Bhagavad Gita BG 3.37
Chapter 3, Verse 37 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
श्रीभगवानुवाच । काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भवः । महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम् ॥ ३७ ॥
śrī bhagavān uvāca kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ mahāśano mahā-pāpmā viddhy enam iha vairiṇam
Meaning
The Blessed Lord said: It is desire alone, and it is wrath — born from the quality of rajas — all-devouring and supremely sinful. Know this as the enemy here.
Understanding
Krishna gives Arjuna the answer with absolute precision: eṣaḥ — 'this, right here, this is it.' The enemy is kāma (desire), which when frustrated becomes krodha (anger/wrath). Both arise from rajo-guṇa (the quality of passion/activity). Two devastating epithets: mahāśana (the great devourer / all-consuming, from mahā+aśana — 'great eater') and mahā-pāpmā (supremely sinful / the great sinner). Desire devours without being satisfied; it creates ever more sin. This enemy (vairiṇam) is not outside — it is within. The word 'iha' (here, in this life) emphasises that this is the enemy to be identified and faced right now, not some future adversary.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| कामः | kāmaḥ | desire / craving / lust |
| क्रोधः | krodhaḥ | wrath / anger / rage |
| रजोगुणसमुद्भवः | rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ | born from the quality of rajas / arising from passion |
| महाशनः | mahāśanaḥ | all-devouring / the great consumer / insatiable |
| महापाप्मा | mahā-pāpmā | supremely sinful / the great sinner |
| श्रीभगवान् उवाच | śrī bhagavān uvāca | The Blessed Lord said (speaker attribution) |
| एषः | eṣaḥ | this (is) / it is this (repeated for both kama and krodha) |
| विद्धि | viddhi | know / understand (imperative) |
| एनम् | enam | it / this (enemy) |
| इह | iha | here / in this world |
| वैरिणम् | vairiṇam | the enemy / the adversary |