Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (119 page)

rāgī karma-phala-prepsur

lubdho hiṁsātmako 'śuciḥ

harṣa-śokānvitaḥ kartā

rājasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ

SYNONYMS

rāgī-
very much attached;
karma-phala-
to the fruit of the work;
prepsuḥ-
desiring;
lubdhaḥ-
greedy;
hiṁsā-ātmakaḥ-
and always envious;
aśuciḥ
-unclean;
harṣa-śoka-anvitaḥ-
complicated, with joy and sorrow;
kartā-
such a worker;
rājasaḥ-
in the mode of passion;
parikīrtitaḥ-
is declared.

TRANSLATION

But that worker who is attached to the fruits of his labor and who passionately wants to enjoy them, who is greedy, envious and impure and moved by happiness and distress, is a worker in the mode of passion.

PURPORT

A person is too much attached to certain kind of work or to the result because he has too much attachment for materialism or hearth and home, wife and children. Such a person has no desire for higher elevation of life. He is simply concerned with making this world as materially comfortable as possible. He is generally very greedy, and he thinks that anything attained by him is permanent and never to be lost. Such a person is envious of others and prepared to do anything wrong for sense gratification. Therefore such a person is unclean, and he does not care whether his earning is pure or impure. He is very happy if his work is successful and very much distressed when his work is not successful. Such is a man in the mode of passion.

Bg 18.28

TEXT 28

TEXT

ayuktaḥ prākṛtaḥ stabdhaḥ

śaṭho naiṣkṛtiko 'lasaḥ

viṣādī dīrgha-sūtrī ca

kartā tāmasa ucyate

SYNONYMS

ayuktaḥ
-without reference to the scriptural injunctions;
prākṛtaḥ-
materialistic;
stabdhaḥ-
obstinate;
śaṭhaḥ-
deceitful;
naiṣkṛtikaḥ-
expert in insulting others;
alasaḥ-
lazy;
viṣādī-
morose;
dīrgha-sūtrī-
procrastinating;
ca-
also;
kartā-
worker;
tāmasaḥ
-in the mode of ignorance;
ucyate
-is said to be.

TRANSLATION

And that worker who is always engaged in work against the injunction of the scripture, who is materialistic, obstinate, cheating and expert in insulting others, who is lazy, always morose and procrastinating, is a worker in the mode of ignorance.

PURPORT

In the scriptural injunctions we find what sort of work should be performed and what sort of work should not be performed. Those who do not care for those injunctions engage in work not to be done, and such persons are generally materialistic. They work according to the modes of nature, not according to the injunctions of the scripture. Such workers are not very gentle, and generally they are always cunning and expert in insulting others. They are very lazy; even though they have some duty, they do not do it properly, and they put it aside to be done later on. Therefore they appear to be morose. They procrastinate; anything which can be done in an hour they drag on for years. Such workers are situated in the mode of ignorance.

Bg 18.29

TEXT 29

TEXT

buddher bhedaṁ dhṛteś caiva

guṇatas tri-vidhaṁ śṛṇu

procyamānam aśeṣeṇa

pṛthaktvena dhanañjaya

SYNONYMS

buddheḥ-
of intelligence;
bhedam-
differences;
dhṛteḥ-
of steadiness;
ca-
also;
eva-
certainly;
guṇataḥ-
by the modes of material nature;
tri-vidham-
the three kinds of;
śṛṇu
-just hear;
procyamānam-
as described by Me;
aśeṣeṇa
-in detail;
pṛthaktvena
-differently;
dhanañjaya-
O winner of wealth.

TRANSLATION

Now, O winner of wealth, please listen as I tell you in detail of the three kinds of understanding and determination according to the three modes of nature.

PURPORT

Now after explaining knowledge, the object of knowledge and the knower, in three different divisions according to modes of material nature, the Lord is explaining the intelligence and determination of the worker in the same way.

Bg 18.30

TEXT 30

TEXT

pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca

kāryākārye bhayābhaye

bandhaṁ mokṣaṁ ca yā vetti

buddhiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī

SYNONYMS

pravṛttim-
deserving;
ca-
also;
nivṛttim-
not deserving;
kārya-
work;
akārye-
reaction;
bhaya-
fearful;
abhaye-
fearlessness;
bandham-
obligation;
mokṣam ca-
and liberation;
yā
-that which;
vetti-
knows;
buddhiḥ-
understanding;
sā
-that;
pārtha
-O son of Pṛthā;
sāttvikī
-in the mode of goodness.

TRANSLATION

O son of Pṛthā, that understanding by which one knows what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, what is to be feared and what is not to be feared, what is binding and what is liberating, that understanding is established in the mode of goodness.

PURPORT

Actions which are performed in terms of the directions of the scriptures are called
pravṛtti,
or actions that deserve to be performed, and actions which are not so directed are not to be performed. One who does not know the scriptural directions becomes entangled in the actions and reactions of work. Understanding which discriminates by intelligence is situated in the mode of goodness.

Bg 18.31

TEXT 31

TEXT

yayā dharmam adharmaṁ ca

kāryaṁ cākāryam eva ca

ayathāvat prajānāti

buddhiḥ sā pārtha rājasī

SYNONYMS

yayā-
by which;
dharmam-
principles of religion;
adharmam ca
-and irreligion;
kāryam
-work;
ca-
also;
akāryam
-what ought not to be done;
eva-certainly;
ca
-also;
ayathāvat
-not perfectly;
prajānati-
knows;
buddhiḥ-
intelligence;
sā
-that;
pārtha
-O son of Pṛthā;
rājasī-
in the mode of passion.

TRANSLATION

And that understanding which cannot distinguish between the religious way of life and the irreligious, between action that should be done and action that should not be done, that imperfect understanding, O son of Pṛthā, is in the mode of passion.

