Illustration for Bhagavad Gita chapter 3 verse 39
Chapter 3 · Karma Yoga

An Insatiable Fire · Naming the Real Enemy

आवृतं ज्ञानमेतेन ज्ञानिनो नित्यवैरिणा । कामरूपेण कौन्तेय दुष्पूरेणानलेन च ।।39।।

āvṛtaṃ jñānam etena jñānino nitya-vairiṇā kāma-rūpeṇa kaunteya duṣpūreṇānalena ca

Meaning

"O son of Kunti, knowledge is covered by this eternal enemy in the form of desire, which is insatiable like fire."

Explanation

Krishna names desire directly as a perpetual adversary, one that can never truly be satisfied by feeding it.

Today's Life Lesson

Recognize that feeding a craving rarely satisfies it — it usually just asks for more.

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