Bhagavad Gita 2.15

yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete

puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabha

sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ

so ’mṛtatvāya kalpate

 

“The wise are unshaken by pleasure or pain,

Through all dualities, their balance they maintain.

Such people, O one who is noble and strong,

Are fit for immortality all along.”

 

O Lord, this world is filled with dualities—pleasure and pain, honor and dishonor, health and sickness, union and separation—that are like waves in an ocean, endlessly rising and falling. As long as my mind remains consumed by these waves, it cannot focus on you.

To help me go beyond these waves of dualities, you provide two vital truths that I beg to always remember. The first is that these waves of dualities cannot truly harm me. The second is that no matter how stormy, mighty, or deadly these waves may seem, they are entirely under your control. You are shaping them for my integrity and growth.

If I am to truly focus on you during my prayers, I need to remember these truths. By doing so, I can turn away from the dualities of this world and toward you, who are beyond all dualities. O Lord, please bless me so that I can absorb myself in your remembrance, knowing that you will keep me safe no matter what happens in this stormy ocean of life.

Let me stay connected with you through remembrance, not just during times of prayer but throughout the rest of this day and the rest of my life. May your remembrance be my anchor, guiding me safely beyond the waves of this world.

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02.15 O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation.