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 isn’t;

What obligation’s to be honored, what isn’t;

What’s to be feared, what isn’t; what binds, what frees—

Pure is the intelligence that discerns these.

 

My dear Lord, to function harmoniously in this world, I need not just the perception to see rightly, but also the intelligence to seek rightly. Please educate my intelligence so it may judiciously translate my conceptions into actions.

O indwelling Lord, just as you see everything inside me for what it is, help me to similarly see my inner inclinations objectively. Let me avoid the two extremes of accepting every idea that pops up within me as if it were divinely inspired and rejecting every idea as if it were devilishly impelled. Equip me to evaluate such inner promptings on their merit.

O all-sustaining Lord, I seek your help to process not only the inner pressure of my inclinations but also the outer pressure of my obligations. Show me which of them are necessary for my sustenance and service, and which arise from others’ excessive desires or from my excessive need for their approval.

O supremely fearless Lord, I need your guidance to process not just my innate inclinations but also my innate inhibitions. Kindly show me which fears protect me from unnecessary troubles, and which hold me back from necessary trials.

Most importantly, O liberated and liberating Lord, let me see clearly which actions bind by seducing me away from you, and which liberate by providing me pathways to come closer to you.

O benevolent Lord, transform my intelligence so that it ultimately leads me to rest in you, the supreme transcendence.

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18.30 O son of Pṛthā, that understanding by which one knows what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, what is to be feared and what is not to be feared, what is binding and what is liberating, is in the mode of goodness.