Free me from the illusion that I am free
Bhagavad Gita 18.59 yad ahaṅkāram āśritya na yotsya iti manyase mithyaiṣa vyavasāyas te prakṛtis tvāṁ niyokṣyati If, clinging to ego, you think, “I won’t fight,” [...]
Even when I am occupied with the world, may I be oriented toward you
Bhagavad Gita 18.57 cetasa sarva-karmāṇi mayi sannyasya mat-paraḥ buddhi-yogam upāśritya mac-cittaḥ satataṁ bhava Offer mentally to me all your action, Make me your highest aspiration; [...]
Let me see your love both in your inclusivity and in your exclusivity
Bhagavad Gita 18.56 sarva-karmāṇy api sadā kurvāṇo mad-vyapāśrayaḥ mat-prasādād avāpnoti śāśvataṁ padam avyayam Though engaged in all kinds of deed, Taking full shelter in me [...]
Let me approach you not as a puzzle to be solved, but as a person to be loved
Bhagavad Gita 18.55 bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram As I truly am, know without distortion, Through the [...]
Help me see the summit of spirituality is not peace, but love
Bhagavad Gita 18.54 brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām One established in spirit, serene and free, Neither grieves nor [...]
Let me find the balance between the ideal and the practical through the devotional
Bhagavad Gita 18.48 sahajaṁ karma kaunteya sa-doṣam api na tyajet sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ Abandon not the work born of one’s nature, Even if [...]
Guide me to the work aligned with my nature, not the work glamorized by the culture
Bhagavad Gita 18.47 śreyān sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt sva-bhāva-niyataṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam Better one’s own duty, though done less well, Than another’s performed with [...]
Transform my work into an act of worship and my heart into an abode of worship
Bhagavad Gita 18.46 yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānāṁ yena sarvam idaṁ tatam sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ From whom all beings have emanated, By whom all [...]
O Lord who are above illusion, save me from the illusion that I am above illusion
Bhagavad Gita 18.40 na tad asti pṛthivyāṁ vā divi deveṣu vā punaḥ sattvaṁ prakṛti-jair muktaṁ yad ebhiḥ syāt tribhir guṇaiḥ No being on this earthly [...]
Protect me not just from the pleasures that seduce but also from those that sedate
Bhagavad Gita 18.39 yat agre cānubandhe ca sukhaṁ mohanam ātmanaḥ nidrālasyapramādotthaṁ tat tāmasam udāhṛtam From start to end, it makes the soul numb, And leaves [...]
Help me realize passion’s deception before indulgence, not after indulgence
Bhagavad Gita 18.38 viṣayendriya-saṁyogād yat tad agre ’mṛtopamam pariṇāme viṣam iva tat sukhaṁ rājasaṁ smṛtam Born from senses meeting sense-objects dear, “This is nectar”—so [...]
Lead me through the poison of inner cleansing to the nectar of inner cherishing
Bhagavad Gita 18.37 yat tad agre viṣam iva pariṇāme ’mṛtopamam tat sukhaṁ sāttvikaṁ proktam ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam That which first tastes like poison bitter, But is [...]
Lead me to the happiness that ends distress, not to the happiness that ends in distress
Bhagavad Gita 18.36 sukhaṁ tv idānīṁ tri-vidhaṁ śṛṇu me bharatarṣabha abhyāsād ramate yatra duḥkhāntaṁ ca nigacchati Now, O best of Bharatas, hear, Of threefold [...]
Let the misdirection of my determination inspire its redirection to you
Bhagavad Gita 18.35 yayā svapnaṁ bhayaṁ śokaṁ viṣādaṁ madam eva ca na vimuñcati durmedhā dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī That determination, dark and blind, Clings [...]
Make me determined to not just pursue the desirable but also determine what is truly desirable
Bhagavad Gita 18.34 yayā tu dharma-kāmārthān dhṛtyā dhārayate ’rjuna prasaṅgena phalākāṅkṣī dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha rājasī That determination which holds on tight, To pleasure and [...]
Please deepen my determination with devotion and strengthen my devotion with determination
Bhagavad Gita 18.33 dhṛtyā yayā dhārayate manaḥ-prāṇendriya-kriyāḥ yogenāvyabhicāriṇyā dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī That determination which sustains; Mind, life-breath, senses—all it restrains; Through yoga practice [...]
Protect me from chasing the cause of my dissatisfaction as its cure
Bhagavad Gita 18.32 adharmaṁ dharmam iti yā manyate tamasāvṛtā sarvārthān viparītāṁś ca buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī Shrouded in darkness, it takes wrong for right, [...]
When my conception is full of holes, may your compassion make it whole
Bhagavad Gita 18.31 yayā dharmam adharmaṁ ca kāryaṁ cākāryam eva ca ayathāvat prajānāti buddhiḥ sā pārtha rājasī It sees dimly: what dharma is, what [...]
Illuminate my intelligence to seek what will elevate and liberate
Bhagavad Gita 18.30 pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca kāryākārye bhayābhaye bandhaṁ mokṣaṁ ca yā vetti buddhiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī What inclination’s to be followed, what [...]
Lead me to work that strengthens my purpose and deepens my peace
Bhagavad Gita 18.25 anubandhaṁ kṣayaṁ hiṁsām anapekṣya ca pauruṣam mohād ārabhyate karma yat tat tāmasam ucyate Action begun in delusion’s night, Without concern for [...]
Let my work integrate me with the whole, not fragment me from the whole
Bhagavad Gita 18.24 yat tu kāmepsunā karma sāhaṅkāreṇa vā punaḥ kriyate bahulāyāsaṁ tad rājasam udāhṛtam Action done for selfish gain, Or driven by ego’s [...]