Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

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

Now let us look at the determination in the mode of passion.

Bg 18.34

yayā tu dharma-kāmārthān
dhṛtyā dhārayate ’rjuna

prasaṅgena phalākāṅkṣī
dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha rājasī

Synonyms: 

yayā — by which; tu — but; dharma — religiosity; kāma — sense gratification; arthān — and economic development; dhṛtyā — by determination; dhārayate — one sustains; arjuna — O Arjuna; prasaṅgena — because of attachment; phala–ākāṅkṣī — desiring fruitive results; dhṛtiḥ — determination; sā — that; pārtha — O son of Pṛthā; rājasī — in the mode of passion.

Translation: 

But that determination by which one holds fast to fruitive results in religion, economic development and sense gratification is of the nature of passion, O Arjuna.

yayā tu dharma-kāmārthān, for the sake of Dharma, Artha, Kama, most people pursue only these three, of course in modern time most people pursue only Artha and kama, and don’t bother much about dharma, but most people who has dharmic inclination they don’t have inclination about Moksha, they don’t want liberation they want material prosperity but they don’t want adharma while pursuing material prosperity, 

prasaṅgena phalākāṅkṣī, so what everyone perseverance it for the sake of Dharma Artha Kama, then that determination is in the mode of passion, 

Here Krishna is talking passion not in terms of sinful activities although sometimes passion is in terms of sinful activities, but it is not that everything passionate has to be necessarily be sinful, no this passionate activities are in the framework of Dharma, then they are not considered to be sinful,
dhṛtyā dhārayate ’rjuna, dhṛtyā dhārayate, that when one accepts for this particular purpose then prasaṅgena phalākāṅkṣī, prasaṅge means strong attachment, phalākāṅkṣī, one is very obsessed in getting result, dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha rājasī, rājasī, this is in mode of passion, so people do some kind of vratha like Sravan vratha, for some material benefit which they have not got earlier, that is considered determination in mode of passion.

End of transcription.