Verses 17.5-6

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verses 17.5-6:

अशास्त्र-विहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जनाः ।
दम्भाहङ्कार-संयुक्ताः काम-राग-बलान्विताः ॥ ५ ॥
कर्शयन्तः शरीर-स्थं भूत-ग्रामम् अचेतसः ।
मां चैवान्तः-शरीर-स्थं तान् विद्ध्य् आसुर-निश्चयान् ॥ ६ ॥

aśāstra-vihitaṃ ghoraṃ tapyante ye tapo janāḥ |
dambhāhaṅkāra-saṃyuktāḥ kāma-rāga-balānvitāḥ || 5 ||
karśayantaḥ śarīra-sthaṃ bhūta-grāmam acetasaḥ |
māṃ caivāntaḥ-śarīra-sthaṃ tān viddhy āsura-niścayān || 6 ||

aśāstra-vihitam–not enjoined in scripture; ghoram–terrible; tapyante–perform; ye–who; tapaḥ–austerity; janāḥ–persons; dambha-ahaṅkāra–pride and false ego; saṃyuktāḥ–united with; kāma–desire; rāga–attachment; bala–strength; anvitāḥ–absorbed in; karśayantaḥ–they inflict pain; śarīra-stham–situated within the body; bhūta-grāmam–on the elements; acetasaḥ–who are not discriminating; mām–to Me; ca–and; eva–certainly; antaḥ-śarīra-stham–situated within the body; tān–those; viddhi–you should know; āsura-niścayān–faith in demonic forms of religion.

Endowed with pride, false ego, lust, attachment and strength, they inflict pain upon the elements of their bodies and also upon Me, who am situated within the heart of their hearts. They perform severe austerities not recommended in scripture and have faith in demoniac forms of religiosity.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

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

Kṛṣṇa said, “O Arjuna, you have asked about the status of those who discard the injunctions of scripture yet perform worship endowed with faith; are such persons in the mode of goodness, passion or ignorance? Now hear My reply in the two verses beginning with aśāstra. Faith and renunciation of selfish desires also manifest in those who perform severe austerities, characterized by unauthorized mantras, yajñas and so forth, which create fear in living beings. Those who are proud and egotistical will surely violate the rules of scripture. Kāma refers to desires such as the desire for for eternal youthfulness, immortality and a kingdom. Rāga means attachment to austerities, and bala means the capacity to perform austerities like Hiraṇyakaśipu. From the very beginning of their performance of austerity, such persons torture the bhūta-grāmam, the group of elements such as earth, which constitute the body, and cause unnecessary pain to Me, as well as to My partial expansion, the jīva. The disposition of such persons is āsurika, or demoniac.”

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

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

Here, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is telling Arjuna that those who disregard scripture and perform severe austerities, such as fasting to fulfil their material desires, are not included among those who perform the sāttvika, rājasika and tāmasika activities explained previously. Such people are very unfortunate. Being influenced by the association of pretenders, they perform severe austerities that intimidate common people and that are not recommended in scripture. Austerities such as worthless, painful fasts, offering in sacrifice one’s bodily flesh, a human being or an animal and performing other such violent acts cause pain to one’s self and also to Paramātmā. Such people, whose natures are cruel, should be considered demoniac.

In current times, some people observe fasts that are not recom-mended in scripture out of some selfish or political interest. The scriptures’ provision for fasting is solely to facilitate the attainment of the transcendental goal. On Ekādaśī, for example, one can fast from everything, even from water, and remain awake throughout the night, performing hari-kīrtana. Such a fast is not for political or social purposes. But nowadays, people stay awake at night and eat flesh, drink wine and sing vulgar and contemptible songs. In this way, they violate the rules of scripture. Such activity is not included within the three types of śraddhā, or faith, and it simply gives suffering; it does not benefit anyone. In fact, such activities are performed out of pride, ego, lust and excessive attachment to material sense enjoyment. One who performs such austerity causes unnecessary pain to the body and disturbs one’s inner peace, as well as the peace of others. Sometimes persons even die from performing these fanatical fasts. While wandering repeatedly throughout the demonic species of life, they reap only misery. But if by the will of providence, they receive the association of a pure devotee, they can attain auspiciousness. Examples of this are Nalakūvera, Maṇigrīva and Mahārāja Surat.