lobhaḥ pravṛttir ārambhaḥ
karmaṇām aśamaḥ spṛhā
rajasy etāni jāyante
vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha
Translation of Bhagavad Gita 14.12
O chief of the Bharatas, when there is an increase in the mode of passion the symptoms of great attachment, fruitive activity, intense endeavor, and uncontrollable desire and hankering develop.
Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
One in the mode of passion is never satisfied with the position he has already acquired; he hankers to increase his position. If he wants to construct a residential house, he tries his best to have a palatial house, as if he would be able to reside in that house eternally. And he develops a great hankering for sense gratification. There is no end to sense gratification. He always wants to remain with his family and in his house and to continue the process of sense gratification. There is no cessation of this. All these symptoms should be understood as characteristic of the mode of passion.
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
Greed, absorption in various endeavors (pravrttih), effort in actions such as building a house, and the non-cessation of enjoyment of objects (asamah) and desire appear with the increase of rajas.
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
14.12 ‘Greed’ is the tendency not to spend one’s own property. ‘Activity’ is the disposition to be active devoid of any purpose. ‘Undertaking of works’ is engagement in works which yield fruits. ‘Unrest’ is absence of rest of sense-activities. ‘Longing’ is the desire for sense objects. These predominate when Rajas has increased. The meaning is that whenever greed etc., prevail, then one should know that Rajas has very much increased.
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
Continuing furtherLord Krishna states that the ever increasing desire for wealth known as greed and avarice keeps one always in activities to acquire and enjoy. Restlessness, agitation, the incessant impulse to perform actions for the purpose of satisfying desires. Longing to exploit and enjoy things as soon as they are seen by any means available. When these characteristics are prevalent then it is apparent that raja guna or the mode of passion is predominant within a jiva or embodied being,
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
Sri Madhvacharya did not comment on this sloka.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
Now Lord Krishna speaks of the indications of the qualities of raja guna or the mode of passion. Underlying the preponderance of passion is lobhah or greed wwhich is the desire to always acquire more even if not needed. The motivating force is activity for increasing self interests. The mentality is after I acquire this, I will acquire that and so forth and so on. There is an incessant impulse to do and an obsession to enjoy every object. So by lobhah it can be understood that one is controlled by raja guna.
Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
14.12 O best of the Bharata dynasty, when the quality of rajas vivrddhe, becomes predominant; etani, these indications; jayante, come into being; lobhah, avarice, the desire to appropriate other’s possessions; pravrtih, movement in general; arambhah, undertaking;-of what?-karmanam, of actions; asamah, unrest, lack of tranquillity-(i.e.) manifestation of joy, attachment, etc.; and sprha, hankering, desire in general for all things.
Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:
14.11-13 Sarva-etc. upto kurunandana. In all the gates : in all the sense-organs. Greed etc., are born in succession when the Rajas dominates. Similarly, absence of mental illumination and so on arise in succession only at the time of the increase of the Tamas.
Sanskrit Shloka Without Transliteration Marks:
lobhah pravrttir arambhah
karmanam asamah sprha
rajasy etani jayante
vivrddhe bharatarsabha
Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:
lobhaḥ — greed; pravṛttiḥ — activity; ārambhaḥ — endeavor; karmaṇām — in activities; aśamaḥ — uncontrollable; spṛhā — desire; rajasi — of the mode of passion; etāni — all these; jāyante — develop; vivṛddhe — when there is an excess; bharata-ṛṣabha — O chief of the descendants of Bharata.
