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BG 16 VERSES 11–12

चिन्तामपरिमेयां च प्रलयान्तामुपाश्रिताः
कामोपभोग परमा एतावदिति निश्चिताः
आशा पाश शतैर्बद्धाः काम क्रोध परायणाः
ईहन्ते काम भोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थ सञ्चयान्

cintām aparimeyāṃ ca
pralayāntām upāśritāḥ
kāmopabhoga-paramā
etāvad iti niścitāḥ
āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ
kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ
īhante kāma-bhogārtham
anyāyenārtha-sañcayān

SYNONYMS

cintām: fears and anxieties | aparimeyām: unmeasurable | ca: and | pralaya-antām: unto the point of death | upāśritāḥ: having taken shelter of them | kāma-upabhoga: sense gratification | paramāḥ: the highest goal of life | etāvat: thus | iti: in this way | niścitāḥ: ascertain | āśā-pāśa: entanglement in the network of hope | śataiḥ: by hundreds | baddhāḥ: being bound | kāma: lust | krodha: anger | parāyaṇāḥ: always situated in that mentality | īhante: desire | bhoga: sense enjoyment | artham: for that purpose | anyāyena: illegally | artha: wealth | sañcayān: accumulate. |

TRANSLATION

They believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their anxiety. Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.

PURPORT

Plate 39
The demoniac accept that the enjoyment of the senses is the ultimate goal of life, and this concept they maintain until death. They do not believe in life after death, and they do not believe that one takes on different types of bodies according to one’s karma, or activities in this world. Their plans for life are never finished, and they go on preparing plan after plan, all of which are never finished. We have personal experience of a person of such demoniac mentality, who, even at the point of death, was requesting the physician to prolong his life for four years more because his plans were not yet complete. Such foolish people do not know that a physician cannot prolong life even for a moment. When the notice is there, there is no consideration of the man’s desire. The laws of nature do not allow a second beyond what one is destined to enjoy.

The demoniac person, who has no faith in God or the Supersoul within himself, performs all kinds of sinful activities simply for sense gratification. He does not know that there is a witness sitting within his heart. The Supersoul is observing the activities of the individual soul. As it is stated in the Vedic literature, the Upaniṣads, there are two birds sitting in one tree; the one is acting and enjoying or suffering the fruits of the branches, and the other is witnessing. But one who is demoniac has no knowledge of Vedic scripture, nor has he any faith; therefore he feels free to do anything for sense enjoyment, regardless of the consequences.