Chapter 16 · Verse 12 · Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 16.12
Sanskrit
आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः।ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान्।।16.12।।
Transliteration
āśhā-pāśha-śhatair baddhāḥ kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ īhante kāma-bhogārtham anyāyenārtha-sañchayān
In plain words
You know that feeling when wanting something—a person, money, revenge, control—takes over your mind and poisons everything? When you're willing to do things you hate just to get what you crave? Krishna says: that's the trap, and you're the one building it, chain by chain. The way out isn't to want nothing—it's to notice the wanting itself, to see how it corrupts you, and then to redirect that fierce energy toward something real: toward truth, toward serving, toward becoming whole again.
Word by Word
The asuri (demonic) nature binds itself in chains of endless craving—hundred-fold desires that feed lust and anger, creating a prison of perpetual wanting. These souls scheme and grasp through exploitation, never content, always grasping, their wealth never sufficient because the hunger itself is the disease.
When we observe our own compulsive wanting and dishonest gaining, we see the same pattern; the antidote is not denial but redirection—turning that fierce energy toward truth, service, and the Self.
Listen
Bhagavad Gita 16.12 — BG 16.12
Your Mantra Prescription
This mantra is prescribed for clarity and purpose. Is that what you're going through?
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