Bhagavad Gita 18.40

na tad asti pṛthivyāṁ vā

divi deveṣu vā punaḥ

sattvaṁ prakṛti-jair muktaṁ

yad ebhiḥ syāt tribhir guṇaiḥ

No being on this earthly domain,

No god on the heavenly plane;

No being born of nature is an exception,

Immune to these three guṇas’ illusion.

My dear Lord, illusion sometimes seduces me subtly with its weapon of exceptionalism by inducing the belief that I am an exception to its infection. Confer upon me the clarity to see that my very belief that I am above illusion demonstrates that I am already under illusion.

O omnipotent Lord, you dismantle this notion of exceptionalism in this verse, where you declare unambiguously that no one is exempt from illusion’s insidious influence—not even celestial beings who are far greater than me, not just in strength but also in wisdom and piety.

O unfailing Lord, let me not be discouraged by acknowledging this sobering reality that I am susceptible and corruptible. Let me instead be encouraged by appreciating how powerful and merciful you are. No matter how lethal the distractions, dissatisfactions, and deceptions created by illusion, you always remain capable of rescuing me. Such is your power. No matter where my mind foolishly wanders, drawn deep into the domain of illusion, you still remain with me, within me, just one thought away. Such is your mercy.

Help me, O Lord of my heart, to strive to remember you with gravity and gratitude. Gravity, by understanding how vulnerable I am to the overt and covert attacks of illusion. Gratitude, by understanding how readily you grant me access to your liberating love.

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18.40 There is no being existing, either here or among the demigods in the higher planetary systems, which is freed from these three modes born of material nature.