Srimad Bhagavad-Gita : Chapter-18, Slokam - 31.

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Friday, August 12. 2022. 07:30. 

Chapter-18.  Moksha-sannyasa-yogam.

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Slokam - 31 :

"Yaya    dharmamadharmam    ca    karyam   cakaryameva   ca,

ayathavat   prajanati    buddhih    sa    partha   rajasi."

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Translation 1.

Slokam-31. "And that understanding which cannot distinguish between the religious way of life and the irreligious, between action that should be done and action that should not be done, that imperfect understanding, O Arjuna! is in the mode of passion."

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Translation 2.

Partha  yaya   =   Arjuna!  by  which  buddhi  ( intellect );

dharmam   adharmaṁ   ca    =  of  dharma  and  adharma;

karyam   ca  akaryam   eva    ca   =   about  to  do  and / ( or )   not  to  do;

ayathavat   prajanati   =   knows  not  perfect  (   a  mistake );

sa  buddhih   rajasi  =   that  buddhi  is  rajasa  buddhi.

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Commentary :

Here Lord Krishna explains that the buddhi or intellect of those who have erroneous conceptions of theism and atheism and do not comprehend what is righteousness and what is unrighteousness and what they entail and have no understanding of what should be done and what should not be done according to time, place and circumstance assuming wrongly what they think they know is incorrect are situated in raja guna the mode of passion.

Here Lord Krishna explains that the buddhi or intellect of those situated in raja guna the mode of passion are unable to discern between the two types of dharma or righteousness given in the previous verse or their opposite of adharma or unrighteousness which subjects one to inappropriate actions according to time, place and circumstances.

Here Lord Krishna explains that buddhi or intellect of one situated in raja guna the mode of passion distorts reality and misunderstands what is right and what is wrong, what should be done and what should not be done. Performing action at the wrong time, in the wrong place, in the wrong way.

What is prohibited they engage in and what is ordained they abstain from.

Deviation in the performance of prescribed Vedic activities or concocting additions to them is against the injunctions of the Vedic scriptures. They along with abstaining from performing prescribed Vedic activities are undeniably situated in raja guna the mode of passion. 

Intelligence in the mode of passion is always working perversely. It accepts religions which are not actually religions and rejects actual religion. All views and activities are misguided. Men of passionate intelligence understand a great soul to be a common man and accept a common man as a great soul. They think truth to be untruth and accept untruth as truth. In all activities they simply take the wrong path; therefore their intelligence is in the mode of passion.

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To be continued .....

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