BHAGAVAD-GITA 16:11-12

[Guest guest]

BHAGAVAD-GITA 16:11-12

 

cintam aparimeyam ca

pralayantam upasritah

kamopabhoga-parama

etavad iti niscitah

 

asa-pasa-satair baddhah

kama-krodha-parayanah

ihante kama-bhogartham

anyayenartha-sancayan

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

cintam--fears and anxieties; aparimeyam--immeasurable; ca--and;

pralaya-antam--unto the point of death; upasritah--having taken

shelter of; kama-upabhoga--sense gratification; paramah--the highest

goal of life; etavat--thus; iti--in this way; niscitah--having

ascertained; asa-pasa--entanglements in a network of hope; sataih--by

hundreds; baddhah--being bound; kama--of lust; krodha--and anger;

parayanah--always situated in the mentality; ihante--they desire;

kama--lust; bhoga--sense enjoyment; artham--for the purpose of;

anyayena--illegally; artha--of wealth; sancayan--accumulation.

 

TRANSLATION

 

They believe that to gratify the senses is the prime necessity of

human civilization. Thus until the end of life their anxiety is

immeasurable. Bound by a network of hundreds of thousands of desires

and absorbed in lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for

sense gratification.

 

PURPORT

 

The demoniac accept that the enjoyment of the senses is the ultimate

goal of life, and this concept they maintain until death. They do not

believe in life after death, and they do not believe that one takes on

different types of bodies according to one's karma, or activities in

this world. Their plans for life are never finished, and they go on

preparing plan after plan, all of which are never finished. We have

personal experience of a person of such demoniac mentality who, even

at the point of death, was requesting the physician to prolong his

life for four years more because his plans were not yet complete. Such

foolish people do not know that a physician cannot prolong life even

for a moment. When the notice is there, there is no consideration of

the man's desire. The laws of nature do not allow a second beyond what

one is destined to enjoy.

 

The demoniac person, who has no faith in God or the Supersoul within

himself, performs all kinds of sinful activities simply for sense

gratification. He does not know that there is a witness sitting within

his heart. The Supersoul is observing the activities of the individual

soul. As it is stated in the Upanisads, there are two birds sitting in

one tree; one is acting and enjoying or suffering the fruits of the

branches, and the other is witnessing. But one who is demoniac has no

knowledge of Vedic scripture, nor has he any faith; therefore he feels

free to do anything for sense enjoyment, regardless of the

consequences.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.