Verse 9.12

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 9.12:

मोघाशा मोघ-कर्माणो मोघ-ज्ञाना विचेतसः ।
राक्षसीम् आसुरीं चैव प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिताः ॥ १२ ॥

moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo mogha-jñānā vicetasaḥ |
rākṣasīm āsurīṃ caiva prakṛtiṃ mohinīṃ śritāḥ || 12 ||

mogha-āśāḥ–baffled desires; mogha-karmāṇaḥ–their fruitive work is baffled;mogha-jñānāḥ–knowledge baffled; vicetasaḥ–those bewildered persons; rākṣasīm–ignorant; āsurīm–demonic nature; ca–and; eva–certainly; prakṛtim–nature; mohinīm–of the illusory; śritāḥ–take shelter.

The hopes of such bewildered persons for liberation, material gain and the culture of knowledge all go in vain. Thus, with their minds distracted, they adopt the nature of the deluded, ignorant and demoniac.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

“What is the destination of those who deride Śrī Bhagavān, thinking that He has a human body made of māyā?” Anticipating this question from Arjuna, Śrī Bhagavān says that even though such people are devotees, their hopes go in vain. Their desires to attain one of the four types of mukti, such as sālokya (residing on the same planet as the Lord) bear no fruit. If they are fruitive workers, they cannot attain the result of their karma, like residence in the heavenly planets. If they are jñānīs, they cannot attain liberation as a result of their jñāna. So what do they achieve? In answer to this, Śrī Bhagavān speaks the third line of this verse beginning with rākṣasīm. “They attain a demoniac nature.”

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

This verse describes the destination of those who deride the supramundane, human-like body of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, composed of eternality, cognizance and bliss, as described in the previous verse. Their desires, activities and knowledge all become useless. Even their minds become distracted and they take shelter of a demoniac and atheistic nature, which destroys their discrimination. In this way, they fall from the path leading to the supreme goal.

This is explained in the Bṛhad-vaiṣṇava Tantra:

yo vetti bhautikaṃ dehaṃ kṛṣṇasya paramātmanaḥ
sa sarvasmād bahiṣ-kāryaḥ śrauta-smārta-vidhānataḥ

Those who consider the body of the Supersoul Śrī Kṛṣṇa to be made of the five material elements are disqualified from performing all types of karma according to Śruti and Smṛti. It is recommended that if one sees the face of such sinful people, one should immediately take bath with his clothes on. It is said that being devoid of discrimination, those with such a bewildered, demoniac, ignorant and violent nature must go to the hellish planets.