Bhagavad Gita 10.11

teṣām evānukampārtham

aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ

nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho

jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā

 

Out of mercy, I promptly move,

Ignorance of theirs to remove;

From within, I shine the sublime light

Of knowledge calming, clear and bright.

 

My dear Lord, the world outside and the mind inside often leave me disoriented. When my intelligence shows me a way out of such disorienting situations, help me to see that intelligence as your mercy in action. Please, let me never think that my intelligence removes my need for your mercy.

And when I face challenges beyond what my intelligence can figure out, O infallible Lord, let me not interpret such a failure negatively. Let me not become disconnected from you by thinking that you are withholding your mercy. It’s not that you have abandoned me, leaving me to find my way alone through life’s maze while you wait at the other end. Actually, you are with me in that very moment, as you are with me in all moments.

Why, then, am I unable to feel your presence or sense your will for me? Help me see such conditions positively: remind me that they are still part of your plan—that it is simply test time.

That you, O supreme teacher, consider me worthy of such a tough test is itself an expression of your mercy. Let me navigate that test by remaining receptive and perceptive—receptive to how you may manifest your will, and perceptive of whatever small steps I may take to keep moving closer to you.

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10.11 To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.