Uncontrolled desire becomes anger and consumes wisdom.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
श्रीभगवानुवाच |काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भवः |महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम् ||३-३७||
śrībhagavānuvāca . kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajoguṇasamudbhavaḥ . mahāśano mahāpāpmā viddhyenamiha vairiṇam ||3-37||
Use this verse when anger or craving rises.
Meaning
The Blessed Lord said: It is desire, it is anger, born of rajo-guna, all-devouring and greatly sinful. Know this to be the enemy here.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna identifies desire and anger as the inner enemy.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna answers directly: the force behind wrong action is desire, which turns into anger when blocked. It is born from rajas, the guna of restlessness, passion, and agitation. Desire is called all-devouring because it never says enough. This is a core verse for habit change, anger management, and emotional discipline.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna answers Arjuna's question with piercing directness: the culprit is kama — desire — and its shadow, krodha, anger, both born of rajas, the restless quality of passion. He names this force mahashana, all-devouring, and mahapapma, deeply corrupting, and tells Arjuna to recognize it as the true enemy in this world.
The diagnosis is precise. Desire, when frustrated, turns to anger; together they form an insatiable hunger that consumes peace, judgment, and virtue. This is the unseen 'force' that drives people to act against their own will.
By identifying the enemy so clearly, Krishna removes the mystery and the helplessness. The struggle is not against a vague fate but against a known inner force that can be understood and conquered. Naming the adversary is the beginning of victory: the feverish craving within us, not any outer foe, is what must be mastered.
In daily life
Identify desire before it becomes anger.
A person angry at rejection may discover the hidden desire for approval underneath.
Try this today
When angry, ask: what did I want that I did not get?
I recognize desire before it controls me.Reflect
What desire is hiding beneath my anger?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘विद्धि एनम् इह वैरिणम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on anger, in other chapters
- Verse 5.23Learn to withstand the surge of desire and anger without being swept away — that very capacity makes you a yogi and a happy person.
- Verse 2.62The chain from desire to suffering begins with where we choose to dwell with our attention — wisdom lies in managing attention before desire manages us.
- Verse 16.12Unchecked craving binds us with a hundred invisible cords and quietly persuades us that any means is justified.
- Verse 14.7Restless craving disguises itself as productivity — it is attachment to doing, not action itself, that binds you.
Swipe left for 3.38 · Desire covers wisdom; practice uncovers it.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 3.37
Who says Bhagavad Gita 3.37, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 3.37, in Chapter 3, Karma Yoga (Karma Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 3.37 mean?
The Blessed Lord said: It is desire, it is anger, born of rajo-guna, all-devouring and greatly sinful. Know this to be the enemy here. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 3.37 for daily life?
Identify desire before it becomes anger. A person angry at rejection may discover the hidden desire for approval underneath.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 3.37 mean?
कामः एषः — it is desire; क्रोधः एषः — it is anger; रजोगुणसमुद्भवः — born of the quality of rajas (passion); महाशनः — all-devouring; महापाप्मा — greatly sinful.
Where does verse 3.37 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 37 of 43 in Chapter 3, Karma Yoga. The next verse is 3.38.