Gita 03.37 – Inner enemies are more dangerous than outer enemies

Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-37-inner-enemies-are-more-dangerous-than-outer-enemies/

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
kāma eṣa krodha eṣa
rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ
mahāśano mahā-pāpmā
viddhy enam iha vairiṇam (Bg 3.37)

Word-for-word:
śri-bhagavān uvāca — the Personality of Godhead said; kāmaḥ — lust; eṣaḥ — this; krodhaḥ — wrath; eṣaḥ — this; rajaḥ-guṇa — the mode of passion; samudbhavaḥ — born of; mahā-aśanaḥ — all-devouring; mahā-pāpmā — greatly sinful; viddhi — know; enam — this; iha — in the material world; vairiṇam — greatest enemy.

Translation:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world.

Explanation:
Arjuna asked a question in the previous verse—What is it that compels people to sin? Kṛṣṇa answers that question here:
kāma eṣa krodha eṣa: It is lust and it is anger,
rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ: born of the mode of passion (rajo-guṇa). As soon as the mode of passion arises, these also emerge.
mahāśano mahāpāpmā: It is the great devourer, inducing immense sin.
viddhy enam iha vairiṇam: Know this to be the true enemy here in this world.

A warrior must know who the enemies are so that he can fight them effectively. Typically, wars are fought directly—enemies on one side, allies on the other, and both sides engage in open battle. However, wars are often fought indirectly as well—through proxies, espionage, or sabotage. Sometimes, someone who appears to be an ally may turn out to be a traitor, fighting on one side only to turn around and attack his own supposed ally.

Hence, it is important for a warrior to clearly identify who is a friend and who is an enemy. Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna here that lust—kāma—which later manifests as anger—krodha—is indeed an enemy. This is the real enemy—iha vairiṇam—don’t think that only Karṇa and Duryodhana are your enemies.

These are even more formidable enemies—mahāśano and mahāpāpmā. Enemies like Karṇa and Duryodhana may commit sinful acts and cause Arjuna trouble in this way, but lust and anger will actually make Arjuna himself commit sinful activities.

Outer enemies harm us by their actions, but inner enemies harm us by making us engage in self-destructive, self-defeating behavior. That’s why they’re called “mahāśano mahāpāpmā”. Lust can drag a person down to abysmal nadirs—dark depths of depravity.

Kṛṣṇa is telling Arjuna to recognize lust as “vairiṇam”—the enemy. Why? Because lust deceives us by promising pleasure but ultimately delivers pain. It whispers, “Come on, do this, try that, touch this, watch that,” promising happiness, yet it always leads to suffering.

Agreed, there is some pleasure in these indulgences, but it is fleeting—a brief surge of biological, hormonal releases. Once that’s over, there is no real pleasure left. What once promised so much pleasure is quickly exhausted, leaving behind increased attachment, karmic entanglements, and numerous problems—sexually transmitted diseases, relationship complications, infidelity, divorce, and so on. In this way, lust can devour our morality, spirituality, dignity, integrity, civility, sensitivity, and humanity itself. That’s why it is called “mahāśana”—an all-devouring, sinful enemy.

Now, because this enemy, lust, masquerades itself as a friend by promising pleasure, it is all the more dangerous and must be dealt with carefully. If we are not vigilant in our dealings with lust and if we naively trust its promises, we will surely be ruined. Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that it is lust which impels one to sin. Lust resides in the heart and, from within, misguides us.

We have a misguider within us, and that is what makes us vulnerable. Lust then degenerates into anger when it is not fulfilled—kāma eṣa krodha eṣa. When we strongly crave something and something obstructs our desire, we become furious. We ask, “Who dared to stop me from getting this?” and we lash out at that person or object. If there is no immediate target, we vent our anger on whoever is nearby. In this way, anger takes control of us and drags us down even further.

Lust arises in the mode of passion because in this mode, we strongly identify with the body and regard bodily desires as our own. We believe that fulfilling these desires will bring happiness, so we exert great effort to satisfy them. Kṛṣṇa confirms this in Bhagavad-gītā 14.12:
lobhaḥ pravṛttir ārambhaḥ
karmaṇām aśamaḥ spṛhā
rajasy etāni jāyante
vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha
Kṛṣṇa explains that as the mode of passion intensifies, insatiable desire and greed arise. Strong lust is a hallmark of this mode. When our efforts to satisfy these desires are thwarted, this passion degenerates into ignorance, and from that ignorance, anger (krodha) emerges.

We certainly have an inner misguider, but we also have an inner guide—and that is Kṛṣṇa. To the extent that we connect with Kṛṣṇa and remain connected to Him, His guidance enables us to see through the deceptive temptations of lust and defend ourselves effectively. How lust attacks and how we can protect ourselves from it will be explained by Kṛṣṇa in the upcoming verses. For now, His focus is on identifying the true enemy—lust.

Kṛṣṇa gives three key characteristics of lust. First, it is born of the mode of passion. This itself indicates that if we strive to remain in the mode of goodness, then—according to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s purport—by following the prescribed mode of living and acting, which is the sattvic way, we can prevent lust from hijacking us. Next, Kṛṣṇa calls it mahāśano mahā-pāpmā—the great devourer—which leads us into grave sin and can destroy everything in its path.

Lust is vicious and voracious. It drives us to commit wrong actions, and whatever stands in its way is destroyed and devoured as it relentlessly pushes us further down the path of unrighteousness. By recognizing these dangerous qualities of lust, we cultivate a healthy fear of the degradation it can bring into our lives. This awareness motivates us to take shelter in the inner guide and protect ourselves from its harmful influence.

Thank you.