1 Gita Sloka Every Day - Chapter 18 - Moksha Sanyasa Yoga - Sloka 31

The entire content of this mail is from Shri V N Gopala Desikan's  Srimad Bhagavad Gita, published by Vishishtadvaita Research Centre, Chennai and The Bhagavad Gita by Swami Chidbhavananda published by Ramakrishna Mission

The Three Gunas Give Impetus to Karma - 18-40

1 Gita Sloka  Every Day - Chapter 18 - Moksha Sanyasa Yoga - Sloka 31

Yaya dharmam adharmam cha karyam cha akaryam eva cha I

Ayathavat prajanati buddhih sa partha rajasi II sloka 31

या या धर्मं अधर्मं च कार्यं च अकार्यं एव च I 

अयथ्वात् प्रजानाति बुद्धिः स पार्थ राजसि II श्लोक 31

The intellect that makes a distorted grasp of dharma and adharma, of what ought to be done, and not done, - that O Parhha is rajasika.

The reflection of a thing in disturbed water is not even; it gets disturbed. Similarly the acts of dharma and good and conducive undertakings prescribed in the shastras do not appear in their true light to a man in rajasika disposition. His intellect makes a distorted reading of good and holy acts. Duryodhana challenged and enticed Yudhishtra into gambling which is an evil practise. He usurped the kingdom and drove his cousin to war. Duryodhana felt that all his acts were dharmic while they were actually acts of adharma.

A man endowed with the rajasika intellect is capable of turning out enormous amount of work. But his evil genius taints all his doings. Let us suppose that two neighbours enter into a joint effort in agriculture or trade, and that one of the two is imbued with rajasika nature. No doubt, the endeavours of rajasika man would be more than his partners. But his evil understanding would be ever working at exploiting the partner. HE may go to the extent of ruining him. In litigation none can equal him. He is adept with trying to convert truth into falsehood and vice versa. He delights in foul ways. Righteous men are objects of ridicule for him. He scrupulously avoids associating with good people. Any talk on spirituality would be distasteful for him. HE would hold spiritual men as unfit for life and mock at them. His wicked earnings would be all spent on evil projects, for he would not be part of any good cause. That is how rajasika intellect works.