A core teaching · reflective in mood · a little context helps
“Desire and anger turn ambition into injustice.”
Bound by hundreds of cords of hope, driven by desire and anger, they strive to gather wealth unjustly for the enjoyment of desires.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyby hundreds of cords of hope · bound · devoted to desire and anger · they strive · for the sake of enjoyment of desire · unjustly · accumulations of wealth
Endless hopes trap people. Desire and anger drive them to gather wealth by unfair means just to feed more wanting.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga" (The Divine and Demoniac Natures).
Verse 12 sits in Chapter 16 of the Bhagavad Gita — Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga, "The Divine and Demoniac Natures". The chapter has 24 verses in total.
A person cuts corners, hides numbers, and calls it ambition. The hunger for more has already turned into a cage.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from outward success to the inner forces that corrupt it.
What this verse means
Endless hopes trap people. Desire and anger drive them to gather wealth by unfair means just to feed more wanting.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, while Arjuna stands frozen, Krishna describes the inner life of those ruled by the lower nature: trapped by countless hopes, pushed by craving and rage, they chase wealth through injustice. This verse shows the behavior behind that blindness.
Why this verse still matters
A person cuts corners, hides numbers, and calls it ambition. The hunger for more has already turned into a cage.
“You can see how craving multiplies itself until fairness no longer matters.”
Explore related themes: kama (23 verses), adharma (12 verses), krodha (11 verses)