rāgī karma-phala-prepsur lubdho hiṁsātmako 'śuciḥ harṣa-śokānvitaḥ kartā rājasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ
"The agent who is passionate, desirous of the fruits of action, greedy, harmful, impure, and subject to joy and sorrow—is declared to be rajasic."
What This Means:
A rajasic doer is attached, wants results, is greedy and willing to harm others, is impure in methods, and swings between elation and depression based on outcomes.
Going Deeper:
Six negative qualities mark the rajasic agent: 'Ragi' - passionate attachment; 'Karma-phala-prepsu' - craving results; 'Lubdha' - greedy, covetous; 'Himsatmaka' - prone to harm others; 'Ashuchi' - impure in means; 'Harsha-shoka-anvita' - tossed by joy and grief. This describes the driven achiever whose success comes at great personal and ethical cost.
How To Apply This:
Recognize these patterns in yourself: Am I driven by passion? Do I bend ethics for results? Am I on an emotional rollercoaster? These signal rajasic mode.
Key Sanskrit Terms: