ॐ

यया धर्ममधर्मं च कार्यं चाकार्यमेव च।अयथावत्प्रजानाति बुद्धिः सा पार्थ राजसी।।18.31।।

yayā dharmam adharmaṁ cha kāryaṁ chākāryam eva cha ayathāvat prajānāti buddhiḥ sā pārtha rājasī

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 18, Verse 31
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
That by which one wrongly understands dharma and adharma, and also what ought to be done and what ought not to be done - that intellect, O Arjuna, is rajasic (passionate).

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: the intellect by which one imperfectly understands right and wrong conduct, and what should and should not be done, is of the nature of passion, describing a more confused, imperfect version of the same discernment, still functioning but less reliably.

In life: sometimes your judgment about right conduct isn't entirely absent, it's just imperfect and inconsistent, functioning reasonably well in some situations and unreliably in others, worth noticing which situations tend to trigger the less reliable version.

Teaching: notice the specific situations where your own discernment about right conduct tends to become imperfect and unreliable rather than clear, that pattern recognition helps you know when to slow down and double-check your judgment more carefully.

yayāby which
dharmamrighteousness
adharmamunrighteousness
chaand
kāryamright conduct
chaand
akāryamwrong conduct
evacertainly
chaand
ayathā-vatconfused
prajānātidistinguish
buddhiḥintellect
sāthat
pārthaArjun, the son of Pritha
rājasīin the mode of passion

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
18.31 यया by which? धर्मम् Dharma? अधर्मम् Adharma? च and? कार्यम् what ought to be done? च and? अकार्यम् what ought not to be done? एव even? च and? अयथावत् wrongly? प्रजानाति understands? बुद्धिः intellect? सा that? पार्थ O Partha? राजसी Rajasic (passionate).Commentary There is no proper eivalent in the English language for the word Dharma. Duty? righteousness? virtue? law are very poor translations of the word. That which elevates you and takes you to the goal? i.e.? Brahman or the Self? is Dharma. That which hurls you down into the dark abyss of ignorance is Adharma. What is ordained in the scriptures is Dharma what is prohibited by them is Adharma. A Rajasic intellect is not able to distinguish between right and wrong or to understand the difference between righteous and unrighteous actions.Ayathavat Wrongly Contrary to what is determined by all authorities or men of wisdom or to the highest knowledge.