Speaker: Śrī Kṛṣṇa
अनुबन्धं क्षयं हिंसामनपेक्ष्य च पौरुषम् ।
मोहादारभ्यते कर्म यत्तत्तामसमुच्यते ॥२५॥
anubandhaṁ kṣayaṁ hiṁsām
anapekṣya ca pauruṣam
mohād ārabhyate karma
yat tat tāmasam ucyate
Word for word (synonyms)
- anubandham
- future bondage
- kṣayam
- distracted
- hiṁsām
- violence
- anapekṣya
- without consideration of consequences
- ca
- also
- pauruṣam
- distressing to others
- mohāt
- by illusion
- ārabhyate
- begun
- karma
- work
- yat
- that
- tat
- which
- tāmasam
- in the mode of ignorance
- ucyate
- is said to be
Translation
And that action performed in ignorance and delusion without consideration of future bondage or consequences, which inflicts injury and is impractical, is said to be action in the mode of ignorance.
Purport
One has to give account of one's actions to the state or to the agents of the Supreme Lord called the Yamadūtas. Irresponsible work is distraction because it destroys the regulative principles of scriptural injunction. It is often based on violence and is distressing to other living entities. Such irresponsible work is carried out in the light of one's personal experience. This is called illusion. And all such illusory work is a product of the mode of ignorance.
What this verse teaches
Work (karma) in three modes
| Goodness | Passion | Ignorance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action | performed without attachment, without love or hate, by one who has renounced fruitive results 18.23 | performed with great effort by one seeking to gratify his desires 18.24 | performed in ignorance and delusion without consideration of future bondage or consequences 18.25 |
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.