17-5 to 17-6

अशास्त्रविहितम् घोरम् तप्यन्ते ये तपो जनाः ।
दम्भाहंकार सम्युक्ताः काम राग बलान्विताः ॥ ५ ॥
कर्शयन्तः शरीरस्थम् भूतग्रामम् अचेतसः ।
माम् चैवान्तः शरीरस्थम् तान् विद्यासुर निश्चयान् ॥ ६ ॥

azAstravihitam ghoram tapyante ye tapo janAH |
dambhAhaMkAra samyuktAH kAma rAga balAnvitAH || 5 ||
karzayantaH zarIrastham bhUtagrAmam acetasaH |
mAm caivAntaH zarIrastham tAn vidyAsura nizcayAn || 6 ||

ये जनाः [ye janAH] People who सम्युक्ताः [samyuktAH] are associated with दम्भ [dambha] hypocrisy अहंकार [ahaMkAra] and arrogance बलान्विताः [balAnvitAH] find their strength राग [rAga] in desire काम [kAma] and pleasure. तप्यन्ते [tapyante] They torment themselves घोरम् तपः [ghoram tapaH] with awful struggle, अशास्त्रविहितम् [azAstravihitam] going against My instructions in the scriptures. कर्शयन्तः [karzayantaH] They attenuate भूतग्रामम् [bhUtagrAmam] the colony of elements शरीरस्थम् [zarIrastham] present as the body चैव [caiva] along with माम् [mAm] Me, अन्तः शरीरस्थम् [antaH zarIrastham] present as the core of the body. अचेतसः [acetasaH] They are lifeless. तान् विद्धि [tAn viddhi] Know them आसुर निश्चयान् [Asura nizcayAn] as people who have resolved to disregard My instructions.

The statement ‘People torment themselves with awful struggle, going against my instructions in the scriptures’ is illustrative - any struggle that goes against My instruction is awful, even when it involves impressive rituals such as charity and sacrifice. Such an activity has hypocrisy and arrogance built-in, finding strength in desire and pleasure.

These activities attenuate the specialty of the body - they diminish the body, not recognizing that it’s a wonderful colony of the five elements - solids, liquids, energy, gasses and space. They also diminish the Self, a part of Me present as the core of the body.

Know that people who struggle this way have resolved to disregard My instructions. They are the very people who go against My instructions. By doing so, they don’t get to touch even a little joy. Instead, they fall into the company of the vain and wasted, as said before in 16-16: ‘Indulging in their desires and experiences, they fall into foul torment’

In addition to activities to achieve The Lord, the scriptures describe activities related to our environment. Next, The Lord goes on to distinguish activities that relate to our environment. These activities are characterized by the three qualities.

Food is the source of these activities - hence, He first describes the three types of food that nourish the three qualities . As said in छांदोग्य, ६-५, ४ [chAMdogya, 6-5, 4] - ‘Son, the mind is defined by the food we eat’ and in छांदोग्य, ७-२६-२ [chAMdogya, 7-26-2] - ‘The quality of sattva gets pure when our food is free of impurities’.