Bhagavad Gita 17.5 meaningYou are what you trust
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“Some people hurt themselves to look holy.”
What it means
“Some people practise extreme self-punishment that no scripture recommends, driven by hypocrisy, ego, desire, attachment and force.”
The original Sanskrit
अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जनाः । दम्भाहंकारसंयुक्ताः कामरागबलान्विताः ॥
aśāstravihitaṃ ghoraṃ tapyante ye tapo janāḥ dambhāhaṃkārasaṃyuktāḥ kāmarāgabalānvitāḥ
Translations
Literal translation
Those persons who, given to ostentation and pride, and possessed of passion, attachment and strength, undertake severe austerities not sanctioned in the scriptures;
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
जो लोग शास्त्रविधि से रहित घोर तप करते हैं तथा दम्भ, अहंकार, काम और राग से भी युक्त होते हैं।
Swami Tejomayananda
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Commentaries
How great teachers across 1,200 years have explained this verse.
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Keep reading · 17.6“Foolishly, they torment the elements of their body — and me, who live within it. Know that their resolve is destructive.”