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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
You remain my best friend even when I remain my worst enemy
Bhagavad Gita 14.26 māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate One who serves me with devotion true, Amid the modes—steadfast, [...]
Please reveal how everything is in place when everything seems to be falling out of place
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 [...]
Make me tough enough to be tender
Bhagavad Gita 11.51 dṛṣṭvedaṁ mānuṣaṁ rūpaṁ tava saumyaṁ janārdana idānīm asmi saṁvṛttaḥ sa-cetāḥ prakṛtiṁ gataḥ Seeing now your gentle form, Divine and human, soft [...]
Let me remember you for guiding my life, not for hiding from life
Bhagavad Gita 11.55 mat-karma-kṛn mat-paramo mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava Working for my purpose, making me the goal, Serving with [...]
Help me see the reality of the world’s misery and the bigger reality of your mercy
Bhagavad Gita 9.33 kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyāḥ bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā anityam asukhaṁ lokam imaṁ prāpya bhajasva mām What then to speak of sages, pure [...]
1.1 Let me treasure the opportunity, even when bereft of facility
boro-kṛpā kaile kṛṣṇa adhamer prati Such immense mercy have you shown, O Krishna, upon this soul, fallen and forlorn. My dear Lord, how stunning is [...]
In the world’s distress, let me see not your disregard for my well-being, but your respect for my will
Bhagavad Gita 9.9 na ca māṁ tāni karmāṇi nibadhnanti dhanañ-jaya udāsīna-vad āsīnam asaktaṁ teṣu karmasu By none of the world’s mess or distress, Am [...]
Three meanings of ‘fire’ and how they apply to our inner world
The word fire has multiple meanings: a natural force that burns, the dismissal of someone from their job, and an energizing enthusiasm or motivation (as [...]
Why do we pray more intensely amid adversity than in holy places?
Adverse times often drive us to pray with more intensity and intimacy than when we are in holy places. This intensity arises from the infusion [...]
Identifying the cause of life’s reversals
Are life’s reversals karma, tests by Maya, or Krishna’s push to surrender? When we face reversals in life, we often wonder whether these are the [...]
Focus on our availability for God, not God’s availability for us
Stop worrying whether God is there for us; start working on whether we are there for God. When facing difficulties, we may sometimes expect support [...]
How to pass life’s tests
If we don't protest against the mind's pretexts, we will never pass life's tests. When faced with life's difficulties, especially those requiring us to persevere [...]
How to deal with our past constructively
How to deal with our past constructively Boasting about how good our past was can be as childish and pointless as complaining about how bad [...]