यत्तु कामेप्सुना कर्म साहङ्कारेण वा पुनः।क्रियते बहुलायासं तद्राजसमुदाहृतम्।।18.24।।
yat tu kāmepsunā karma sāhankāreṇa vā punaḥ kriyate bahulāyāsaṁ tad rājasam udāhṛitam
Word Meanings
yat—which; tu—but; kāma-īpsunā—prompted by selfish desire; karma—action; sa-ahaṅkāreṇa—with pride; vā—or; punaḥ—again; kriyate—enacted; bahula-āyāsam—stressfully; tat—that; rājasam—in the nature of passion; udāhṛitam—is said to be
Translation
But that act is said to be Rajasic, which is performed with great effort by one who seeks to gratify their desires and under the prompting of egoism.
Purport / Commentary
18.24 यत् which? तु but? कामेप्सुना by one longing for desires? कर्म action? साहङ्कारेण with egoism? वा or? पुनः again? क्रियते is performed? बहुलायासम् with much effort? तत् that? राजसम् Rajasic (passionate)? उदाहृतम् is declared.Commentary A passionate man performs various selfish actions. He boasts of his actions in public. Passion prompts him to do them. He can never work without expectation of a reward.Kamepsuna? phalepsuna The Rajasic or passionate man expects pleasures as fruits of action. A liberated sage alone is absolutely free from egoism. He will not dream even of a reward for the action? because all his desires are gratified when he realises Brahman. He is an Aptakama. (Aptakamasya ka spriha) How can there be longing or craving in a sage in whom all desires are gratified or burnt by the fire of SelfknowledgeEven the performer of a pure act? who has no knowledge of the Self is egoistic. If such be the case? the Rajasic and Tamasic workers are much more egoistic. In worldly parlance we speak of a learned Pundit This Pundit is a very modest? unassuming? and egoless Brahmana.Now listen? O Arjuna? to the characteristics of action that is of darkness.