Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17, Verse 5

Chapter 17 – Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जनाः ।
दम्भाहंकारसंयुक्ताः कामरागबलान्विताः ॥

Transliteration

aśāstravihitaṃ ghoraṃ tapyante ye tapo janāḥ .
dambhāhaṃkārasaṃyuktāḥ kāmarāgabalānvitāḥ ॥

Meaning

Those who practise terrible austerities not sanctioned by scripture, full of hypocrisy and egoism, driven by the force of desire and attachment —

Word meanings

अशास्त्रविहितम् – not sanctioned by scripture
घोरम् – terrible, severe
तप्यन्ते – practise (austerity)
ये – who
तपः – austerity
जनाः – people
दम्भाहङ्कारसंयुक्ताः – full of hypocrisy and egoism
कामरागबलान्विताः – impelled by desire, attachment and (pride of) strength

Anvaya (word order)

ये जनाः दम्भाहङ्कारसंयुक्ताः कामरागबलान्विताः अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तपः तप्यन्ते —

Explanation

In the previous verse Krishna spoke of those who worship with some kind of faith even without scriptural guidance. Now He describes those who go further and practise ghora tapas, 'terrible austerities', contrary to scripture. This verse and the next form a single sentence.

Ashastra-vihitam ghoram tapah: severe austerity not prescribed in scripture, such as destroying the body through needlessly prolonged fasting, injuring one's limbs, torturing the body in harsh weather, or other practices undertaken for display or out of sheer obstinacy. The Gita has already said in Chapter 6 that yoga is not for one who eats too much nor for one who does not eat at all (6.16); balance and restraint are true austerity.

What drives such austerity? Dambhahankara-samyuktah: hypocrisy, doing it to be seen, and egoism, the feeling 'what a great ascetic I am'. Kama-raga-balanvitah: kama, the desire for a particular reward or power; raga, attachment to that reward; and bala, pride in one's strength or the craving for power over others.

Such austerity looks like renunciation from outside, but inside it is full of ego and desire. Instead of being a means of self-purification, it becomes just another form of ego. In the next verse Krishna gives its result.

Context

The previous verse named the objects of worship of the three types of people; here begins the description of those who practise terrible austerities against scripture, completed in the next verse.

Life lesson

Torturing the body or performing harsh vows for show is not austerity but another form of ego. True austerity is practised with restraint, balance and a pure motive.

Key terms

Ashastra-vihita tapas: Austerity not sanctioned by scripture, arbitrary self-mortification
Ghora tapas: Terrible austerity that needlessly torments the body
Kama-raga-bala: Desire, attachment and pride of strength