PURPORT

Intelligence in the mode of passion is always working perversely. It accepts religions which are not actually religions and rejects actual religion. All views and activities are misguided. Men of passionate intelligence understand a great soul to be a common man and accept a common man as a great soul. They think truth to be untruth and accept untruth as truth. In all activities they simply take the wrong path; therefore their intelligence is in the mode of passion.

Bg 18.32

TEXT 32

TEXT

adharmaṁ dharmam iti yā

manyate tamasāvṛtā

sarvārthān viparītāṁś ca

buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī

SYNONYMS

adharmam-
irreligion;
dharmam-
religion;
iti-
thus;
yā
-which;
manyate-
thinks;
tamasā-
by illusion;
āvṛtā
-covered;
sarva-arthān-
all things;
viparītān-
the wrong direction;
ca-
also;
buddhiḥ-
intelligence;
sa-
that;
pārtha
-O son of Pṛthā;
tāmasī-
the mode of ignorance.

TRANSLATION

That understanding which considers irreligion to be religion and religion to be irreligion, under the spell of illusion and darkness, and strives always in the wrong direction, O Pārtha, is in the mode of ignorance.

Bg 18.33

TEXT 33

TEXT

dhṛtyā yayā dhārayate

manaḥ-prāṇendriya-kriyāḥ

yogenāvyabhicāriṇyā

dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī

SYNONYMS

dhṛtyā-
determination;
yayā-
by which;
dhārayate-
is sustained;
manaḥ-
mind;
prāṇa-
life;
indriya-
senses;
kriyāḥ
-activities;
yogena-
by
yoga
practice;
avyabhicāriṇyā-
without any break;
dhṛtiḥ-
such determination;
sā
-that;
pārtha
-O son of Pṛthā;
sāttvikī-
in the mode of goodness.

TRANSLATION

O son of Pṛthā, that determination which is unbreakable, which is sustained with steadfastness by yoga practice, and thus controls the mind, life, and the acts of the senses, is in the mode of goodness.

PURPORT

Yoga
is a means to understand the Supreme Soul. One who is steadily fixed in the Supreme Soul with determination, concentrating one's mind, life and sensual activities on the Supreme, engages in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That sort of determination is in the mode of goodness. The word
avyabhicāriṇya
is very significant, for it refers to persons who are engaged
in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and are never deviated by any other activity.

Bg 18.34

TEXT 34

TEXT

yayā tu dharma-kāmārthān

dhṛtyā dhārayate 'rjuna

prasaṅgena phalākāṅkṣī

dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha rājasī

SYNONYMS

yayā
-by which;
tu
-but;
dharma-kāma-arthān-
for religiosity and economic development;
dhṛtyā-
by determination;
dhārayate-
in such terms;
arjuna
-O Arjuna;
prasaṅgena-
for that;
phala-ākāṅkṣī
-desiring fruitive result;
dhṛtiḥ-
determination;
sā
-that;
pārtha-
O son of Pṛthā;
rājasī
-in the mode of passion.

TRANSLATION

And that determination by which one holds fast to fruitive result in religion, economic development and sense gratification is of the nature of passion, O Arjuna.

PURPORT

Any person who is always desirous of fruitive results in religious or economic activities, whose only desire is sense gratification, and whose mind, life and senses are thus engaged, is in the mode of passion.

Bg 18.35

TEXT 35

TEXT

yayā svapnaṁ bhayaṁ śokaṁ

viṣādaṁ madam eva ca

na vimuñcati durmedhā

dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī

SYNONYMS

yayā
-by which;
svapnam
-dream;
bhayam-
fearfulness;
śokam-
lamentation;
viṣādam-
moroseness;
madam
-illusion;
eva
-certainly;
ca-
also;
na
-never;
vimuñcati-
is liberated;
durmedhāḥ
-unintelligent;
dhṛtiḥ-
determination;
sā
-that;
pārtha
-O son of Pṛthā;
tāmasī
-in the mode of ignorance.

TRANSLATION

And that determination which cannot go beyond dreaming, fearfulness, lamentation, moroseness, and illusion-such unintelligent determination is in the mode of darkness.

PURPORT

It should not be concluded that a person in the mode of goodness does not dream. Here dream means too much sleep. Dream is always present; either in the mode of goodness, passion or ignorance, dream is a natural occurrence. But those who cannot avoid oversleeping, who cannot avoid the pride of enjoying material objects and who are always dreaming of lording it over the material world, whose life, mind, and senses are thus engaged, are considered to be in the mode of ignorance.

Bg 18.36, Bg 18.37, Bg 18.36-37

TEXTS 36-37

TEXT

sukhaṁ tv idānīṁ tri-vidhaṁ

śṛṇu me bharatarṣabha

abhyāsād ramate yatra

duḥkhāntaṁ ca nigacchati

pariṇāme 'mṛtopamam

tat sukhaṁ sāttvikaṁ proktam

ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam

sukham-
happiness;
tu-
but;
idānīm-
now;
tri-vidham-
three kinds;
śṛṇu
-hear;
me-
from Me;
bharatarṣabha
-O best amongst the Bhāratas;
abhyāsāt-
by practice;
ramate-
enjoyer;
yatra-
where;
duḥkha-
distress;
antam-
end;
ca-
also;
nigacchati-
gains;
yat-
that which;
tat-
that;
agre-
in the beginning;
viṣam iva-
like poison;
pariṇāme-
at the end;
amṛta-
nectar;
upamam-
compared to;
tat-
that;
sukham-
happiness;
sāttvikam-
in the mode of goodness;
proktam-
is said;
ātma-
self;
buddhi-
intelligence;
prasāda-jam-
satisfactory.