यया धर्ममधर्मं च कार्यं चाकार्यमेव च ।अयथावत्प्रजानाति बुद्धिः सा पार्थ राजसी ॥
yayā dharmam adharmaṃ ca kāryaṃ cākāryam eva ca |ayathāvat prajānāti buddhiḥ sā pārtha rājasī ||
- यया · yayā
- by which
- धर्मम् · dharmam
- right, duty
- अधर्मम् · adharmam
- wrong
- कार्यम् · kāryam
- what should be done
- अकार्यम् · akāryam
- what should not be done
- अयथावत् · ayathāvat
- incorrectly, not as it is
- प्रजानाति · prajānāti
- one discerns
- बुद्धिः · buddhiḥ
- understanding
- पार्थ · pārtha
- O Partha
- राजसी · rājasī
- rajasic
“The understanding by which one discerns right and wrong, and what should and should not be done, incorrectly — that, O Partha, is rajasic.”
— Original plain-language translation
Rajasic intellect handles the right categories but gets the answers wrong — desire tilts the judgment. It knows duty matters yet rationalizes exceptions for itself. Self-serving moral reasoning is the hallmark: right conclusions bent toward wanted ones.
— Reader's notes (original)