Let my mind, a wanderer, become a pilgrim

sadā me manasy āvirāstāṁ kim anyaiḥ

May this fair form within me stay,
Through all of life, by night and day.
What need have I for boons apart,
When you reside within my heart?

(Damodarashtakam — Verse 4, Line 4)

My dear Lord, my mind is restless, constantly spinning from one object to another. To stop its spinning, please help me change what fuels its spin—its conceptions of gain and loss, pleasure and pain, desirable and undesirable. What it calls gain—or even great gain—may be trivial, and what seems small may be truly sublime.

Bless me, O merciful Lord, with the intelligence to realize that my mind’s valuations often oppose reality—seeing worth where there is none and missing it where it truly lies. Empower me to change my mind’s valuations through the purificatory practices of bhakti.

During my bhakti practice, O Almighty Lord, let me take inspiration from the spiritual experiences of the great saints. When I behold or even read about saints rejoicing in the immense ecstasy of their intimate absorption in your immeasurable beauty, may I receive even a drop of that joy. And may such glimpses inspire me—and more importantly, my mind—to become a pilgrim: firm and faithful on my journey toward you.

Till finally, O Lord of my heart, my restless mind finds rest forever in your glory, your beauty, your love. Indeed, you become the home for my mind.