Shloka 7
Adhyāya 41 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Gurv-anumati and Strategic Counsel (युधिष्ठिरस्य गुर्वनुमतिः)
रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासड्रसमुद्धवम् । तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसड्रेन देहिनम्,हे अर्जुन! रागरूप रजोगुणको कामना और आसक्तिसे उत्पन्न जान*। वह इस जीवात्माको कर्मोके और उनके फलके सम्बन्धसे बाँधता है:
rajo rāgātmakaṁ viddhi tṛṣṇā-saṅga-samudbhavam | tan nibadhnāti kaunteya karma-saṅgena dehinam ||
Know rajas to be of the nature of passion, born from craving and attachment. O son of Kuntī, it binds the embodied self by fastening it to action and to involvement with the fruits of action—thereby keeping one entangled in restless striving rather than steady discernment.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rajas is identified as passion born of craving and attachment; it binds the embodied self by creating involvement in action and especially in the pursuit of results, leading to continual restlessness and moral-spiritual entanglement.
In the teaching on the three guṇas, Kṛṣṇa explains to Arjuna how each guṇa operates. Here he defines rajas and describes its mechanism of bondage: it drives the person into action fueled by desire and attachment, tying the self to outcomes.