Let me find the balance between the ideal and the practical through the devotional
Bhagavad Gita 18.48 sahajaṁ karma kaunteya sa-doṣam api na tyajet sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ Abandon not the work born of one’s nature, Even if [...]
Guide me to the work aligned with my nature, not the work glamorized by the culture
Bhagavad Gita 18.47 śreyān sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt sva-bhāva-niyataṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam Better one’s own duty, though done less well, Than another’s performed with [...]
Transform my work into an act of worship and my heart into an abode of worship
Bhagavad Gita 18.46 yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānāṁ yena sarvam idaṁ tatam sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ From whom all beings have emanated, By whom all [...]
O Lord who are above illusion, save me from the illusion that I am above illusion
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 [...]
Protect me not just from the pleasures that seduce but also from those that sedate
Bhagavad Gita 18.39 yat agre cānubandhe ca sukhaṁ mohanam ātmanaḥ nidrālasyapramādotthaṁ tat tāmasam udāhṛtam From start to end, it makes the soul numb, And leaves [...]
Help me realize passion’s deception before indulgence, not after indulgence
Bhagavad Gita 18.38 viṣayendriya-saṁyogād yat tad agre ’mṛtopamam pariṇāme viṣam iva tat sukhaṁ rājasaṁ smṛtam Born from senses meeting sense-objects dear, “This is nectar”—so [...]
Lead me through the poison of inner cleansing to the nectar of inner cherishing
Bhagavad Gita 18.37 yat tad agre viṣam iva pariṇāme ’mṛtopamam tat sukhaṁ sāttvikaṁ proktam ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam That which first tastes like poison bitter, But is [...]
Lead me to the happiness that ends distress, not to the happiness that ends in distress
Bhagavad Gita 18.36 sukhaṁ tv idānīṁ tri-vidhaṁ śṛṇu me bharatarṣabha abhyāsād ramate yatra duḥkhāntaṁ ca nigacchati Now, O best of Bharatas, hear, Of threefold [...]
Let the misdirection of my determination inspire its redirection to you
Bhagavad Gita 18.35 yayā svapnaṁ bhayaṁ śokaṁ viṣādaṁ madam eva ca na vimuñcati durmedhā dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī That determination, dark and blind, Clings [...]
Make me determined to not just pursue the desirable but also determine what is truly desirable
Bhagavad Gita 18.34 yayā tu dharma-kāmārthān dhṛtyā dhārayate ’rjuna prasaṅgena phalākāṅkṣī dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha rājasī That determination which holds on tight, To pleasure and [...]
Please deepen my determination with devotion and strengthen my devotion with determination
Bhagavad Gita 18.33 dhṛtyā yayā dhārayate manaḥ-prāṇendriya-kriyāḥ yogenāvyabhicāriṇyā dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī That determination which sustains; Mind, life-breath, senses—all it restrains; Through yoga practice [...]
Protect me from chasing the cause of my dissatisfaction as its cure
Bhagavad Gita 18.32 adharmaṁ dharmam iti yā manyate tamasāvṛtā sarvārthān viparītāṁś ca buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī Shrouded in darkness, it takes wrong for right, [...]
Help me find a way back to myself—spiritually and materially
Bhagavad Gita 13.22 puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu The soul, situated in a bodily tool, Seeks pleasure in what [...]
Educate and elevate my vision to see you everywhere
Bhagavad Gita 10.19 śrī-bhagavān uvāca hanta te kathayiṣyāmi divyā hy ātma-vibhūtayaḥ prādhānyataḥ kuru-śreṣṭha nāsty anto vistarasya me Listen now, O noblest one, I’ll speak [...]
Let grateful curiosity become my key to freedom from the cage of complaints
Bhagavad Gita 12.14 santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yogī yatātmā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ mayy arpita-mano-buddhir yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ Ever content, steady in soul, Firm in resolve, with [...]
Lead my love for truth to victory over my lust for power
Bhagavad Gita 11.2 bhavāpyayau hi bhūtānāṁ śrutau vistaraśo mayā tvattaḥ kamala-patrākṣa māhātmyam api cāvyayam Of birth and death I’ve heard your lore, Your endless [...]
Please enrich my life with meaning before I die and after it too
Bhagavad Gita 11.28 yathā nadīnāṁ bahavo ’mbu-vegāḥ samudram evābhimukhā dravanti tathā tavāmī nara-loka-vīrāḥ viśanti vaktrāṇy abhivijvalanti As rivers rush in roaring streams, All racing [...]
Bless me so I always desire to see you, yet never demand to see you
Bhagavad Gita 11.4 manyase yadi tac chakyaṁ mayā draṣṭum iti prabho yogeśvara tato me tvaṁ darśayātmānam avyayam If you think I can behold, Your [...]
Illusion and illumination are not just two distinct countries but also two constant choices
Bhagavad Gita 11.1 arjuna uvāca mad-anugrahāya paramaṁ guhyam adhyātma-saṁjñitam yat tvayoktaṁ vacas tena moho ’yaṁ vigato mama The supreme truth, you have shown, By [...]
Just as I hold on to you internally, may I also behold you externally
Bhagavad Gita 11.3 evam etad yathāttha tvam ātmānaṁ parameśvara draṣṭum icchāmi te rūpam aiśvaraṁ puruṣottama Just as you have spoken it so, O Supreme, [...]
My not knowing your plan, O Lord, is also part of your plan
Bhagavad Gita 10.19 śrī-bhagavān uvāca hanta te kathayiṣyāmi divyā hy ātma-vibhūtayaḥ prādhānyataḥ kuru-śreṣṭha nāsty anto vistarasya me Delighted am I, O noble one, to [...]