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Chapter 7
Appendix:—The desires, that the Lord's devotees, who are seekers of wealth and also the afflicted have, are also possessed by the persons mentioned in this verse. But the difference between the two is that the seekers of wealth and the afflicted devotees have not predominance of desire but there is predominance of God in them, therefore they are not 'hrajnanah' (discrimination has been led astray). But the persons described here have the predominance of desires; so they are `hrtajnanah'.
The seekers of wealth and the afflicted devotees take refuge in only God but these persons leaving God aside, take refuge in other deities. Desires, deities, men and precepts—all these are various. If in spite of having several desires, only God is to be worshipped, then He will lead the devotee (worshipper) to salvation. But if desires are numerous and the deities worshipped are also numerous, then who will lead such a person to salvation?
There is no other entity besides God—this knowledge is veiled because of the desire for pleasure. The desire has been caused neither by prakrti nor by God but it has been caused (made) by a man himself. Therefore it is his responsibility to wipe it out. The Lord by the term 'hrtajniinah' means to say that the discrimination has not been destroyed but because of desire it has been carried away. The same fact has been mentioned in the Gita by the expressions, 'mayayapahrtajnanah' (7/15), 'ajnanenavrtam jnanam' (5/15) etc.
In the fifteenth verse of this chapter, in the expression 'mayayapahrtajnanah' there is predominance of the mode of ignorance while the mode of passion is secondary, but in the expression `kamaistaistairhltajnanah' used here, there is predominance of the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance is secondary. In the expression 'mayayapahltajnanah' there is predominance of the desire for wealth and in `kamaistaistairhrta-jnanah' there is predominance of the desire for pleasure. The difference between the two is that the men deluded, deprived of discrimination by Maya, don't worship gods but the men whose discrimination has been led astray by desires can worship gods. The reason is that there is no distaste for wealth—'jimi pratilaabha lobha adhikai but there is certainly distaste for pleasures. In 'msyayapahrtajaanah' a man depends on demoniac traits such as falsehood, fraud and dishonesty etc., but in 'kamaistaistairhrajnanah' there is dependence on God. Therefore in 'mayayapahltajnanah' there is special inertness (insentience) but in 'kamaistaistairhrtajnanah' there is comparatively more consciousness (sentience).[1]
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