A hundred ropes of hope

āśāpāśaśatairbaddhāḥ kāmakrodhaparāyaṇāḥīhante kāmabhogārthamanyāyenārthasañcayān

Bound by a hundred ropes of hope, given over to desire and anger, they pile up wealth by unjust means, for pleasure.

What it means

Krishna uses a vivid image. A person tied by a hundred ropes of hope, each one a wish pulling in a different direction. Driven by desire and anger, they gather wealth anyhow, even unjustly, just to feed their pleasures. Wealth isn't the problem. Getting it unfairly, and being ruled by it, is.

The story

Duryodhana cheated the Pandavas out of their kingdom in a rigged dice game. Krishna describes exactly that kind of grasping, whatever the cost to others.

In your life

Think of someone who cut corners at work for a bonus and lost their peace, and maybe their job. Earn one thing fairly today, even if it's slower.