221. Ends Shouldn't Justify Means

Krishna continues about the demonic natured and says, “Believing that all this world is about fulfillment of bodily desires, such persons are engrossed till the moment of death in earthly anxieties (16.11). Held in bondage by hundreds of desires, lust and anger, they strive to accumulate wealth by unjust means, all for the gratification of their senses” (16.12). Anger is natural when desires are not fulfilled, thus they go hand in hand. That is why reigning in senses is one of the central preachings of the Bhagavad Gita.

When one sets accumulation as the goal, there is a tendency to direct all their energy toward achieving it. On this path, one tends to justify all the means to achieve the said target irrespective of the justness of the means. This process entails grabbing from someone else - it could be a property or credit for good work; it could be grabbing market share or grabbing the space in mind which is called ‘influencing others’ for selfish motives as is done on social media. Krishna discourages hoarding and calls those who hoard thieves (3.12). He encourages us to be a part of natural cycles of give and take. He gave the example of the water cycle which involves the selfless actions (yajna) of rain and evaporation.

Certainly, it’s not about dropping our professions or renouncing our karmas. Krishna earlier asked us not to drop karmas but to renounce hatred (5.3) by inculcating the divine quality of forgiveness (16.3). Once hatred is dropped, its polar opposite of clinging or grabbing would automatically disappear.

Evolution and improvements are a part of prakriti (nature). In that process, better species evolve; the quality of life keeps improving with time. The essence is to move with the flow rather than indulging in accumulation. This attachment to accumulation is nothing but the bondage which Krishna mentioned as a hallmark of the demonic person.