अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जनाः ।दम्भाहङ्कारसंयुक्ताः कामरागबलान्विताः ॥
aśāstravihitaṃ ghoraṃ tapyante ye tapo janāḥ |dambhāhaṅkārasaṃyuktāḥ kāmarāgabalānvitāḥ ||
- अशास्त्रविहितम् · aśāstravihitam
- not enjoined by scripture
- घोरम् · ghoram
- fierce, terrible
- तप्यन्ते · tapyante
- they practice
- तपः · tapaḥ
- austerity
- जनाः · janāḥ
- people
- दम्भाहङ्कारसंयुक्ताः · dambhāhaṅkārasaṃyuktāḥ
- yoked to show and ego
- कामरागबलान्विताः · kāmarāgabalānvitāḥ
- driven by craving, craving-passion, and force
“Those who practice fierce austerities not enjoined by scripture — yoked to show and ego, driven by craving and brute force…”
— Original plain-language translation
Not all austerity is holy: self-torture fed by vanity and appetite is condemned outright. The Gita honors tapas (see 17.14–17.17) but tests it by motive and measure. The sentence completes in the next verse with a startling charge.
— Reader's notes (original)