Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14, Verse 12 (BG 14.12) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

14.12 लोभः greed? प्रवृत्तिः activity? आरम्भः the undertaking? कर्मणाम् of actions? अशमः restlessness? स्पृहा longing? रजसि in Rajas? एतानि these? जायन्ते arise? विवृद्धे having become predominant? भरतर्षभ O best of the Bharatas (or O Lord of the Bharatas).Commentary Greed Covetousness Desire to appropriate the property of others a desire to possess more wealth though one has sufficient already.Pravritti Action in general.Asamah Restlessness being agitated by joy? attachment? etc. I will do this and then I wil take up that action. After finishing the second? I will take up the third? and so on. There is no end to the continuity of desire? will and action. This is called Asama or restlessness.Spriha Thirsting or longing for all sensual objects in general.These are the characteristic marks that indicate that Rajas is predominant.Do not mistake Rajasic restlessness or Rajasic movements for Karma Yoga or divine activity. People may say that they are doing selfless service to the world? but if you analyse their motives,there will be the taint of personal desire in some form or other. Many persons cannot sit iet even for a moment. They think that moving about here and there or doing some action or other is to full of life. The Yogi or sage who sits still by calming the mind? who does nothing at all physically? is the most active man in the whole world whereas the man who runs here and there and who is always very busy does nothing at all. This may be paradoxical to you. Very few can comprehend the truth of this statement. Sattva is intense activity. A wheel that revolves very rapidly appears to be at rest. So is Sattva. So is a Sattvic man.

Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

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

Modern

Here is the English translation of the meaning: In verse 14.12, the Blessed Lord Sri Krishna enumerates the principal characteristics of the rajasic quality. In the sequence in which they are presented, we observe that each successive characteristic arises from the preceding one. The desire for the possessions of others is called greed, which is never satisfied. When greed takes hold of a person, he becomes driven by impulse—that is, he becomes active and restless, unable to remain at peace. When greed becomes excessive, all his actions become self-centered, which is what is indicated here by the word "beginning of actions." A person enslaved by selfishness and greed cannot attain peace or tranquility. Sri Shankaracharya explains the word "restlessness" as the tendency toward joy and attachment. This means that such a person is constantly oscillating between elation and despair upon gaining or losing what he desires and dislikes. How can peace come to him in such a state? He finds himself, as a result of his own actions, in a condition that increasingly propels him toward cruelty, base immorality, and crimes such as murder, which shatter his inner peace. Overwhelmed by the rajasic quality, this person also falls under the sway of longing—the craving for sensory gratification. This endless desire to acquire unobtained things and gains is called longing. In summary, under the influence of the affliction born of the rajasic quality, our mental personality is tormented by its own restless tendencies, which express themselves as endless schemes, exhausting actions, distressing desires, painful cravings, maddening greed, and anguished agitation. When such a person acts in society, his suffering does not remain confined to him alone; rather, like a contagion, it afflicts thousands of people around him.