Bhagavad Gita 9.30

api cet su-durācāro

bhajate mām ananya-bhāk

sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ

samyag vyavasito hi saḥ

 

Even one of conduct flawed and frail,

If he seeks me with single trail,

Must be seen as saintly, pure and true,

For firm his heart, his aim, his view.

 

My dear Lord, when I succumb to something wrong, you help me rise again. Out of your love for me, you accompany me constantly as the Supersoul. You focus not on catching me when I do wrong, but on catching me when I fall. You simply want me to keep coming closer to you without becoming discouraged by occasional lapses. Let me see your words as assurance of your unfailing, untiring help in my journey of spiritual redemption.

O merciful Lord, let me never mistake or misuse your words as blanket insurance for whatever wrongs I may do. You never license wrongdoing in your name, nor do you want me to use devotion as an excuse to perpetuate my lower tendencies.

O supreme seer, you are merciful, but treating your mercy as a loophole only makes me a fool, leaving me enslaved by temptation and weakened by repeated indulgence. Please protect me not only from wrongdoing, but also from the impurities that push me toward wrongdoing, including the impurity that makes me rationalize my wrongdoings under the cover of your mercifulness. Purging those impurities is your complete protection plan. Grant me the strong faith and steady commitment by which I can stay with you through all pains—outer and inner—as you purify and rectify me, to unite me with you in a bond of eternal love.

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09.30 Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination.