14-7

रजो रागात्मकम् विद्धि तृष्णा सङ्ग समुद्भवम् ।
तत् निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् ॥ ७ ॥

rajo rAgAtmakam viddhi tRSNA saGga samudbhavam |
tat nibadhnAti kaunteya karmasaGgena dehinam || 7 ||

विद्धि [viddhi] Know रजः [rajaH] rajas to be a quality that रागात्मकम् [rAgAtmakam] has passion at its core. तृष्णा सङ्ग समुद्भवम् [tRSNA saGga samudbhavam] It is the space where insatiable desires and bonds are born. कौन्तेय [kaunteya] Arjuna, तत् निबध्नाति [tat nibadhnAti] it binds देहिनम् [dehinam] the Self कर्म सङ्गेन [karma saGgena] by attaching it to actions.

The quality called rajas gives rise to passion. Here, ‘passion’ is meant as a bond, like the intimacy between a male and a female.

It is the space where insatiable desires and bonds are born. It brings the thirst to experience material desires, the ‘drive’ to experience the various things that stimulate our senses. It makes the bond with family and friends.

Rajas is passion.

With this, the quality of rajas instigates desires and attachments, binding the Self with actions.

The Self initiates some actions, being driven by these desires and attachments. These actions constitute virtue and vice. They cause rebirth in a form that can experience the results of those actions. The Self then takes birth in a womb that can bear this form. It’s driven to action again - the cycle repeats.

In this way, the quality of rajas binds the Self by using our attachment to actions.

This rajas is said to be the source of passion, unquenchable desire and bonding. It is said to bind us to actions.