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Bhagavad Gita 14.12

Chapter 14, Verse 12

Part of 14: Guṇa Traya Vibhāg Yogगुणत्रयविभागयोग

लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा।रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ॥

Transliteration

lobhaḥ pravṛittir ārambhaḥ karmaṇām aśhamaḥ spṛihā rajasy etāni jāyante vivṛiddhe bharatarṣhabha

Meaning

Greed, activity, the undertaking of actions, restlessness, and longing—these arise when Rajas is predominant, O Arjuna.

Word-by-word meaning
lobhaḥgreedpravṛittiḥactivityārambhaḥexertionkarmaṇāmfor fruitive actionsaśhamaḥrestlessnessspṛihācravingrajasiof the mode of passionetānithesejāyantedevelopvivṛiddhewhen predominatesbharata-ṛiṣhabhathe best of the Bharatas, Arjun
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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the meaning of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14, Verse 12?
Greed, activity, the undertaking of actions, restlessness, and longing—these arise when Rajas is predominant, O Arjuna.
Which chapter and verse of the Bhagavad Gita is this?
This is verse 12 of Chapter 14 (Guṇa Traya Vibhāg Yog — Yoga through Understanding the Three Modes of Material Nature) of the Bhagavad Gita, a scripture of 18 chapters and 700 verses spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna.