BHAGAVAD-GITA 14:7

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 14:7

 

rajo ragatmakam viddhi

trsna-sanga-samudbhavam

tan nibadhnati kaunteya

karma-sangena dehinam

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

rajah--the mode of passion; raga-atmakam--born of desire or lust;

viddhi--know; trsna--with hankering; sanga--association;

samudbhavam--produced of; tat--that; nibadhnati--binds; kaunteya--O

son of Kunti; karma-sangena--by association with fruitive activity;

dehinam--the embodied.

 

TRANSLATION

 

The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, O son

of Kunti, and because of this the embodied living entity is bound to

material fruitive actions.

 

PURPORT

 

The mode of passion is characterized by the attraction between man and

woman. Woman has attraction for man, and man has attraction for woman.

This is called the mode of passion. And when the mode of passion is

increased, one develops the hankering for material enjoyment. He wants

to enjoy sense gratification. For sense gratification, a man in the

mode of passion wants some honor in society, or in the nation, and he

wants to have a happy family, with nice children, wife and house.

These are the products of the mode of passion. As long as one is

hankering after these things, he has to work very hard. Therefore it

is clearly stated here that he becomes associated with the fruits of

his activities and thus becomes bound by such activities. In order to

please his wife, children and society and to keep up his prestige, one

has to work. Therefore, the whole material world is more or less in

the mode of passion. Modern civilization is considered to be advanced

in the standard of the mode of passion. Formerly, the advanced

condition was considered to be in the mode of goodness. If there is no

liberation for those in the mode of goodness, what to speak of those

who are entangled in the mode of passion?

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.