Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Verse 12 (9.12)

मोघाशा मोघकर्माणो मोघज्ञाना विचेतसः । राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिताः | | ९-१२ | |

moghāśhā moghakarmāṇo moghajñānā vichetasaḥ rākṣhasīmāsurīṁ chaiva prakṛitiṁ mohinīṁ śhritāḥ

Word-by-word guide:

Line 1:

mogasa joined in moghāśhā
मोघ-कर्माणः (mogha-karmanah) — निष्फल कर्म(fruitless actions)
मोघ-ज्ञानाः (mogha-jnanah) — व्यर्थ ज्ञान(useless knowledge)
विचेतसः (vichetasah) — भ्रमित बुद्धि वाले(confused in mind)

Line 2:

राक्षसीम् (rakshasim) — राक्षसी(harmful)
आसुरीम् (asurim) — आसुरी(ungodly)
च (cha) — और(and)
iva joined in chaiva
प्रकृतिम् (prakritim) — प्रकृति(nature)
मोहिनीम् (mohinim) — मोह में डालने वाली(deluding)
श्रिताः (shritah) — आश्रित(taking shelter)

English: Their hopes are vain, their actions worthless, their knowledge futile; they are without sense, deceitful, barbarous and godless.

💡 Commentary Note

Those with deluded intellects embrace vain hopes, vain actions, and empty knowledge. Their minds become distracted by negative, selfish, and destructive tendencies.

Learnings from Shloka 12:

Deluded Pursuit:: Selfish desires lead to meaningless actions and superficial knowledge that do not satisfy the soul.
State of Disorientation:: Embracing destructive attitudes blinds one to spiritual truths and inner peace.

Gita/Sanskrit Language Quiz

Practice this shloka vocabulary

Match Sanskrit words from shloka 9.12 with their Hindi and English meanings.

Practice vocabulary

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