Bhagavad-gītā 17.5
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अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जनाः।दम्भाहङ्कारसंयुक्ताः कामरागबलान्विताः।।17.5।।
aśhāstra-vihitaṁ ghoraṁ tapyante ye tapo janāḥ dambhāhankāra-sanyuktāḥ kāma-rāga-balānvitāḥ
Those who practice austerities not commanded by scripture, who are enslaved to hypocrisy and egotism, who are carried away by the fury of desire and passion,
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| aśhāstra-vihitam | not enjoined by the scriptures |
| ghoram | stern |
| tapyante | perform |
| ye | who |
| tapaḥ | austerities |
| janāḥ | people |
| dambha | hypocrisy |
| ahankāra | egotism |
| sanyuktāḥ | possessed of |
| kāma | desire |
| rāga | attachment |
| bala | force |
| anvitāḥ | impelled by |
There are some who think that the mortification of the body is the proper means to attain the goal of life. They do this in order to attract the people and get money for the gratification of their senses.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Trace how faith, worship, food, sacrifice, austerity and gift are described under the three guṇas.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaThose persons who, given to ostentation and pride, and possessed of passion, attachment, and strength, undertake severe austerities not sanctioned by the scriptures;
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaThose men who practice terrible austerities not enjoined by the scriptures, given to ostentation and conceit, and prompted by the force of sensual desires and passions;
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaThere are some who think that the mortification of the body is the proper means to attain the goal of life. They do this in order to attract the people and get money for the gratification of their senses.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
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- 1
Those who practice austerities not commanded by scripture, who are enslaved to hypocrisy and egotism, who are carried away by the fury of desire and passion,
- 2
aśhāstra-vihitam: not enjoined by the scriptures
- 3
dambha: hypocrisy
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