|| 9.12 ||
मोघाशा मोघकर्माणो मोघज्ञाना विचेतसः। राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिताः।।
moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo mogha-jñānā vicetasaḥ rākṣasīm āsurīṁ caiva prakṛtiṁ mohinīm śritāḥ
Word by Word
mogha-āśāḥ (baffled in hope) mogha-karmāṇāḥ (baffled in fruitive activities) mogha-jñānāḥ (baffled in knowledge) vicetasaḥ (bewildered) rākṣasīm (demoniac) āsurīm (atheistic) ca (and) eva (certainly) prakṛtim (nature) mohinīm (bewildering) śritāḥ (taking shelter of)
Translation
Those who are thus bewildered are attracted by demonic and atheistic views. In that deluded condition, their hopes for liberation, their fruitive activities, and their culture of knowledge are all defeated.
Meaning
Kṛṣṇa describes the fate of those who deride Him. Because they ignore the Source, their hopes for happiness are ‘mogha’—useless and baffled. Their hard work yields no lasting result, and their knowledge is shallow and fruitless. They are fundamentally ‘vicetasaḥ’, or bewildered in heart.
Such people take shelter in a ‘rākṣasī’ and ‘āsurī’ nature—demoniac and atheistic views. They believe that they are the center of the universe and that there is no higher authority. This worldview is ‘mohinīm’, meaning it is a seductive illusion that leads only to further entanglement and frustration.
If you build a house on a foundation of sand, it will eventually collapse. Similarly, a life built on the denial of the Divine is destined for disappointment. Kṛṣṇa is showing that without God-consciousness, all human endeavors—no matter how impressive they look—are ultimately ‘mogha’, empty of eternal value. He is inviting Arjuna to build his life on the rock of Truth instead.