Guest guest Posted February 25, 2003 Report Share Posted February 25, 2003 BHAGAVAD-GITA 17:19 mudha-grahenatmano yat pidaya kriyate tapah parasyotsadanartham va tat tamasam udahrtam WORD FOR WORD mudha--foolish; grahena--with endeavor; atmanah--of one's own self; yat--which; pidaya--by torture; kriyate--is performed; tapah--penance; parasya--to others; utsadana-artham--for the sake of causing annihilation; va--or; tat--that; tamasam--in the mode of darkness; udahrtam--is said to be. TRANSLATION Penance performed out of foolishness, with self-torture or to destroy or injure others, is said to be in the mode of ignorance. PURPORT There are instances of foolish penance undertaken by demons like Hiranyakasipu, who performed austere penances to become immortal and kill the demigods. He prayed to Brahma for such things, but ultimately he was killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To undergo penances for something which is impossible is certainly in the mode of ignorance. Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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