonable when applied to you. Let the wounded part inside me not keep me blinded to the reality that you are my greatest benefactor. You have no desire to dominate or exploit me.

O untiring Lord, help me to see that following you will never suffocate me, but will rather elevate and liberate me. May my every experience, even if tiny, of elevation of consciousness and of liberation from self-destructive desires build my momentum to live in harmony with you—in this moment and in every moment hereafter.

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16.24 One should therefore understand what is duty and what is not duty by the regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations, one should act so that he may gradually be elevated.