Commentary

Commentary

The imagery of this verse is vivid: aasha-paasha-shataih baddhaah — bound by hundreds of ropes made of desires. Each desire is a cord, and together they form an inescapable net. The demonic person is not free, despite their claim of independence from moral and spiritual authority. They are among the most bound of all beings — bound to their own cravings.

Kama-krodha-parayanah — they are devoted to desire and anger. These two always travel together: desire, when fulfilled, breeds more desire; when frustrated, it becomes anger. The cycle is relentless. Satisfaction is momentary; the hunger returns immediately, stronger than before.

The practical result is described in the second line: eehante kama-bhogartham anyayena artha-sanchayan — they strive to accumulate wealth by unjust means for the purpose of sense enjoyment. The means do not matter; only the end counts. If cheating, exploiting, or oppressing others serves the goal of more wealth and more pleasure, so be it.

This description is timeless. In every society, in every century, there are those who accumulate beyond all need, who see other human beings as resources to be exploited, who measure their worth by the size of their fortune. The Gita identifies this not as shrewd business practice but as spiritual bondage — the soul wrapped in chains of its own making, mistaking its prison for a palace.