Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 16, Verse 12
आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः।ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान्।।
āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ
īhante kāma-bhogārtham anyāyenārtha-sañcayān
also searched as "ashapashashatair baddhah kamakrodhaparayanah"
Translation
Bound by hundreds of fetters of hopes, given over to desire and anger, they strive unjustly to gather wealth for the gratification of their desires.
Vāṇi's rendering
Tied by a hundred ropes of hope, ruled by craving and anger, some pile up wealth by any means, for pleasure.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आशापाशशतैःāśā-pāśa-śataiḥ | by hundreds of ropes made of hope (sandhi: śatair before baddhāḥ) |
| बद्धाःbaddhāḥ | bound, tied |
| कामक्रोधपरायणाःkāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ | given over wholly to craving and anger |
| ईहन्तेīhante | they strive, they exert themselves |
| कामभोगार्थम्kāma-bhoga-artham | for the sake of enjoying what they desire (sandhi: bhogārtham) |
| अन्यायेनanyāyena | by unjust means, wrongly |
| अर्थसञ्चयान्artha-sañcayān | hoards of wealth (sandhi: anyāyenārtha-) |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 Verse 12 mean?
It describes a life run by wanting. A hundred hopes hold the person like ropes; craving pushes and anger defends, and wealth gets gathered by whatever means work. Krishna is not condemning effort. He is showing what effort becomes when pleasure is the only end it serves.
What is the meaning of ashapashashatair baddhah kamakrodhaparayanah?
Pāśa means a noose, not a thread. Krishna says hope itself can bind — a hundred small expectations, each one a tether. Add craving and anger as constant masters, and a person is no longer choosing. The rope is invisible because it is made of things you want.
Is hope a bad thing in the Gita?
Hope that fixes you to an outcome is the rope here. The Gītā does not ask you to want nothing; it asks you to act without hanging your life on the result. When a hope decides what you will do to get it, notice: you are being led, not leading.
Why does Krishna link desire, anger, and dishonest wealth together?
They are one movement. Craving sets the target, anger clears whoever stands near it, and once both are in charge the means fall silent. Injustice is rarely a decision; it is what remains after desire has already answered the question. Watch the first link, and the chain never forms.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Count the ropes. Not one great chain but a hundred small hopes, each thin, each tied somewhere — and together they hold a man still. Krishna is describing the cruel temper, and he does not begin with cruelty. He begins with hope: this deal, that promotion, one more year. Craving pulls, anger guards what craving wants, and between them the means stop mattering. Note the word — pāśa, a noose. What you reach for has a grip on you too. Arjuna is shown this so he can tell it apart from duty. Look at what you are hoping for today, and see which end of the rope you are holding.