Bhagavad Gita 11.36

sthāne hṛṣīkeśa tava prakīrtyā

jagat prahṛṣyaty anurajyate ca

rakṣāṁsi bhītāni diśo dravanti

sarve namasyanti ca siddha-saṅghāḥ

 

Rightly, O Lord, your praise resounds,

The world rejoices—love abounds;

In fear, the darkened forces flee,

The perfected bow in reverent plea.

 

My dear Lord, when Arjuna sees your destructive manifestation as time, he is alarmed, yet his first words affirm that things are in their proper place. Even amid the world’s destruction, he sees your compassion in action.

O supreme guru, when I encounter massive and monstrous-seeming destruction, my reactions often center on revulsion and repulsion. Similar were the reactions of the demoniac on seeing your manifestation as destructive time. Help me to see, as the sages see, that your purpose behind destruction is ultimately reconstruction. You destroy the temporary to make way for the eternal. The temporary is inevitably destructible and imperceptibly deteriorating at every moment, yet I often remain in denial of its perishability as I become attached to temporary things such as possessions and reputations.

O merciful Lord, there are times when you allow the world’s normally subtle tendency toward destruction to become sudden and shocking. When the things I hold dear are destroyed or threatened with destruction, rather than becoming blinded, numbed, or deadened by frustration or hopelessness, may I hear the still, small voice of wisdom within my deepest core—which is actually the voice of your indwelling presence. Through that voice, please guide me to the words of wisdom spoken in your sacred books and by your saintly devotees. In this way, may you pave the path for me toward a life fully rooted in what lasts—in your love for me and my love for you.

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11.36 Arjuna said: O master of the senses, the world becomes joyful upon hearing Your name, and thus everyone becomes attached to You. Although the perfected beings offer You their respectful homage, the demons are afraid, and they flee here and there. All this is rightly done.