Bhagavad Gita · Sankhya YogaChapter 2, Shloka 44 (2.44)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानां तयाऽपहृतचेतसाम्
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिः समाधौ न विधीयते
॥ 2.44 ॥
bhogaiśvaryaprasaktānāṃ tayā'pahṛtacetasām
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate
Translation
"…in those attached to pleasure and power, whose discernment has been stolen away by that speech — in the minds of such people, resolute understanding does not become steady."
Interpretation
"Apahṛta-cetasām" — whose minds have been carried away. The attractive, flowery speech has "stolen" their discernment (Shankara: ācchādita-viveka-prajñānām — whose discerning understanding has been covered over). The glitter of pleasure and power draws the understanding towards itself.
A one-pointed understanding does not hold. Shankaracharya: in the minds of such people a resolute understanding does not form about anything — whether sankhya or yoga. Ramanuja: in their minds the understanding of action as a means to moksha, grounded in knowledge of the true nature of the self, never arises — so a seeker of liberation should not form attachment to kamya karma (actions done for their fruits).
A message for Arjuna. Arjuna's arguments in the first chapter too (hell, the fall of the ancestors, heaven) often revolved around this "speech of rewards". Krishna gives him a hint — free your understanding from the glitter of rewards.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.