Bhagavad Gita 4.35

yaj jñātvā na punar moham

evaṁ yāsyasi pāṇḍava

yena bhūtāny aśeṣeṇa

drakṣyasy ātmany atho mayi

 

“Once you know this truth so bright,

Never again will you lose your sight.

You’ll see all beings, demonic and divine,

As souls just like you—my parts, as mine.”

 

My dear Lord, bless me so that I internalize wisdom in a way that broadens my vision and does not narrow my mind. Let my wisdom not feed a partisan mentality, which sees how my way is the only right way and divides the world into a simplistic “we versus they” conflict. Help me, my Lord, to see as you see. The wisdom you provide grants me a vision that is universal. It helps me recognize that everyone—even those opposed to me, even those who are demoniac, even those who deny and defy you—remains a spiritual being, an eternal part of you. You see them as yours, and so should I. You offer wisdom to help me perceive the connectedness of all living beings. But if I use that wisdom to disconnect myself from others, making me feel superior instead of more compassionate, then I have lost the very purpose of wisdom. Please, O Lord, let me use your wisdom as you intend—to deepen my connection with you and to assist others, according to my capacity, in becoming connected with you. For you, my Lord, are the supreme well-wisher of everyone, and you shower the highest blessings on all who open their hearts to you.

***

04.35 Having obtained real knowledge from a self-realized soul, you will never fall again into such illusion, for by this knowledge you will see that all living beings are but part of the Supreme, or, in other words, that they are Mine.