Chapter 16, Verse 23
यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः | न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम् ||१६-२३||
yaḥ śāstravidhimutsṛjya vartate kāmakārataḥ . na sa siddhimavāpnoti na sukhaṃ na parāṃ gatim ||16-23||
Meaning
16.23 He who, having cast aside the ordinances of the scriptures, acts under the impulse of desire, attains not perfection, nor happiness nor the Supreme Goal.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna draws the practical conclusion of the whole chapter. The person who discards shastra-vidhi (the guidance of scripture) and instead lives kama-karatah — acting purely on the impulse of desire — gains none of life's real prizes. Three are denied in a single sweeping line: siddhi (spiritual perfection), sukha (true happiness), and para gati (the Supreme Goal).
The teaching here is about the value of tested guidance. Whim, however confident, is a poor compass; the scriptures represent the distilled wisdom of countless seekers who mapped this terrain before us. To abandon that map and follow appetite alone is not freedom but recklessness, leaving us to repeat avoidable errors. Notice that even ordinary happiness is forfeited, not merely the highest attainment — for desire-driven living, as the whole chapter has shown, is restless by its very nature. Right guidance is not a cage but a railing along a steep path.
💡 Key Takeaway
Acting on raw impulse while ignoring tested wisdom yields neither happiness nor fulfilment — guidance is a railing, not a cage.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिर्ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः | दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम् ||१६-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . abhayaṃ sattvasaṃśuddhirjñānayogavyavasthitiḥ . dānaṃ damaśca yajñaśca svādhyāyastapa ārjavam ||16-1||
16.1 The Blessed Lord said Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and Yoga, almsgiving, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity and straightforwardness.
असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् | अपरस्परसम्भूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ||१६-८||
asatyamapratiṣṭhaṃ te jagadāhuranīśvaram . aparasparasambhūtaṃ kimanyatkāmahaitukam ||16-8||
16.8 They say, "This universe is without truth, without (moral) basis, without a God, brought about by mutual union, with lust for its cause; what else?"
काममाश्रित्य दुष्पूरं दम्भमानमदान्विताः | मोहाद्गृहीत्वासद्ग्राहान्प्रवर्तन्तेऽशुचिव्रताः ||१६-१०||
kāmamāśritya duṣpūraṃ dambhamānamadānvitāḥ . mohādgṛhītvāsadgrāhānpravartante.aśucivratāḥ ||16-10||
16.10 Filled with insatiable desires, full of hypocrisy, pride and arrogance, holding evil ideas through delusion, they work with impure resolves.