Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 27

Chapter 18 – Moksha Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

रागी कर्मफलप्रेप्सुर्लुब्धो हिंसात्मकोऽशुचिः ।
हर्षशोकान्वितः कर्ता राजसः परिकीर्तितः ॥

Transliteration

rāgī karmaphalaprepsurlubdho hiṃsātmako.aśuciḥ .
harṣaśokānvitaḥ kartā rājasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ ॥

Meaning

The doer who is passionate, eager for the fruits of action, greedy, harmful to others, impure, and swept by joy and sorrow, is declared to be rajasic.

Word meanings

रागी – passionate, attached
कर्मफलप्रेप्सुः – eager for the fruits of action
लुब्धः – greedy
हिंसात्मकः – harmful by nature
अशुचिः – impure
हर्षशोकान्वितः – subject to elation and grief
कर्ता – the doer
राजसः – rajasic
परिकीर्तितः – is declared

Anvaya (word order)

रागी कर्मफलप्रेप्सुः लुब्धः हिंसात्मकः अशुचिः हर्षशोकान्वितः कर्ता राजसः परिकीर्तितः ।

Explanation

The nature of the rajasic doer is the very opposite of the sattvic. His first mark is ragi — he is deeply attached to the action and its outcome. The second is karma-phala-prepsu — every act revolves around the question, 'What will I get out of this?' The third is lubdha — greed. His desires never end; the more he gets, the more he craves. Shankara adds that greed also means being miserly in giving one's own possessions where they ought to be given.

The fourth mark is himsatmaka — to achieve his aims he does not hesitate to hurt others. Crushing rivals, deceiving or exploiting people seems natural to him. The fifth is ashuchi — he is impure within and without; his means and motives are not clean.

The sixth is deeply psychological: harsha-shokanvita — he swings between elation and grief. Success brings exaggerated delight, failure deep dejection. His mind is never steady, because his happiness depends entirely on external results. This is the exact opposite of the sattvic doer's nirvikara, unperturbed, nature.

Reading this portrait, we should look within. In today's commercial world these very traits are often praised as 'ambition'. The Gita warns that such a style of work ultimately brings only restlessness and bondage.

Context

The previous verse described the sattvic doer. This verse describes the rajasic doer. The next verse (18.28) describes the tamasic doer.

Life lesson

If your happiness rests entirely on results, your mind will always ride the swing of elation and dejection. Never harm others to achieve your goals. Try to replace greed with contentment and rivalry with cooperation.

Key terms

Rajasic karta: A doer who is attached, greedy, result-hungry and tossed by joy and sorrow
Ragi: Passionate, attached
Lubdha: Greedy
Himsatmaka: Inclined to harm others
Ashuchi: Impure