Greed, restless activity, the undertaking of actions, restlessness, and longing — these arise when rajas increases, O best of the Bharatas.
Synthesis
Greed, restless activity, undertaking of actions, restlessness, and longing arise when rajas predominates. Shankara identifies these as the hallmarks of a mind driven by desire. Ramanuja sees them as signs that the soul is caught in the cycle of craving. The Bhakti tradition recognizes rajasic symptoms as the soul seeking fulfillment in the wrong places. Madhva lists these as real psychological conditions indicating bondage to desire. Abhinavagupta identifies rajasic signs as consciousness directed outward with force — grasping and never satisfied. Vallabha teaches that when this same energy is redirected toward God, the restlessness transforms into passionate divine love. Tilak warns that rajas manifests as chronic busyness and inability to rest, and distinguishes purposeful action from rajasic compulsion. Vivekananda sees these signs everywhere in modern life — greed masked as ambition, restlessness disguised as productivity.
Commentaries 8 traditions
Shankara identifies these as symptoms of a mind driven by rajas: always grasping, always starting new ventures, never at rest, never satisfied. The rajasic person mistakes agitation for vitality and craving for ambition.
Apply This Verse
Personal Growth
If you notice greed, restless activity, constant new beginnings without completions, an inability to be still, and persistent longing — rajas dominates. The remedy is conscious pausing, not more doing.
Questions this verse answers
- ?"Why do I start things and never finish them?"
- ?"Why can't I sit still and just be?"
- ?"How do I know if my ambition is healthy or compulsive?"