Chapter 18, Verse 24
यत्तु कामेप्सुना कर्म साहंकारेण वा पुनः | क्रियते बहुलायासं तद्राजसमुदाहृतम् ||१८-२४||
yattu kāmepsunā karma sāhaṃkāreṇa vā punaḥ . kriyate bahulāyāsaṃ tadrājasamudāhṛtam ||18-24||
Meaning
18.24 But that action which is done by one longing for the fulfilment of desires or gain with egoism or with much effort that is declared to be Rajasic (passionate).
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Rajasic action is driven by kama, the hunger for personal gain, and by ahankara, the swollen sense of self that wants to be seen as the doer. It is performed bahula-ayasam, with great strain and feverish exertion, because the ego is always pushing, grasping, and proving itself.
This describes much of ordinary worldly ambition. The work may even succeed, but it exhausts because it is fueled by craving and self-assertion rather than calm duty. The constant 'I want, I achieve, look what I did' makes such action restless and binding. The exertion here is not the steady effort of duty but the breathless striving of desire.
💡 Key Takeaway
Action driven by craving, ego, and exhausting strain is restless and binding, not free.
Related Verses
दुःखमित्येव यत्कर्म कायक्लेशभयात्त्यजेत् | स कृत्वा राजसं त्यागं नैव त्यागफलं लभेत् ||१८-८||
duḥkhamityeva yatkarma kāyakleśabhayāttyajet . sa kṛtvā rājasaṃ tyāgaṃ naiva tyāgaphalaṃ labhet ||18-8||
18.8 He who abandons action on account of the fear of bodily trouble (because it is painful), does not obtain the merit of renunciation by doing such Rajasic renunciation.
पञ्चैतानि महाबाहो कारणानि निबोध मे | साङ्ख्ये कृतान्ते प्रोक्तानि सिद्धये सर्वकर्मणाम् ||१८-१३||
pañcaitāni mahābāho kāraṇāni nibodha me . sāṅkhye kṛtānte proktāni siddhaye sarvakarmaṇām ||18-13||
18.13 Learn from Me, O mighty-armed Arjuna, these five causes as declared in the Sankhya system for the accomplishment of all actions.
तत्रैवं सति कर्तारमात्मानं केवलं तु यः | पश्यत्यकृतबुद्धित्वान्न स पश्यति दुर्मतिः ||१८-१६||
tatraivaṃ sati kartāramātmānaṃ kevalaṃ tu yaḥ . paśyatyakṛtabuddhitvānna sa paśyati durmatiḥ ||18-16||
18.16 Now, such being the case, verily he who owing to untrained understanding looks upon his Self, which is isolated, as the agent, he of perverted intelligence, sees not.