Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 63

क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोहः सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः । स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति

krodhādbhavati sammohaḥ sammohātsmṛtivibhramaḥ | smṛtibhraṃśād buddhināśo buddhināśātpraṇaśyati

Translation

From wrath arises delusion; from delusion, failure of memory; from failure of memory, loss of conscience; from loss of conscience he is utterly ruined.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

krodhāt

from anger

bhavati

becomes

saṃmohaḥ

delusion

saṃmohāt

from delusion

smṛtivibhramaḥ

of memory, confusion

smṛtibhraṃśāt

of memory, from confusion

buddhināśaḥ

of Reason, destruction

buddhināśāt

from destruction of Reason

praṇaśyati

(he) perishes

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

From wrath arises delusion (sammoha) — the inability to discriminate. From delusion comes failure of memory (smṛti-vibhrama) — forgetfulness of the teachings of the scripture and the teacher. From failure of memory comes the loss of buddhi — the destruction of the right discriminating intellect (called here "conscience"). And from the loss of buddhi he is utterly ruined; the very purpose of human birth perishes. The verse traces, in a single chain, the slide from a passing thought to total ruin.