Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Verse 37 भगवद् गीता अध्याय 3 श्लोक 37 श्री भगवानुवाच काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भवः। महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम्।।3.37।। English Translation - Swami Gambirananda 3.37 The Blessed Lord said This desire, this anger, born of the ality of rajas, is a great devourer, a great sinner. Know this to be the enemy here. English Translation - Swami Sivananda 3.37 The Blessed Lord said It is desire, it is anger both of the ality of Rajas, all-devouring, all-sinful; know this as the foe here (in this world). English Translation - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan 3.37. The Bhagavat said This desire, this wrath, born of the Rajas-Strand, is a swallower of festival [and] a mighty bestower of sins. Know this to be the enemy here. English Commentary - Swami Sivananda 3.37 कामः desire? एषः this? क्रोधः anger? एषः this? रजोगुणसमुद्भवः born of the Rajoguna? महाशनः alldevouring? महापाप्मा allsinful? विद्धि know? एनम् this? इह here? वैरिणम् the foe.Commentary Bhagavan Bhaga means the six attributes? viz.? Jnana (knowledge)? Vairagya (dispassion)? Kirti (fame)? Aishvarya (divine manifestations and excellences)? Sri (wealth)? and Bala (might). He who possesses these six attributes and who has a perfect knowledge of the origin and the end of the universe is Bhagavan or the Lord.The cause of all sin and wrong action in this world is desire. Anger is desire itself. When a desire is not gratified? the man becomes angry against those who stand as obstacles on the path of fulfilment.The desire is born of the ality of Rajas. When desire arises? it generates Rajas and urges the man to work in order to possess the object. Therefore? know that this desire is mans foe on this earth. (Cf.XVI.21). English Translation of Sanskrit Commentary By Sri Shankaracharya's 3.37 Esah, this; kamah, desire, is the enemy of the whole world, because of which the creatures incur all evil. This desire when obstructed in any way turns into anger. Therefore, krodhah, anger, is also identical with this (desire). It is rajoguna-samudbhavah, born of the ality of rajas; or, it is the origin of the ality of rajas. For, when desire comes into being, it instigates a person by arousing rajas. People who are engaged in service etc., which are effects of rajas, and who are stricken with sorrow are heard to lament, I have been led to act by desire indeed! It is mahaasanah, a great devourer, whose food is enormous. And hence, indeed, it is maha-papma, a great sinner. For a being commits sin when goaded by desire. Therefore, viddhi, know; enam, this desire; to be vairinam, the enemy; iha, here in this world. With the help of examples the Lord explains how it is an enemy: English Translation of Commentary - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan 3.37 Kama esah etc. A total absence of difference among these two (desire and wrath) is indicated by the word esah this twice uttered. These desire and wrath are ever interrelated and remain in an inseparable mutual co-existence. Hence [the Lord] well describes them only as identical. This is a swallower i.e., a devouer of the morsel of festival i.e., the happiness. The wrath alone is a bestower of sins as it is the cause of great sins. This is man of intelligence should view to be an enemy. English Translation of Ramanuja's Sanskrit Commentary 3.37 The Lord said The highly ravenous desire is born of the Guna Rajas originating from old subtle impressions. It has for its objects sound and other sense contacts. It is a foe to him who is practising Jnana Yoga, as he is joined with Prakrti constituted of the Gunas which rise and subside periodically. It attracts him towards the objects of the senses. It is this desire alone which, when hampered, develops into anger towards those persons who are the cause of such hindrance. It is a powerful cause of sin. It incites the aspirant to do harm to others. Know this, which is born of the Guna called Rajas, as the natural enemy of Jnana Yogins. Commentary - Chakravarthi Ji Lust, composed of the desire of the sense objects, impels a man to sin. A man, being urged by lust, engages in sin. This lust, appearing in a different form, becomes visible as anger. This means that lust, being obstructed by someone, transforms into anger. Lust arises from the mode of passion, and from lust in mode of passion arises anger in the mode of ignorance. “But after the fulfillment of desire, the desire should be finished.” “No, this lust is a great devourer. It is impossible to satisfy the expectations of desire.” As the smrti says, yat prthivyam vrihi-yavarm hiranyam pasavah striyah nalam ekasya tat sarvam iti matva samam vrajet Understanding that all that is available on earth in the form of food, gold, animals and women is not enough for one person, one should go about with peaceful mind. Mahabharata, Anusasana Parva, Ch.13 “If it is