कर्षयन्तः शरीरस्थं भूतग्राममचेतसः।
मां चैवान्तःशरीरस्थं तान्विद्ध्यासुरनिश्चयान्।।17.6।।
।।17.6।।जो मनुष्य शास्त्रविधिसे रहित घोर तप करते हैं जो दम्भ और अहङ्कारसे अच्छी तरह युक्त हैं जो भोगपदार्थ? आसक्ति और हठसे युक्त हैं जो शरीरमें स्थित पाँच भूतोंको अर्थात् पाञ्चभौतिक शरीरको तथा अन्तःकरणमें स्थित मुझ परमात्माको भी कृश करनेवाले हैं उन अज्ञानियोंको तू आसुर निश्चयवाले (आसुरी सम्पदावाले) समझ।
17.6 (And who,) acetasah, being non-discriminating; karsayantah, torture; bhuta-gramam, all the organs; sarirastham, in the body, ca, as also; torture eva, even; mam, Me; antah-sarira-stham, who reside in the body as the witness of its actions and intellect-non-adherence to My injunctions itself is torturing Me; viddhi, know; tan, them; asura-niscayan, as possessed of demoniacal convictions. Know them so that they may be avoided. This is an instruction. The liking of persons possessing the alities of sattva, rajas and tamas for foods that are divided into three groups, viz succulent, oleaginous, etc., is respectively being shown here so that, by knowing the presence of the alities of sattva, rajas and tamas (in oneself) from the indications of the degree of ones preference for particular foods as are succulent, oleaginous, etc., one may avoid foods having the characteristics of rajas and tamas, and accept food with the characteristics of sattva. Similarly, sacrifices etc. also are being explained here under three categories according to the distinguishing ality of sattva etc. So that one may reject those known to be born of rajas and tamas, and undertake only those born of sattva.
17.4-6 Yajante etc., upto asura-niscayan. Unintelligently : i.e. due to their lack of discrimination. Emaciating Me too : Because they do not follow the purport of the scriptures. That is why they undertake practising austerities invented by their own intellect and they are rather men of the Tamas (Strand). Like faith, the food also is of three types, differentiated by the Sattva etc., so are the sacrifice, austerity and charity. That is being detailed as :
17.5 - 17.6 Those men who perform terrible pernances not enjoined by the Sastras - this is illustrative of sacrifices etc., of a similar nature. Those who perform sacrifices, etc., sacrifices which are not enjoined by the Sastras and demand much exertion, those who are possessed of ostentation and conceit and are goaded by sensual desire, attachment and passion - they torture the group of elements such as earth etc., in their bodies. They also torture the individual self which is a part of Myself and is within their bodies. Those who perform such sacrifices etc., know them to be demoniacal in their resolves. The resolve of demons is demoniac resolve. The demons are those who act contrary to My ?ndments. Since they act contrary to My ?ndments, they do not have even a iota of joy, but as stated earlier, they fall a prey to a multitude of calamities. They fall into a foul Naraka (16.16). Now, Sri Krsna, resuming the subject, details the differences according to the Gunas with reference to sacrifice, etc., enjoined by the Sastras. To begin with, he describes three kinds of food, since the growth of Sattva etc., has its source in food, as Srutis declare thus: For my dear, the mind consists of food (Cha. U., 6.5.4) and when the food is pure, the man becomes pure (Cha. U., 7.26.2).
Karshayantah shareerastham bhootagraamamachetasah; Maam chaivaantahshareerastham taanviddhyaasuranishchayaan.
aśhāstra-vihitam—not enjoined by the scriptures; ghoram—stern; tapyante—perform; ye—who; tapaḥ—austerities; janāḥ—people; dambha—hypocrisy; ahankāra—egotism; sanyuktāḥ—possessed of; kāma—desire; rāga—attachment; bala—force; anvitāḥ—impelled by; karṣhayantaḥ—torment; śharīra-stham—within the body; bhūta-grāmam—elements of the body; achetasaḥ—senseless; mām—me; cha—and; eva—even; antaḥ—within; śharīra-stham—dwelling in the body; tān—them; viddhi—know; āsura-niśhchayān—of demoniacal resolves
