Bound by hundreds of ties of desire, given over to lust and anger, they strive to amass wealth by unjust means for the gratification of their desires.
Synthesis
Bound by hundreds of ties of desire, given over to lust and anger, the demonic strive to amass wealth through injustice. The traditions collectively paint a picture of self-forged imprisonment. Shankara describes desire as an invisible chain harder to break than any physical bond. Ramanuja teaches that only divine grace can sever these bonds of attachment. Madhva emphasizes that only the Lord's intervention can free the soul from self-created bondage. Abhinavagupta identifies the 'hundreds of ties' as the countless thought-constructs (vikalpas) that bind awareness to the limited ego — recognition of the limitless Self cuts through them all. Vallabha sees the bondage of desire as loosened not by forceful suppression but by the irresistible attraction of divine love. The bhakti tradition holds that lust and anger dissolve when the heart is filled with devotion. Tilak warns that unjust wealth-accumulation corrodes both individual character and social fabric, urging righteous earning and generous distribution. Vivekananda teaches that the desire for wealth becomes demonic only when pursued through injustice and driven by lust and anger — earned honestly and used for service, wealth is a blessing.
Commentaries 8 traditions
Shankara explains that āśā (hope/expectation) becomes a binding noose because it keeps the mind perpetually projected into the future, never settled in the present reality of the Self. Each unfulfilled hope generates anger, and the cycle of desire-anger-accumulation-desire creates an ever-tightening bondage.
Apply This Verse
Personal Growth
Count the desires that bind you — each unfulfilled expectation is a rope. Simplifying your desires does not mean suppressing ambition but recognizing which pursuits genuinely serve your growth and which are just adding more nooses.
Questions this verse answers
- ?"How many desires am I currently chasing?"
- ?"How do I simplify my wants without losing motivation?"
- ?"Am I bound by expectations I didn't even choose?"
- ?"How do I break free from the cycle of wanting?"