Bhagavad Gita 13.11
mayi cānanya-yogena
bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī
vivikta-deśa-sevitvam
aratir jana-saṁsadi
Below quartet is based on aratir jana-saṁsadi: disinterest in worldly gatherings
When crowds gather and blather in fleeting cheer,
Let me recall—you alone are forever near.
May their noise dissolve, for their charm is in vain,
In you alone, my Lord, lasting joy shall remain.
Nowadays, my dear Lord, I feel increasingly pressured to stay in touch with the world. The fear of missing out nags me constantly in the background, depleting my focus on my current service to you. And sometimes that fear nabs me, diverting me completely to updates about things that are irrelevant and unactionable for me.
You, O merciful Lord, have given me the opportunity for a better life. What everyone longs for—what my heart longs for—is enduring love and meaningful engagement as an expression of that love. This is the life that you call me to through your service, whose value and glory are revealed through your word.
O merciful Lord, please don’t let me waste this opportunity by neglecting your word—by underfeeding on it and overfeeding on the world in the name of staying in touch with the world’s events. When, O merciful Lord, will I realize the simple truth that it is more important to stay in touch with myself—my soul—and with you, the soul of my soul?
Help me remember, my Lord, that the more I stay in touch with you, the more I can positively impact the world. The more I stay in touch with the world, the more I let the world negatively impact me.
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13.11 … constant and unalloyed devotion to Me; aspiring to live in a solitary place; detachment from the general mass of people; …[– all these I declare to be knowledge.]
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