Chapter 14Verse 12 of 27

Bhagavad Gita 14.12

लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा । रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ॥ १२ ॥

lobhaḥ pravṛttir ārambhaḥ karmaṇām aśamaḥ spṛhā | rajasy etāni jāyante vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha ||12||

Translation

Greed, activity, undertaking of actions, restlessness, longing—these arise when rajas has increased, O best of Bharatas.

The rajasic signature is five-fold. Lobha, that grasping reach for more. Pravritti, going-out, the pull away from rest into engagement. Arambha, taking up new actions, often before old ones are finished. Ashama, an unsettledness that cannot sit still. Spriha, longing aimed at distant objects. A mind in which these five flare together is a rajas-heavy mind. The verse offers the diagnosis without judgement. It is not bad to be rajasic; it is honest to know one is. Many of the day's misjudgements are rajasic decisions taken in rajasic mood. Recognition is the first edit.

Reflection

Which of greed, activity, undertaking, restlessness, or longing is most familiar in your week?

Read this verse in its chapter: Chapter Fourteen

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