Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 17, Verse 5
अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जनाः । दम्भाहङ्कारसंयुक्ताः कामरागबलान्विताः
aśāstravihitaṃ ghoraṃ tapyante ye tapo janāḥ | dambhāhaṅkārasaṃyuktāḥ kāmarāgabalānvitāḥ
Translation
Those men who practise terrific austerities not enjoined by the scripture, given to hypocrisy and egotism, endued with the strength of lust and passion;
— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri
Word meanings
- aśāstravihitam
- not, by the Shāstras, ordained
- ghoram
- terrible
- tapyante
- endure
- ye
- who
- tapaḥ
- austerity
- janāḥ
- people
- dambhāhaṅkārasaṃyuktāḥ
- with vanity, and, with egoism, and, joined
- kāmarāgabalānvitāḥ
- of desire, and, of passion, and, by force, filled
Śaṅkarācārya's commentary
"Terrific": causing pain to himself and to other living beings. "Endued with the strength of lust and passion" may also be interpreted as 'possessed of lust, passion and strength.'