Yoga through Understanding the Three Modes of Material Nature
Verse 14.12
लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा।रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ।।14.12।।
lobhaḥ pravṛittir ārambhaḥ karmaṇām aśhamaḥ spṛihā rajasy etāni jāyante vivṛiddhe bharatarṣhabha
Word Meanings
lobhaḥ—greed; pravṛittiḥ—activity; ārambhaḥ—exertion; karmaṇām—for fruitive actions; aśhamaḥ—restlessness; spṛihā—craving; rajasi—of the mode of passion; etāni—these; jāyante—develop; vivṛiddhe—when predominates; bharata-ṛiṣhabha—the best of the Bharatas, Arjun;
Translation · English
Greed, activity, the undertaking of actions, restlessness, and longing—these arise when Rajas is predominant, O Arjuna.
Deep Meaning · English
In this verse, Lord Krishna delineates the psychological architecture of Rajas Guna, the mode of passion. Beyond simple worldly greed, this state represents the fundamental restlessness of the soul that has forgotten its restful abode in the Divine. It is a state of perpetual projection where the jiva, distracted by the lure of external objects, expends its vital energy in endless outward pursuits, fueled by a deep-seated inner hunger that can never be satiated by material acquisition. The mode of passion is the restless engine of samsara, the wheel of birth and death, which compels the seeker to mistake movement for progress and accumulation for fulfillment. By identifying these symptoms—greed, restless activity, and craving—Krishna invites Arjuna, and by extension every spiritual seeker, to recognize the internal turbulence that prevents the mind from settling into the tranquility of sattva or the transcendence of gunatita. This verse acts as a diagnostic mirror, allowing one to observe the 'Rajasic' fever that dominates modern existence, where the ego is constantly 'beginning' new projects to fill an existential void that only the Absolute can satisfy. Understanding this is not merely a psychological exercise but a devotional prerequisite, as it helps the practitioner disentangle their consciousness from the feverish grasp of desire, eventually leading them toward the peace of self-surrender.
The mode of passion is a state of spiritual dehydration where the soul mistakenly tries to quench its infinite thirst with the finite waters of worldly pursuit.
Connected Verses
It illustrates the extreme fruition of the Rajasic state, where one seeks to amass wealth through unlawful means to satisfy insatiable cravings.
It summarizes the result of the mode of passion, showing how it leads to misery, whereas Sattva leads to knowledge and Tamas to ignorance.
It identifies desire and anger—both products of the mode of passion—as the primary enemies that shroud the wisdom of the soul.
This verse describes how the intellect is carried away by attachment to pleasure and material power, echoing the restlessness born of Rajas.
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