Ego can waste knowledge and effort.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
मोघाशा मोघकर्माणो मोघज्ञाना विचेतसः |राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिताः ||९-१२||
moghāśā moghakarmāṇo moghajñānā vicetasaḥ . rākṣasīmāsurīṃ caiva prakṛtiṃ mohinīṃ śritāḥ ||9-12||
Use this verse for ego and goal checking.
Meaning
Those of deluded nature have vain hopes, vain actions, and vain knowledge, with confused minds.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Wrong inner orientation makes even effort and knowledge fruitless.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna warns that intelligence without humility and dharma can become wasted. Action must be aligned with truth, not egoic confusion.
Read the traditional 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.
In daily life
Check whether your goals are aligned with dharma.
A talented person using skill only for manipulation wastes their gift.
Try this today
Review one goal through dharma, service, and honesty.
I align my knowledge with dharma.Reflect
Where is my effort becoming ego-driven?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘विचेतसः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on demoniac nature, in other chapters
- Verse 16.14The ego's ultimate delusion is to crown itself lord — claiming for the small self what belongs to the Divine in all.
- Verse 7.20When desire narrows our vision, we chase gifts and forget the Giver — notice when devotion has shrunk to a means of getting.
- Verse 15.10The indwelling Self is always present, but only the eye of knowledge can perceive it.
- Verse 3.32Cynical fault-finding closes the door to growth — the refusal to even try wisdom, not lack of opportunity, is what keeps people bound.
Swipe left for 9.13 · Divine nature leads to one-pointed devotion.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 9.12
Who says Bhagavad Gita 9.12, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 9.12, in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga (Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 9.12 mean?
Those of deluded nature have vain hopes, vain actions, and vain knowledge, with confused minds. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 9.12 for daily life?
Check whether your goals are aligned with dharma. A talented person using skill only for manipulation wastes their gift.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 9.12 mean?
मोघाशाः — of vain hopes; मोघकर्माणः — of vain actions; मोघज्ञानाः — of vain knowledge; विचेतसः — senseless / devoid of discernment; राक्षसीम् आसुरीम् — fiendish and demoniac.
Where does verse 9.12 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 12 of 34 in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga. The next verse is 9.13.