12.1 Deliver me from the illusion that I can deliver anyone from illusion
akhila jagat-guru!
bacana se āmār
O spiritual master of all the worlds,
Please become the master of my words
My dear Lord, remembering you means remembering that you are so great you don’t need me—yet you still choose to use me, despite my defects and deficiencies, in your compassionate plan for all.
When I seek to help someone come closer to you, remind me that I am not their deliverer—you are. Srila Prabhupada stresses this truth when he glorifies you as the spiritual master of the whole world.
You desire to enlighten all living beings, and by your omnipotence you are fully capable of doing so—without needing me or anyone else to assist.
O supremely merciful Lord, if anyone rises from ignorance to enlightenment—even if it happens through the words I speak—it is only by your mercy upon them. You open my mouth and place your words there; you open their hearts so those words may be rightly understood and lived.
Deliver me, O Almighty, from the illusion that I can deliver anyone, and lead me into the reality that you—and you alone—can deliver me, and may use me, if you so desire, to deliver others.