Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9, Verse 12

Chapter 9 – Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

मोघाशा मोघकर्माणो मोघज्ञाना विचेतसः ।
राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिताः ॥

Transliteration

moghāśā moghakarmāṇo moghajñānā vicetasaḥ .
rākṣasīmāsurīṃ caiva prakṛtiṃ mohinīṃ śritāḥ ॥

Meaning

Vain are their hopes, vain their actions, vain their knowledge; senseless, they take shelter in the deluding nature of rakshasas and asuras.

Word meanings

मोघाशाः – of vain hopes
मोघकर्माणः – of fruitless actions
मोघज्ञानाः – of useless knowledge
विचेतसः – devoid of discernment
राक्षसीम् – demonic, cruel
आसुरीम् – ungodly, self-seeking
च – and
एव – indeed
प्रकृतिम् – nature, disposition
मोहिनीम् – deluding
श्रिताः – resorting to

Anvaya (word order)

(ते) मोघाशाः मोघकर्माणः मोघज्ञानाः विचेतसः मोहिनीं राक्षसीम् आसुरीं च एव प्रकृतिं श्रिताः (भवन्ति) ।

Explanation

The deluded people of the previous verse are now described by four adjectives. First, mogha-ashah: their hopes are vain. Turning away from God, they expect lasting happiness from perishable things, a hope that can never be fulfilled, like expecting a mirage to quench thirst.

Second, mogha-karmanah: their actions are fruitless. Shankara notes that even the good acts of those who scorn the Lord, their rituals and charities, fail to yield their true fruit because the aim behind them is misdirected. Third, mogha-jnanah: their knowledge is barren. They may know a great deal, but it does not lead them to peace or freedom. Fourth, vichetasah: their discrimination has been lost.

The root cause is that they ‘take refuge in the deluding nature of rakshasas and asuras’. The rakshasic disposition is dominated by tamas: anger, cruelty and the urge to harm. The asuric disposition is dominated by rajas: arrogance, lust and greed. Both are mohini, deluding, because they blind a person even to his own good. Chapter 16 describes this ‘demonic wealth’ in detail.

The verse is not meant for condemning others but for self-examination. These tendencies rise in all of us at times. When our hopes keep breaking and our work feels hollow, we should ask whether we have fallen under the rule of ego and greed.

Context

Verse 11 described the deluded who belittle the Lord in His human form. This verse describes their nature and its consequences. In contrast, the next verse begins the description of the great souls endowed with divine nature.

Life lesson

When life is aimed only at perishable things, hope, effort and knowledge all turn hollow. Anger, arrogance and greed cloud our judgement. Recognise these tendencies in yourself and steadily replace them with divine qualities.

Key terms

Mogha: vain, fruitless
Rakshasi prakriti: tamasic, cruel and violent disposition
Asuri prakriti: rajasic disposition full of lust and pride
Vichetas: one whose discernment is lost