Bhagavad Gita 2.42 · Krishna
Beware of flowery promises
यामिमां पुष्पितां वाचं प्रवदन्त्यविपश्चितः।
वेदवादरताः पार्थ नान्यदस्तीति वादिनः॥
yāmimāṃ puṣpitāṃ vācaṃ pravadantyavipaścitaḥvedavādaratāḥ pārtha nānyadastīti vādinaḥ
The unwise speak flowery words, Partha, delighting in the letter of the Vedas, saying there is nothing more.
What it means
Krishna warns about a certain kind of religious talk. Flowery, impressive, full of promises. Some people, he says, delight in the letter of scripture and claim there's nothing beyond its rituals and rewards. He's not rejecting the Vedas. He's warning against using them only to get things.
The story
In Arjuna's time, many treated sacred rites as transactions. Do this ritual, get that reward. Krishna sees how that mindset can trap a person. Spirituality becomes another form of shopping. He's guiding Arjuna to something deeper.
In your life
Think of a wellness influencer promising that the right supplement will fix your whole life. Beautiful words, empty centre. When anything promises everything, slow down and ask, what is this really for?
Be wary of promises that ask only for wanting.