Chapter 18, Verse 27
रागी कर्मफलप्रेप्सुर्लुब्धो हिंसात्मकोऽशुचिः | हर्षशोकान्वितः कर्ता राजसः परिकीर्तितः ||१८-२७||
rāgī karmaphalaprepsurlubdho hiṃsātmako.aśuciḥ . harṣaśokānvitaḥ kartā rājasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ ||18-27||
Meaning
18.27 Passionate, desiring to obtain the reward of actions, greedy, cruel, impure, moved by joy and sorrow, such an agent is said to be Rajasic (passionate).
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
The rajasic doer is ruled by passion and the relentless craving for results. He is greedy (lubdha), willing to harm others (himsatmaka) to get his way, impure in conduct, and tossed constantly between elation and grief as fortune rises and falls.
This is the portrait of the driven, restless achiever whose inner peace is hostage to outcomes. Because his sense of self rides on results, every gain brings a spike of joy and every setback a plunge into sorrow. The harsha-shoka, the perpetual swing between delight and despair, is the unmistakable mark of one whose work springs from desire rather than calm duty.
💡 Key Takeaway
When work springs from greed and craving, you swing endlessly between elation and grief.
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.
पृथक्त्वेन तु यज्ज्ञानं नानाभावान्पृथग्विधान् | वेत्ति सर्वेषु भूतेषु तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि राजसम् ||१८-२१||
pṛthaktvena tu yajjñānaṃ nānābhāvānpṛthagvidhān . vetti sarveṣu bhūteṣu tajjñānaṃ viddhi rājasam ||18-21||
18.21 But that knowledge which sees in all beings various entities of distinct kinds as different from one another know thou that knowledge to be Rajasic.
यत्तु कामेप्सुना कर्म साहंकारेण वा पुनः | क्रियते बहुलायासं तद्राजसमुदाहृतम् ||१८-२४||
yattu kāmepsunā karma sāhaṃkāreṇa vā punaḥ . kriyate bahulāyāsaṃ tadrājasamudāhṛtam ||18-24||
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).