Bhagavad Gita 10.4

buddhir jñānam asammohaḥ

kṣamā satyaṁ damaḥ śamaḥ

sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ bhavo ’bhāvo

bhayaṁ cābhayam eva ca

 

Wisdom, knowledge, perception undeluded,

Forgiveness, truthfulness, body and mind regulated;

Joy and sorrow, birth and death,

Fear and fearlessness—I am all.

 

My dear Lord, let me see your mercy in the very existence of this world, which is the arena where I can both realize the futility of loving anything other than you and utilize the opportunity for connecting with you.

O supreme seer, whatever objects exist in the outer world—whether they be sensual objects that draw my attention away from you or sublime objects that draw my attention toward you—all these objects owe their existence to you. Whatever attributes exist inside me—whether they are ungodly attributes that impel me to look away from you or godly attributes that encourage and inspire me to look toward you—all such qualities exist because of you.

If the universe is like a university, then both the outer objects and the inner attributes are like the multiple-choice tests in the examination of this university. O Lord, help me not get caught in craving the presence or resenting the absence of specific objects or attributes in my outer or inner worlds; help me catch sight of the bigger purpose of why it all exists: to be prompted, prodded, pushed toward you. Let me ultimately be caught forever by the sight of you, the invisible beauty that not only sustains all visible beauty but also surpasses it and empowers me to surpass it.

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10.04 Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness, control of the senses, control of the mind, happiness and distress, birth, death, fear, fearlessness… [all these various qualities of living beings are created by Me alone].