Topic

Possessiveness

2 verses from the Bhagavad Gita on possessiveness. Explore teachings across 2 chapters.

All Verses

Chapter 4 • Verse 21 →The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation
Nirasir yata-cittatma tyakta-sarva-parigrahah, shariram kevalam karma kurvan napnoti kilbisham

Without hope or possessiveness, with the mind and self under control, abandoning all acquisitiveness, performing action through the body alone — such a person incurs no sin.

  • •Performing only what the body must, without claiming ownership, is pure
  • •Renunciation of possessiveness removes the stain from action
  • •Control of mind and body together constitutes complete action
renunciationsinbodypurity
Chapter 16 • Verse 13 →The Yoga of the Divine and Demoniac Natures
Idam adya maya labdham imam prapsye manoratham, idam astīdam api me bhavisyati punar dhanam

The demoniac person thinks: So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future more and more. This verse captures the inner monologue of the demoniac mind — a ceaseless internal accounting of possessions past, present, and future, revealing a heart consumed by acquisitive greed.

  • •The demoniac mind is perpetually occupied with calculating and planning the accumulation of more
  • •Greed masquerades as planning and ambition in the demoniac consciousness
  • •Satisfaction is permanently deferred — there is always more to acquire in the demoniac vision
greedmaterialismdemoniac mindambition