Bhagavad Gita 18.24 · Krishna
Restless action
यत्तु कामेप्सुना कर्म साहंकारेण वा पुनः।
क्रियते बहुलायासं तद्राजसमुदाहृतम्॥
yattu kāmepsunā karma sāhaṃkāreṇa vā punaḥkriyate bahulāyāsaṃ tadrājasamudāhṛtam
Action done to satisfy desire, or with ego, and with great strain, is called restless.
Words
- karma
- rajas
What it means
Krishna describes rajasic karma. Action driven by desire, or by ego, I'll show them. Done with great strain, bahula-ayasam, exhausting effort. It may achieve a lot. But it burns the doer out, because the fuel is craving and pride rather than clarity.
The story
Arjuna has seen generals exhaust their armies to win glory. Krishna names the cost of action powered by ego.
In your life
Think of a founder working eighteen-hour days mostly to prove their father wrong, and burning out at thirty. Notice what's fuelling your hardest work this week.
Ego-fuelled work burns you out.