Chapter 3 · Verse 37 · Karma Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 3.37
Sanskrit
श्री भगवानुवाच काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भवः। महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम्।।3.37।।
Transliteration
śhrī bhagavān uvācha kāma eṣha krodha eṣha rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ mahāśhano mahā-pāpmā viddhyenam iha vairiṇam
In plain words
You know that feeling when a small disappointment suddenly explodes into rage? When you're grasping for something—approval, control, a person back—and the moment it slips, fury takes over? Krishna says: that craving and that anger are not two separate enemies. They're twins born from the same hunger, and they're the real poison you're drinking, not what others did to you. The moment you can see this pattern inside yourself instead of blaming the world, you've found the only door that actually opens.
Word by Word
Krishna names the root poison: desire born of passion, which ignites the fire of anger—these are not separate enemies but twins that devour our peace and bind us to endless suffering. The Vedas teach us that this rajas-fueled hunger is the great corruptor, more destructive than any external foe.
In modern life, we experience this daily: a craving for approval ignites rage when we're dismissed; a desire for control explodes into anger when circumstances shift. The spiritual warrior's first task is to see this enemy clearly, not in others, but within.
Listen
Bhagavad Gita 3.37 — BG 3.37
Your Mantra Prescription
This mantra is prescribed for clarity and purpose. Is that what you're going through?
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