Verse 16.11
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
चिन्तामपरिमेयां च प्रलयान्तामुपाश्रिताः | कामोपभोगपरमा एतावदिति निश्चिताः ||११||
Transliteration (IAST)
cintām aparimeyāṁ ca pralayāntām upāśritāḥ | kāmopabhoga-paramā etāvad iti niścitāḥ ||11||
Word-by-Word Meanings
cintām-anxiety/worry
aparimeyām-immeasurable
pralaya-antām-ending only at death
upāśritāḥ-given over to
kāma-upabhoga-paramāḥ-regarding sense enjoyment as the highest goal
etāvat-this much (only)
niścitāḥ-convinced/certain
Translation
Beset with immeasurable anxiety that ends only with death, regarding the gratification of desires as the highest goal, and convinced that this is all there is -
Commentary
Shankaracharya explains that the demoniac are consumed by endless worry (cintā) about acquiring and protecting pleasures, and this anxiety persists until death because their desires are never fulfilled. Ramanuja notes the tragic irony: those who pursue pleasure as the highest good find only anxiety. Their conviction that sensory enjoyment is life's sole purpose (etāvat) closes them to higher truth.
Themes
karmadharma