Sanskrit
लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारंभः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा । रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ॥
lobhaḥ pravṛttir ārambhaḥ karmaṇām aśamaḥ spṛhā rajasy etāni jāyante vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha
Translation
Greed, outgoing energy, undertaking of actions, restlessness, desire—these are born of the increase of Motion, O best of the Bhâratas.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The second diagnostic sign: rajas increasing shows up as greed, outward energy, the compulsive starting of new undertakings, restlessness, desire. It’s the same profile as verse 7’s definition of rajas — craving and attachment to action — now given as symptoms a person could actually notice arising in themselves, rather than as a root-cause description. The rajas signature: lobha (greed), pravṛtti (compulsive activity), ārambha (starting things), aśama (no rest), spṛhā (longing). The felt experience of an over-busy, acquisitive mind — one that cannot sit still. Its fruit, per BG 14.16, is duḥkha, pain.
Study deeper
Word by word
- lobhaḥ pravṛttir ārambhaḥलोभः प्रवृत्तिः आरंभः
- greed, activity, undertaking (lobhaḥ + pravṛttiḥ + ārambhaḥ)
- karmaṇām aśamaḥ spṛhāकर्मणां अशमः स्पृहा
- of works, unrest, longing (karmaṇām + aśamaḥ + spṛhā)
- rajasy etāni jāyanteरजस्य् एतानि जायन्ते
- these arise when rajas (rajasi + etāni + jāyante)
- vivṛddhe bharatarṣabhaविवृद्धे भरतर्षभ
- has grown strong, O bull of the Bharatas (vivṛddhe + bharata-ṛṣabha)
Commentary
Site Commentary
Read against a modern lens, this list of rajas’s symptoms — greed, outward energy, launching new undertakings, restlessness, craving — is almost a description of what a hard-charging culture calls ambition. The verse doesn’t treat any of that as automatically admirable; it names it as a diagnostic of a mind currently bound, regardless of how productive the output looks from the outside.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- Don't mistake restless energy and constant new undertakings for proof you're thriving — this verse names exactly that pattern as a sign of being bound by craving, not a virtue, however productive it looks from outside.
Professional
- Be cautious about rewarding relentless activity and constant new initiatives as a proxy for good performance — this verse's list is a near-exact match for what looks like ambition, yet it's describing a mind driven by craving rather than by clear direction.
Family & Social
- If someone close to you is always starting something new and never sitting still, don't assume that's simply drive worth admiring — check whether it's restlessness and craving wearing the costume of energy, and whether they'd actually welcome being asked.
Ask yourself
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