Bhagavad Gita 6.37

arjuna uvāca

ayatiḥ śraddhayopeto

yogāc calita-mānasaḥ

aprāpya yoga-saṁsiddhiṁ

kāṁ gatiṁ kṛṣṇa gacchati

 

“What happens to one who gives his all,

To the path of yoga, yet falls?

With faith sincere, but weak determination,

What is such a soul’s destination?”

 

My dear Lord, when I start on the spiritual journey toward you, I often have a nagging fear—sometimes even a haunting fear—that my lower desires may ambush me.

I may begin with great determination, which essentially means a steady, strong desire for experiencing spiritual reality.  But that higher desire may, over time, be battered down by the seemingly endless temptations of the world, which keep fuelling and fanning my lower desires. Moreover, the seeming endlessness of the spiritual path may weaken my higher desire.

Succumbing to this double attack of the weakening of my higher desires and the strengthening of my lower desire, what if I take a U-turn, my Lord? Will I lose everything that I have valued, both materially and spiritually? Will I be left in no man’s land?

My Lord, let my fear not overshadow my awareness that you are incharge. Help me remember that you will always protect those who dedicate themselves to spiritual growth.

More importantly, let such fears not eat me from within. Please, my Lord, guide me to answers in your words — answers that can restore my conviction and determination.

***

06.37 Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, what is the destination of the unsuccessful transcendentalist, who in the beginning takes to the process of self-realization with faith but who later desists due to worldly-mindedness and thus does not attain perfection in mysticism?