Chapter 9, Verse 12
मोघाशा मोघकर्माणो मोघज्ञाना विचेतसः | राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिताः ||९-१२||
moghāśā moghakarmāṇo moghajñānā vicetasaḥ . rākṣasīmāsurīṃ caiva prakṛtiṃ mohinīṃ śritāḥ ||9-12||
Meaning
9.12 Of vain hopes, of vain actions, of vain knowledge and senseless, they verily are possessed of the deceitful nature of demons and undivine beings.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna describes the fate of those who scorn the Divine within the human. Cut off from the source, everything they pursue becomes mogha — vain, fruitless. Their hopes (asha), their works (karma), their very knowledge (jnana) all run empty, for they are built on a false foundation. Lacking discernment, vichetasa, they drift.
The verse traces this not to bad luck but to an inner orientation: they have taken refuge in a 'deluding nature,' the rakshasi and asuri temperaments rooted in arrogance, grasping, and self-will. When the ego sets itself at the centre and denies the sacred ground of life, all its striving lacks lasting substance. This is less a curse than a natural law — efforts disconnected from a deeper purpose tend to scatter and dissolve, however busy and clever they appear.
💡 Key Takeaway
When striving is rooted in ego and cut off from a deeper purpose, even our cleverest efforts tend to come to nothing.
Related Verses
अवजानन्ति मां मूढा मानुषीं तनुमाश्रितम् | परं भावमजानन्तो मम भूतमहेश्वरम् ||९-११||
avajānanti māṃ mūḍhā mānuṣīṃ tanumāśritam . paraṃ bhāvamajānanto mama bhūtamaheśvaram ||9-11||
9.11 Fools disregard Me, clad in human form, not knowing My higher Being as the great Lord of (all) beings.