A declaration · reflective in mood · a little context helps
“Craving turns action into a chase for reward and emotional swing.”
The doer ruled by craving, chasing results, greedy, violent in nature, impure, and tossed by joy and sorrow is called passionate.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallydominated by craving · seeking the fruit of action · greedy · of violent nature · impure · joined with joy and sorrow · doer · passionate · is called
A person driven by craving, greed, and attachment to results acts in a restless, passionate way and stays pulled between pleasure and disappointment.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Moksha Sanyasa Yoga" (Liberation through Renunciation).
Verse 27 sits in Chapter 18 of the Bhagavad Gita — Moksha Sanyasa Yoga, "Liberation through Renunciation". The chapter has 78 verses in total.
A shopkeeper's mood rises and falls with each day's takings, and he snaps at his staff on slow days. Krishna would recognise the rajasic doer: greedy for the result, and swung by every gain and loss.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna's rajasic doer is passionate, greedy for results, violent, impure, and tossed between joy and grief.
What this verse means
A person driven by craving, greed, and attachment to results acts in a restless, passionate way and stays pulled between pleasure and disappointment.
Context & commentary
Krishna explains the three kinds of action and the three kinds of doer. After describing the clear and the confused, Krishna names the middle state: action driven by craving, reward-hunger, and emotional swings.
What it looks like today
A shopkeeper's mood rises and falls with each day's takings, and he snaps at his staff on slow days. Krishna would recognise the rajasic doer: greedy for the result, and swung by every gain and loss.
“You can see how craving makes action noisy, unstable, and exhausting.”
Explore related themes: rajas (21 verses), attachment (20 verses)