9.1 Free me from the craving that ends only in lamenting

rajas tamo hate tabe 

pāibe nistār

From passion and darkness they will depart,

And find true peace in a purified heart.

My dear Lord, Srila Prabhupada here expresses his confidence in the cure for the infection that afflicts almost the entire world, namely, the modes of passion and ignorance. Both modes distort my consciousness, making the world seem far bigger than you—the source and sustainer of the world.

O supreme guru of the world, how insidious is the influence of the modes. They don’t make me philosophically atheistic, but they do make me functionally atheistic—living as if you do not matter at all. And when I live in this way, I keep craving for things that I can’t attain; even if I attain them, I can’t retain them. Even for the brief time that I can retain them, they don’t retain their capacity to provide me satisfaction. Thus my craving sets me up for lamenting. I end up struggling and suffering in the invisible prison that is life in these modes.

O Supreme Lord, by churning your message my perception begins to clear; my vision is cured of distortion. The more I hear about saintly devotees like Srila Prabhupada, for whom you are the greatest reality, the more you grow bigger and bigger for me. Thus, I find in you shelter, solace, strength, succor, and satisfaction.

I beg you, O Lord, please replace my craving for the world with a longing for you.