|| 14.7 ||
रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम्। तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम्।।
rajo rāgātmakaṁ viddhi tṛṣṇā-saṅga-samudbhavam tan nibadhnanti kaunteya karma-saṅgena dehinam
Word by Word
rajaḥ (the mode of passion) rāga-ātmakam (born of desire/attachment) viddhi (know) tṛṣṇā (hankering) saṅga (attachment) samudbhavam (produced of) tat (that) nibadhnāti (binds) kaunteya (O son of Kuntī) karma-saṅgena (by attachment to action) dehinam (the living entity).
Translation
The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, O son of Kunti, and because of this the embodied living entity is bound to material fruitive actions.
Meaning
Kṛṣṇa describes the second mode: Rajo-guṇa or Passion. This mode is born of intense desire and attachment. It is characterized by ‘Tṛṣṇā’—an unquenchable thirst for more. A person in passion is extremely active, ambitious, and always chasing results. They are never satisfied with what they have.
Passion binds the soul through ‘Karma-saṅga’—attachment to work and its rewards. The passionate person is a ‘doer’. They work 18 hours a day, build empires, and seek fame. Their mind is always in the future, planning the next win. They are bound by the ‘Iron Chain’ of endless activity.
This mode is the driving force of modern society. It produces great infrastructure and technology but also creates immense stress and anxiety. Kṛṣṇa warns that this constant ‘hankering’ keeps the soul exhausted and trapped in the cycle of action and reaction. In passion, one is always running but never arrives.