Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16, Verse 11

Chapter 16 – Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

चिन्तामपरिमेयां च प्रलयान्तामुपाश्रिताः ।
कामोपभोगपरमा एतावदिति निश्चिताः ॥

Transliteration

cintāmaparimeyāṃ ca pralayāntāmupāśritāḥ .
kāmopabhogaparamā etāvaditi niścitāḥ ॥

Meaning

Beset by countless anxieties that end only with death, regarding the gratification of desire as the highest goal, and convinced that this is all there is;

Word meanings

चिन्ताम् – anxiety, care
अपरिमेयाम् – immeasurable, countless
च – and
प्रलयान्ताम् – ending only with death
उपाश्रिताः – given over to, beset by
कामोपभोगपरमाः – regarding gratification of desire as supreme
एतावत् – this much (is all)
इति – thus
निश्चिताः – convinced

Anvaya (word order)

(ते) प्रलयान्ताम् अपरिमेयां चिन्ताम् उपाश्रिताः च, कामोपभोगपरमाः, एतावत् (एव सुखम्) इति निश्चिताः (भवन्ति) ।

Explanation

This verse offers a deeply perceptive psychological portrait of the demonic life. The person who regards pleasure as everything is not happy at all but is surrounded by aparimeya chinta, countless, immeasurable anxieties. And these anxieties are pralayanta: they last until death.

Why anxiety? Because one who rests his happiness on material things and enjoyments must worry about obtaining them, worry about keeping them, and live in fear of losing them. The more one accumulates, the more there is to worry about. It is a cruel irony that the very effort made for happiness becomes the cause of misery.

Kamopabhoga-paramah: for them sense-enjoyment is the supreme goal of life. Etavad iti nishchitah: they are firmly convinced that 'this much is all', that there is nothing beyond this life and its pleasures. This conviction itself prevents them from ever seeking a deeper truth.

The verse is especially relevant today. In a culture that treats consumption as the measure of success, people can possess everything and yet suffer growing anxiety, stress and sleeplessness. The Gita locates the cause not outside us but in the goal we have chosen.

Context

The previous verse described the desires and impure resolves of the demonic; this verse describes their endless anxieties and their conviction that pleasure is everything. The next verse shows how they amass wealth by unjust means to serve this end.

Life lesson

Happiness that rests only on possessions brings endless anxiety with it. Keep the goal of your life higher than pleasure; only then does the mind find real peace.

Key terms

Aparimeya chinta: Immeasurable, countless anxieties
Pralayanta: Lasting until death
Kamopabhoga-parama: One who holds sense-gratification to be the highest goal