Bhagavad Gita 2.62-63

Sanskrit

ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते । सङ्गात्सञ्जायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते ॥2.62॥क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोहः सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः । स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ॥2.63॥

Transliteration

dhyāyato viṣayānpuṃsaḥ saṅgasteṣūpajāyate | saṅgātsañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmātkrodho'bhijāyate ‖2.62‖ krodhādbhavati sammohaḥ sammohātsmṛtivibhramaḥ | smṛtibhraṃśād buddhināśo buddhināśātpraṇaśyati ‖2.63‖

Meaning

“Brooding on sense-objects, a person develops attachment to them; from attachment springs desire, and from desire arises anger. From anger comes delusion; from delusion, confusion of memory; from confusion of memory, destruction of intelligence; and with the destruction of intelligence, one perishes.”

Key learning

Trouble starts in the mind long before it shows up in your life. When you keep dwelling on something you want, that turns into attachment, then craving, and when the craving is blocked, into anger. Anger clouds your thinking, makes you forget what you know, and leads to bad choices. The key insight is how early the chain begins: it starts with simply replaying a thought over and over.

How to apply this today

Catch the spiral at the very first step, when it is still just a thought you keep returning to. It is far easier to redirect a thought than to undo an angry outburst or a decision you regret. For example, if you keep stewing over a coworker's promotion, that resentment can poison how you treat people. Notice when your mind starts looping and break it early: get up, take a walk, or call a friend instead of feeding the thought.

Theme: The Yoga of Knowledge

This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga , read all verses in this chapter.

Read the full Bhagavad Gita

Teachmysoul gives you all 700 Gita verses with Sanskrit, plain-English meaning, a key learning and a practical application for daily life, a calm two-minute habit on web, iOS and Android.