Shloka 37
Karma-Saṃnyāsa–Karma-Yoga Saṃvāda
Renunciation and the Discipline of Action
श्रीभगवानुवाच काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्धव: । महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्धयेनमिह वैरिणम्
śrībhagavān uvāca: kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajoguṇa-samudbhavaḥ | mahāśano mahāpāpmā viddhy enam iha vairiṇam ||
The Blessed Lord said: This is desire; this is anger—born of the quality of passion (rajas). It is insatiable, ever hungry for enjoyment, and deeply sinful. Know this, here and now, as the enemy in this matter.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire (kāma), when driven by rajas, becomes anger (krodha) upon obstruction; it is insatiable and morally corrosive. Therefore it should be recognized as the primary inner enemy that undermines discernment and dharmic action.
In the Gītā dialogue on the battlefield, Kṛṣṇa answers Arjuna’s inquiry about what impels a person toward wrongdoing. He identifies the culprit as desire/anger born of rajas, framing it as an internal adversary to be confronted through discipline and understanding.