Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Krishna will describe in next verse how sense gratification and wealth these are primary infatuation for the demonic people. 

Bg 16.11-12

cintām aparimeyāṁ ca
pralayāntām upāśritāḥ
kāmopabhoga-paramā
etāvad iti niścitāḥ

āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ
kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ
īhante kāma-bhogārtham
anyāyenārtha-sañcayān

Synonyms: 

cintām — fears and anxieties; aparimeyām — immeasurable; ca — and; pralaya–antām — unto the point of death; upāśritāḥ — having taken shelter of; kāma–upabhoga — sense gratification; paramāḥ — the highest goal of life; etāvat — thus; iti — in this way; niścitāḥ — having ascertained; āśā–pāśa — entanglements in a network of hope; śataiḥ — by hundreds; baddhāḥ — being bound; kāma — of lust; krodha — and anger; parāyaṇāḥ — always situated in the mentality; īhante — they desire; kāma — lust; bhoga — sense enjoyment; artham — for the purpose of; anyāyena — illegally; artha — of wealth; sañcayān — accumulation.

Translation: 

They believe that to gratify the senses is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus until the end of life their anxiety is immeasurable. Bound by a network of hundreds of thousands of desires and absorbed in lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.

We discussed the desires and disasters of demonic world view and living. Now continuing that demons are motivated by lust and greed. They wanted to enjoy sense gratification for that they want money. 

Dharma, Artha, Kama and Mokasha is balanced way of living but the demons wanted to remove Dharma and cut-off Moksha also. Artha and Kama is all they want. 

Krishna talked about Bhoga Eaishwarya Prashkta Nam Tayat Aparhat Chetasam…

So Bhoga is Kama and Eaishwarya is Artha. And both of these abduct the soul away. 

Right now the section we are looking at is:

10-18: Activities of the demoniac

Whatever qualities we have that is reflected in the activities we do.

cintām aparimeyāṁ ca, 

cintām is anxiety, aparimeyāṁ, unlimited / immeasurable anxiety;

pralayāntām upāśritāḥ, 

pralayāntām, till the end of Pralaya; so as discussed earlier Pralaya can refer to cosmic destruction or the time of death of a person.

So till the moment of death they are filled with anxiety.

upāśritāḥ, in fact they have taken shelter of anxiety.

So one doesn’t take shelter of anxiety but one take shelter of something which leads to anxiety. What is that?

kāmopabhoga-paramā,

Kama-Upabhoga, the enjoyment or sense gratification of lust the sensuality 

Paramā, is supreme or highest goal of life. 

Srila Prabhupada translated as sense gratification is the prime necessity of life for them.

They think that everything in life is meant to give them kāmopabhoga.

etāvad iti niścitāḥ,

this they have assert, this is certainty, niścitāḥ

āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ,

āśā-pāśa, they are bound by desires. And how many desires? śatair baddhāḥ, hundreds of desires. 

kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ,

They have sold themselves out to lust and anger.

īhante kāma-bhogārtham,

And for the sake of Kama-bhoga, īhante, for the sake of enjoying sense gratification. 

anyāyenārtha-sañcayān, 

sañcay is to collect, anya is injustices immorality illegality

So they immorally collect wealth. 

How they collect wealth immorally will be discussed in the next verse. 

First and foremost this verse talks about cintām aparimeyāṁ ca

In life we can do either Chintan or Chinta. Chintan is contemplation, especially contemplation on Supreme Lord, on the higher truths of life and the highest truth is Krishna. 

If our mind doesn’t have steady satisfying object of thought then the mind naturally thinks about the worldly things. And when we think about worldly things no worldly thing is ever lasting so we will not get every lasting peace so that result in Chinta. 

If we think about sense object that will cause chinta…I will get it or not. If I get whether it will stay with me or not…if stay how long it will stay with me…

cintām aparimeyāṁ ca

So these cinta is immeasurable because there are so many desires and each of these desires led to anxiety.

And till what time anxiety last? Pralayāntām, even till the moment of death, 

In kalyuga because people have gone further and further away from God all the anxieties have multiplied several times. Because when people are not left with stabilizing shelter then they are left with their disturbed mind. And mind takes them here and there. And wherever mind goes their thoughts goes and because mind is restless they become restless. So these are broad principles which cuts across religious boundaries. St. Augustin said O Lord You have made us finding rest in you and without You we will never find rest. cintām aparimeyāṁ ca, immeasurable anxieties remains.

And we can see the one of the primary symptom of modern civilization is Chinta, wherever modern civilization has gone, stress has come out. 

So this world is Kuntha but modern civilization has increased it many folds.

According to WHO stress and mental problem are going to be biggest problems in current century, so anxiety disorder is becoming common and in some western countries anxiety epidemic are seen.

These anxieties come because of desires and attachments.  kāmopabhoga-paramā.

Avadhoot Brahama says Pasyanti Anna Bhi Klesham, people are simply in misery, 

And Avanthi Brahman says Vaerthya Arthe Haya, Vaerthya, futile Arthe, a person works extremely high. Craze and slaves for gaining wealth. But ultimately what one gets is anxiety. So the more we are attached to things the more we suffer anxieties. 

People says cheers but their hearts are filled with fears, their minds are perched with desires, they are on the urge of tears, and they say cheers. People are actually not happy they are put on the facade of happiness. 

When sense gratification is goal, desires becomes the master.

āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ

And all the desires are invisible ropes. Which are pulling them. Śatair, hundreds of desires, they are bound by them. 

And then kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ, So they become kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ, instead of becoming Narayana Parayanah, they become devoted to kāma-krodha. Lust and anger. I should be the enjoyer and if I don’t become enjoyer then no body else should be the enjoyer, destroy everything else. 

When Kama is unsatisfied it becomes Krodha. 

Then, īhante kāma-bhogārtham, so for Kama Bhoga what do they do? 

anyāyenārtha-sañcayān, anyāyen, so when Kama is unfulfilled it leads to Krodha when it is fulfilled it leads to lobha, greed, and in both ways it traps us. 

By indulgence the rope of bondage becomes thicker and tighter.

End of transcription.