not possible to make an alliance with lust by giving (dana), then is it possible to bring under control by sama and bheda?” “No, lust is a very great demon (maha papma).” Rudra Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary The answer to Arjunas previous question is now being answered by Lord Krishna. The main cause for such flagrant behaviour is kama or lust. Also krodha or anger is spoken about but it is actually instigated by lust as well. This is because when kama is unable to satisfy its desires then immediately it takes the form of krodha. This kama is born from rajas guna or the mode of passion. This indicates that when there is an increase of sattva guna or the mode of goodness then kama will be decreased proportionately. It should be clearly understood that kama and krodha are formidable enemies on the path of moksa or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Both kama and krodha must be terminated by the method Lord Krishna prescribes in the next verses; for it is definitely not appropriate to try to appease either of them as it is useless to try to pacify kama because it has an insatiable appetite and is never satisfied and it is also useless to appease krodha because it is has a terribly temperament and is unpredictably sinful. Brahma Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary The influence which is the most powerful and destructive on human beings is kama or lust followed by krodha or anger which arises from frustrated desires. Those who hypothesise contrarily are not cognisant of the subtle difference involved in the mixture of the two. Therefore it can be understood that without desire there is no opportunity for anger to manifest and indeed it does not. Since there are many causes of anger it is called mahashanah or great devourer. Since anger becomes the cause of committing abominable actions it is called mahapaapma or great sinner and because it is counter productive to all human goals of righteousness it is called mahavairi or great adversary. Shri Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary The most powerful obstruction in their pursuit of jnana yoga or the path of cultivating Vedic knowledge is kama or lust. The intense addiction to enjoy sense objects. This addiction is fueled by past habits such as remembering senses enjoyed or by senses frustrated in the attempt to satisfy ones desires. Because the person is helplessly attached to the attraction and aversion of the three gunas or goodness , passion and nescience which are constantly fluctuating the mind and senses influencing all beings. This kama is a most powerful enemy and exerting its power compels a person to enter into its province of sense delights in pursuit of pleasure. Then if by chance while in the pursuit of sense delights ones desires are thwarted or frustrated then this same lust transforms itself into intense krodha or anger. Enacting sinful actions in the attempt to satisfy ones frustrated senses even if futilely and prepared to perpetrate even violent acts against anyone that thwarts in any way the gratification of their senses. It should be known that kama and krodha arise from rajas guna or the mode of passion and it is a very hostile adversary to those who are engaged in jnana yoga. Kumara Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary The most powerful obstruction in their pursuit of jnana yoga or the path of cultivating Vedic knowledge is kama or lust. The intense addiction to enjoy sense objects. This addiction is fueled by past habits such as remembering senses enjoyed or by senses frustrated in the attempt to satisfy ones desires. Because the person is helplessly attached to the attraction and aversion of the three gunas or goodness , passion and nescience which are constantly fluctuating the mind and senses influencing all beings. This kama is a most powerful enemy and exerting its power compels a person to enter into its province of sense delights in pursuit of pleasure. Then if by chance while in the pursuit of sense delights ones desires are thwarted or frustrated then this same lust transforms itself into intense krodha or anger. Enacting sinful actions in the attempt to satisfy ones frustrated senses even if futilely and prepared to perpetrate even violent acts against anyone that thwarts in any way the gratification of their senses. It should be known that kama and krodha arise from rajas guna or the mode of passion and it is a very hostile adversary to those who are engaged in jnana yoga. Transliteration Bhagavad Gita 3.37Kaama esha krodha esha rajoguna samudbhavah; Mahaashano mahaapaapmaa viddhyenam iha vairinam. Word Meanings Bhagavad Gita 3.37śhri-bhagavān uvācha—the Supreme Lord said; kāmaḥ—desire; eṣhaḥ—this; krodhaḥ—wrath; eṣhaḥ—this; rajaḥ-guṇa—the mode of passion; samudbhavaḥ—born of; mahā-aśhanaḥ—all-devouring; mahā-pāpmā—greatly sinful; viddhi—know; enam—this; iha—in the material world; vairiṇam—the enemy