Bhagavad Gita 9.12 · Krishna
Empty hopes, empty work
मोघाशा मोघकर्माणो मोघज्ञाना विचेतसः।
राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिताः॥
moghāśā moghakarmāṇo moghajñānā vicetasaḥrākṣasīmāsurīṃ caiva prakṛtiṃ mohinīṃ śritāḥ
Their hopes vain, their deeds vain, their knowledge vain, minds scattered, they take on a fierce, deluding nature.
What it means
Krishna describes what happens when we miss the sacred. Hopes become empty, mogha. Work becomes empty. Even knowledge becomes empty. The mind scatters, and people slip into harsh, deluding qualities, called demonic. These are states of mind anyone can fall into, and anyone can leave.
The story
Arjuna can see this in Duryodhana's camp. Grand plans, frantic effort, clever strategy, all hollow because they're built on greed. Krishna describes it without hatred, as a warning.
In your life
Think of someone working eighty hours a week for a goal they no longer believe in. Busy, but empty. Ask yourself honestly, which of my efforts feel meaningful, and which feel hollow?
Busy is not the same as meaningful.