Bhagavad Gita 12.11

athaitad apy aśakto ’si

kartuṁ mad-yogam āśritaḥ

sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ

tataḥ kuru yatātmavān

 

If this path still feels too steep,

And my yoga you can’t keep;

In all you do, give up the fruits,

In your soul, joy will grow roots.

 

My dear Lord, you are constantly inviting me to expand my consciousness. When I turn upward toward spiritual realities and ultimately toward you, the supreme spiritual reality, my consciousness expands in a vertical direction. You offer me many ways to rise—through my heart’s aspiration, my mind’s concentration, and my body’s contribution.

O supremely merciful Lord, you are so accommodating that even when I cannot offer any of these, you do not condemn or reject me. Instead, you open another pathway—the horizontal expansion of my consciousness. Even when I cannot rise from the world to you, you still appreciate when I expand my concern from myself to others. When I engage in humanitarian or philanthropic acts, you honor that as progress, even when I do not consciously acknowledge your presence, because I am thinking beyond myself, my problems, and my pleasures. The mere expansion of my awareness beyond myself is something you cherish.

Thank you, my infallible Lord, for appreciating my growth even when it has not yet become connected with you. You are so supremely selfless because you care for me, yet you do not need me. It is I who need you; only in loving you do I find true satisfaction. May your selfless concern inspire me to offer my heart to you and lift my consciousness toward you until it is enveloped in your eternal, ecstatic love.

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12.11 If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.