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BG 16.12 — 16.12 Bound by a hundred ties of hope, given over to lust and anger, they strive to obtain by unlawful means hoards to wealth for sensual enjoyments.
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आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः |
ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान् ||१६-१२||

āśāpāśaśatairbaddhāḥ kāmakrodhaparāyaṇāḥ . īhante kāmabhogārthamanyāyenārthasañcayān ||16-12||


16.12 Bound by a hundred ties of hope, given over to lust and anger, they strive to obtain by unlawful means hoards to wealth for sensual enjoyments.

Word-by-word meanings

16.12 आशापाशशतैः by a hundred ties of hope? बद्धाः bound? कामक्रोधपरायणाः given over to lust and anger? ईहन्ते (they) strive (to attain)? कामभोगार्थम् for sensual enjoyment? अन्यायेन by unlawful means? अर्थसञ्चयान् hoards of wealth.Commentary They murder people and rob them of their wealth in order to have sensual enjoyments. They amass wealth for sensepleasure only? but not for doing righteous actions. They have no mercy. They are very cruel. They are held in bondage by a hundred ties of expect

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Sri Shankaracharya

16.12 Baddhah, bound, being impelled, being lured from all sides; asa-pasa-sataih, by hundreds of shackles in the from of hope-the hopes themselves are the shackles; by hundreds of these; kama-krodha-parayanah, giving themselves wholly to passion and anger, having passion and anger as their highest resort; ihante, they endeavour; artha-sancayan, to amass wealth; anyayena, through foul means, i.e. by stealing others' wealth, etc.; kama-bhoga-artham, for the enjoyment of desirable objects-in order to enjoy desirable objects, not for righteous acts. Their intentions, too, are of this kind:

(Showing excerpt)

Swami Gambirananda

16.12 Bound by hundreds of shackles in the form of hope, giving themselves wholly to passion and anger, they endeavour to amass wealth through foul means for the enjoyment of desirable objects.

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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