🪷 Bhagavad-Gītā · 3.37

Chapter 3 · कर्मयोग · Karma-Yoga · "The Yoga of Action" · Verse 37 of 43

श्री भगवानुवाच

काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भवः।

महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम्।।3.37।।
— Bhagavad-Gītā 3.37 · Devanāgarī root text

🪷 English Translations

5 received English translations are available for this śloka. Each voice is labelled; no single rendering is presented as the Sanskrit itself.

Shri Purohit Swami · Poetic English · 1935 edition attribution in the received data
3.37 Lord Shri Krishna: It is desire, it is aversion, born of passion. Desire consumes and corrupts everything. It is man's greatest enemy.
Swami Sivananda · Direct prose · Divine Life Society
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).
Swami Gambīrānanda · Word-key glosses · Advaita Ashrama · Śaṅkara-school
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:
Swami Ādidevānanda · Śrī-Vaiṣṇava perspective · Rāmānuja school
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.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Academic precision · modern scholarly
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.

🪷 Hindi Translation · हिन्दी अनुवाद

Received Hindi rendering attributed in the source data to Swami Rāmsukhdās ji.

🪷 Swami Rāmsukhdās · Hindi rendering · source-data attribution
।।3.37।। श्रीभगवान् बोले - रजोगुणसे उत्पन्न हुआ यह काम ही क्रोध है। यह बहुत खानेवाला और महापापी है। इस विषयमें तू इसको ही वैरी जान।

🪷 English Commentaries · The Ācārya Voices

5 received English commentary layers are available for this śloka. Open only the voice you wish to study.

Swami Sivananda · Verse-by-verse word-keys with Sanskrit anchors
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).
Swami Gambīrānanda · Advaita-school commentary (Śaṅkara tradition)
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:
Swami Ādidevānanda · Rāmānuja Śrī-Vaiṣṇava 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.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Modern academic scholarship
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.
Swami Chinmayānanda · Chinmaya Mission · modern Vedantic teaching
।।3.37।। यह काम यह क्रोध काम अर्थात् इच्छा ही मनुष्य के ह्रदय में स्थित राक्षस है। आत्म अज्ञान ही बुद्धि में इच्छा रूप में व्यक्त होता है। इस श्लोक में काम और क्रोध इन दोनों को भिन्न नहीं समझना चाहिये। किसी परिस्थिति विशेष में काम ही क्रोध का रूप ले लेता है। मन का वह विक्षेप जो किसी वस्तु को प्राप्त करने की अत्यन्त अधीरता के रूप में व्यक्त होता है काम कहलाता है। सामान्यत इच्छा अपने से भिन्न किसी अप्राप्त वस्तु के लिये ही होती हैं। जगत् में असंख्य व्यक्तियों और परिस्थितियों के मध्य सदैव इच्छा का पूर्ण होना सम्भव नहीं होता और इस प्रकार हमारे और इच्छित वस्तु के बीच कोई विघ्न आता है तो प्रतिहत इच्छा ही क्रोध का रूप ले लेती है।इस प्रकार काम अथवा क्रोध ही वह राक्षस है जो हमें परिस्थितियों के साथ समझौता करने को विवश कर देता है। आदर्शों को भुलाकर हमें पापाचरण में प्रवृत्त करता है। हमारी निम्न कोटि की इच्छायें जितनी प्रबल होगी उतना ही पापपूर्णं हमारा जीवन होगा। कामनाएं हमारे विवेक को आच्छादित कर देती हैं। काम के उत्पन्न होने पर उससे ही असंख्य प्रकार की दुखदायक वृत्तियां उत्पन्न होती हैं। इन सब के वश में होना अज्ञान और उनके ऊपर शासन करना ज्ञान है।अब भगवान् दृष्टांतों के द्वारा समझाते हैं कि किस प्रकार हमारा शत्रु यह काम हमारे विवेक को आच्छादित करता है

🪷 Hindi Vyākhyā · हिन्दी व्याख्या

Received Hindi vyākhyā attributed in the source data to Swami Rāmsukhdās ji.

