Bhagavad-gītā 16.11–12

Explain simply

Speaker: Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Verses 11 to 12 are read together as one text.

चिन्तामपरिमेयां च प्रलयान्तामुपाश्रिताः ।
कामोपभोगपरमा एतावदिति निश्चिताः ॥११॥
आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः ।
ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान् ॥१२॥

cintām aparimeyāṁ ca
pralayāntām upāśritāḥ
kāmopabhoga-paramā
etāvad iti niścitāḥ

āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ
kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ
īhante kāma-bhogārtham
anyāyenārtha-sañcayān

Word for word (synonyms)

cintām
fears and anxieties
aparimeyām
unmeasurable
ca
and
pralaya-antām
unto the point of death
upāśritāḥ
having taken shelter of them
kāma-upabhoga
sense gratification
paramāḥ
the highest goal of life
etāvat
thus
iti
in this way
niścitāḥ
ascertain
āśā-pāśa
entanglement in the network of hope
śataiḥ
by hundreds
baddhāḥ
being bound
kāma
lust
krodha
anger
parāyaṇāḥ
always situated in that mentality
īhante
desire
kāma
lust
bhoga
sense enjoyment
artham
for that purpose
anyāyena
illegally
artha
wealth
sañcayān
accumulate

Translation

They believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their anxiety. Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.

Purport

The demoniac accept that the enjoyment of the senses is the ultimate goal of life, and this concept they maintain until death. They do not believe in life after death, and they do not believe that one takes on different types of bodies according to one's karma, or activities in this world. Their plans for life are never finished, and they go on preparing plan after plan, all of which are never finished. We have personal experience of a person of such demoniac mentality, who, even at the point of death, was requesting the physician to prolong his life for four years more because his plans were not yet complete. Such foolish people do not know that a physician cannot prolong life even for a moment. When the notice is there, there is no consideration of the man's desire. The laws of nature do not allow a second beyond what one is destined to enjoy.

The demoniac person, who has no faith in God or the Supersoul within himself, performs all kinds of sinful activities simply for sense gratification. He does not know that there is a witness sitting within his heart. The Supersoul is observing the activities of the individual soul. As it is stated in the Vedic literature, the Upaniṣads, there are two birds sitting in one tree; the one is acting and enjoying or suffering the fruits of the branches, and the other is witnessing. But one who is demoniac has no knowledge of Vedic scripture, nor has he any faith; therefore he feels free to do anything for sense enjoyment, regardless of the consequences.

What this verse teaches

Attitude

Engagement

In thematic compilations 1

The Five Topics

  • The jīva is entrapped in this world due to material desires and material work born of their nature (7.27, 16.12, 14.6, 18.60)
Śrīla Prabhupāda lectures 2

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.