Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 63

English Translation

From anger follows delusion; from delusion, failure of memory; from failure of memory, the loss of understanding; from the loss of understanding, he perishes.

Detailed Commentary

**2.63** **Explanation:** "ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते" — By not being devoted to Bhagavān, by not contemplating Bhagavān, one contemplates only sense objects (vishayas). On one side, the Jīva has Paramātman, and on the other, the world (saṁsāra). When it abandons the refuge of Paramātman, it takes refuge in saṁsāra and contemplates only saṁsāra, because there remains no other object of contemplation apart from saṁsāra. Thus, through such contemplation, a person develops attachment (āsakti), affection (rāga), and fondness (priyatā) for those objects. Due to āsakti, a person indulges in those objects. Whether the indulgence in vishayas is mental or physical, the pleasure derived from it generates fondness for those vishayas. From fondness, repeated contemplation of that object begins. Now, whether one indulges in that object or not, rāga for vishayas is invariably born – this is the rule. "सङ्गात्संजायते कामः" — When rāga for vishayas arises, the desire (kāma) to obtain those vishayas (enjoyments) is born, the longing that "may I acquire those enjoyments, those objects." "कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते" — When things favorable to desire (kāma) continue to be received, 'greed' (lobha) is generated; and when the fulfillment of desire seems possible but someone obstructs it, 'anger' (krodha) arises towards that person. Desire is such a thing that when obstructed, anger invariably occurs. In the pride associated with varṇa (social order), āśrama (stage of life), qualities (guṇa), or abilities (yogyatā), there is a desire for one's honor and respect; even when this desire is obstructed by someone, anger arises. "क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोहः" — From krodha, bewilderment (sammoha) occurs, meaning a state of delusion descends. In reality, if one observes, sammoha arises from all four: kāma (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), and mamtā (possessiveness/attachment) – for instance: (1) The sammoha that arises from kāma, by covering the power of discrimination (vivekaśakti), causes a person, subjugated by kāma, to perform even unbefitting actions. (2) The sammoha that arises from krodha causes a person to utter rude and improper words even to friends and revered ones, and behave in unbefitting ways. (3) The sammoha that arises from lobha makes a person disregard truth and falsehood, Dharma and Adharma, and deceive people through trickery. (4) The sammoha that arises from mamtā leads to a lack of equanimity (samabhāva), generating partiality instead. If sammoha arises from all four – kāma, krodha, lobha, and mamtā – then why has Bhagavān mentioned only krodha here? If we look deeply into this, in kāma, lobha, and mamtā, the inclination towards self-interest (svārtha) is awakened, but in krodha, the inclination towards causing harm to others (aniṣṭa) is awakened. Therefore, the sammoha that arises from krodha is more terrifying than the sammoha generated by kāma, lobha, and mamtā. From this perspective, Bhagavān has mentioned here that sammoha arises only from krodha. "सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः" — When delusion (mūḍhatā) descends, memory (smṛti) is lost; that is, the resolve made through scriptures (śāstras) and noble thoughts (sad-vichāras) like "I must perform such actions, I must practice such Sādhanā, I must liberate myself" – the memory of that is destroyed. "स्मृतिभ्रंशाद्बुद्धिनाशः" — When memory is lost, the discriminative intellect (viveka) that manifests in the buddhi (intellect) vanishes; that is, a person loses the power to think anew. "बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति" — With the disappearance of viveka, a person falls from their state. Therefore, to avoid this downfall, all Sādhakas (spiritual aspirants) have a great need to be devoted to Bhagavān. Here, the sequence described—from mere contemplation of vishayas to rāga, from rāga to kāma, from kāma to krodha, from krodha to sammoha, from sammoha to loss of memory (smṛti-vilupti), from loss of memory to destruction of intellect (buddhi-nāśa), and from destruction of intellect to ruin (patana)—takes time to analyze, but these mental modifications (vṛttis) arise and cause a person's downfall without delay. Like an electric current, all these vṛttis manifest instantly and cause a person's ruin.