🪷 Swami Rāmsukhdās · Hindi vyākhyā · source-data attribution
3.37।। व्याख्या--'रजोगुणसमुद्भवः'-- आगे चौदहवें अध्यायके सातवें श्लोकमें भगवान् कहेंगे कि तृष्णा (कामना) और आसक्तिसे रजोगुण उत्पन्न होता है और यहाँ यह कहते हैं कि रजोगुणसे काम उत्पन्न होता है। इससे यह समझना चाहिये कि रागसे काम उत्पन्न होता है और कामसे राग बढ़ता है। तात्पर्य यह है कि सांसारिक पदार्थोंको सुखदायी माननेसे राग उत्पन्न होता है, जिससे अन्तःकरणमें उनका महत्त्व दृढ़ हो जाता है। फिर उन्हीं पदार्थोंका संग्रह करने और उनसे सुख लेनेकी कामना उत्पन्न होती है। पुनः कामनासे पदार्थोंमें राग बढ़ता है। यह क्रम जबतक चलता है, तबतक पाप-कर्मसे सर्वथा निवृत्ति नहीं होती। 'काम एष क्रोध एषः'-- मेरी मनचाही हो-- यही काम है (टिप्पणी प0 188.1)। उत्पत्ति-विनाशशील जड-पदार्थोंके संग्रहकी इच्छा, संयोगजन्य सुखकी इच्छा, सुखकी आसक्ति--ये सब कामके ही रूप हैं। पाप-कर्म कहीं तो 'काम' के वशीभूत होकर और कहीं 'क्रोध' के वशीभूत होकर किया गया दीखता है। दोनोंसे अलग-अलग पाप होते हैं। इसलिये दोनों पद दिये। वास्तवमें काम अर्थात् उत्पत्ति-विनाशशील पदार्थोंकी कामना, प्रियता, आकर्षण ही समस्त पापोंका मूल है (टिप्पणी प0 188.2)। कामनामें बाधा लगनेपर काम ही क्रोधमें परिणत हो जाता है। इसलिये भगवान्ने एक कामनाको ही पापोंका मूल बतानेके लिये उपर्युक्त पदोंमें एकवचनका प्रयोग किया है। कामनाकी पूर्ति होनेपर 'लोभ' उत्पन्न होता होता है (टिप्पणी प0 188.3) और कामनामें बाधा पहुँचानेपर (बाधा पहुँचानेवालेपर)क्रोध उत्पन्न होता है। यदि बाधा पहुँचानेवाला अपनेसे अधिक बलवान् हो तो 'क्रोध' उत्पन्न न होकर 'भय' उत्पन्न होता है। इसलिये गीतामें कहीं-कहीं कामना और क्रोधके साथ-साथ भय की भी बात आयी है; जैसे-- 'वीतरागभयक्रोधाः' (4। 10) और 'विगतेच्छाभयक्रोधः' (5। 28)।

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APA: Vyāsa Maharṣi. (n.d.). Bhagavad-Gītā 3.37. Vidhyāmitra. Retrieved 2026-08-17, from https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/3/37
Chicago: Vyāsa Maharṣi. "Bhagavad-Gītā 3.37." Vidhyāmitra. Accessed 2026-08-17. https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/3/37.
MLA: Vyāsa Maharṣi. "Bhagavad-Gītā 3.37." Vidhyāmitra, 2026, https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/3/37.
Canonical reading URL: https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/3/37. This citation identifies Vidhyamitra's received digital witness; consult a named scholarly or printed edition when edition-specific authority is required.

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This page is rendered from the pinned 701-address witness documented on the Gītā index. Publication and search-indexing authorization for every bundled translation and commentary layer was confirmed on 4 August 2026; the exact received recension boundary remains disclosed separately.

🪷 ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय 🪷

सर्वम् कृष्णार्पणम् — this verse is one maṇi (jewel) on Krishna's thread (BG 7.7)