16.9 Working for the ruin of the world Krishna speaks
एतां दृष्टिमवष्टभ्य नष्टात्मानोऽल्पबुद्धयः
प्रभवन्त्युग्रकर्माणः क्षयाय जगतोऽहिताः
etāṁ dṛiṣhṭim avaṣhṭabhya naṣhṭātmāno ’lpa-buddhayaḥ
prabhavanty ugra-karmāṇaḥ kṣhayāya jagato ’hitāḥ
Holding this view, their selves lost, their understanding small, they arise as cruel doers, working for the ruin of the world.
Explanation
The consequence drawn from the view.
Selves lost, understanding small, arising as cruel doers who work for the ruin of the world.
The causal claim is strong and the chapter does not defend it: hold that there is no ground, and cruelty follows. Whether that link holds is left as an assertion — one the twelve verses that follow illustrate rather than prove.
Word by word
- etām
- such
- dṛiṣhṭim
- views
- avaṣhṭabhya
- holding
- naṣhṭa
- misdirected
- ātmānaḥ
- souls
- alpa-buddhayaḥ
- of small intellect
- prabhavanti
- arise
- ugra
- cruel
- karmāṇaḥ
- actions
- kṣhayāya
- destruction
- jagataḥ
- of the world
- ahitāḥ
- enemies
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