Verse 17.19

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 17.19:

मूढ-ग्राहेणात्मनो यत् पीडया क्रियते तपः ।
परस्योत्सादनार्थं वा तत् तामसम् उदाहृतम् ॥ १९ ॥

mūḍha-grāheṇātmano yat pīḍayā kriyate tapaḥ |
parasyotsādanārthaṃ vā tat tāmasam udāhṛtam || 19 ||

mūḍha-grāheṇa–due to foolish obstinacy; ātmanaḥ–one’s self; yat–which; pīḍayā–giving pain; kriyate–performed; tapaḥ–austerity; parasya–to another; utsādana–bringing ruin; artham–with the purpose; vā–or; tat–that; tāmasam–the quality of darkness; udāhṛtam–is said to be.

Austerity that is performed out of foolish obstinacy and that gives pain to oneself or that is intended to cause another’s ruin is known to be governed by the quality of darkness.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

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

Mūḍha-grāheṇa means ‘due to accepting foolishness’. Parasya utsādanārtham means that austerity performed to destroy others is in the mode of ignorance.