Shloka
लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा |
रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ||१४-१२||Transliteration
lobhaḥ pravṛttirārambhaḥ karmaṇāmaśamaḥ spṛhā .
rajasyetāni jāyante vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha ||14-12||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
14.12. Greed, exertion, undertaking of actions, unrest, and craving-these are born when the Rajas increases predominantly, O chief of the Bharatas !
Shri Purohit Swami
14.12 O best of Indians! Avarice, the impulse to act and the beginning of action itself are all due to the dominance of Passion.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
14.12 See Comment under 14.13
Sri Ramanuja
14.12 ‘Greed’ is the tendency not to spend one’s own property. ‘Activity’ is the disposition to be active devoid of any purpose. ‘Undertaking of works’ is engagement in works which yield fruits. ‘Unrest’ is absence of rest of sense-activities. ‘Longing’ is the desire for sense objects. These predominate when Rajas has increased. The meaning is that whenever greed etc., prevail, then one should know that Rajas has very much increased.
Sri Shankaracharya
14.12 O best of the Bharata dynasty, when the ality of rajas vivrddhe, becomes predominant; etani, these indications; jayante, come into being; lobhah, avarice, the desire to appropriate other’s possessions; pravrtih, movement in general; arambhah, undertaking;-of what?-karmanam, of actions; asamah, unrest, lack of tranillity-(i.e.) manifestation of joy, attachment, etc.; and sprha, hankering, desire in general for all things.
Swami Adidevananda
14.12 Greed, activity, undertaking of work, unrest and longing - these arise, O Arjuna, when Rajas prevails.
Swami Gambirananda
14.12 O best of the Bharata dynasty, when rajas becomes predominant, these come into being: avarice, movement, undertaking of actions, unrest and hankering.
Swami Sivananda
14.12 Greed, activity, the undertaking of actions, restlessness, longing these arise when Rajas is predominant, O Arjuna.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
14.12 लोभः greed? प्रवृत्तिः activity? आरम्भः the undertaking? कर्मणाम् of actions? अशमः restlessness? स्पृहा longing? रजसि in Rajas? एतानि these? जायन्ते arise? विवृद्धे having become predominant? भरतर्षभ O best of the Bharatas (or O Lord of the Bharatas).Commentary Greed Covetousness Desire to appropriate the property of others a desire to possess more wealth though one has sufficient already.Pravritti Action in general.Asamah Restlessness being agitated by joy? attachment? etc. I will do this and then I wil take up that action. After finishing the second? I will take up the third? and so on. There is no end to the continuity of desire? will and action. This is called Asama or restlessness.Spriha Thirsting or longing for all sensual objects in general.These are the characteristic marks that indicate that Rajas is predominant.Do not mistake Rajasic restlessness or Rajasic movements for Karma Yoga or divine activity. People may say that they are doing selfless service to the world? but if you analyse their motives,there will be the taint of personal desire in some form or other. Many persons cannot sit iet even for a moment. They think that moving about here and there or doing some action or other is to full of life. The Yogi or sage who sits still by calming the mind? who does nothing at all physically? is the most active man in the whole world whereas the man who runs here and there and who is always very busy does nothing at all. This may be paradoxical to you. Very few can comprehend the truth of this statement. Sattva is intense activity. A wheel that revolves very rapidly appears to be at rest. So is Sattva. So is a Sattvic man.