Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Bg 18.25

anubandhaṁ kṣayaṁ hiṁsām
anapekṣya ca pauruṣam
mohād ārabhyate karma
yat tat tāmasam ucyate

Synonyms: 

anubandham — of future bondage; kṣayam — destruction; hiṁsām — and distress to others; anapekṣya — without considering the consequences; ca — also; pauruṣam — self-sanctioned; mohāt — by illusion; ārabhyate — is begun; karma — work; yat — which; tat — that; tāmasam — in the mode of ignorance; ucyate — is said to be.

Translation: 

That action performed in illusion, in disregard of scriptural injunctions, and without concern for future bondage or for violence or distress caused to others is said to be in the mode of ignorance.

Krishna is talking about work done in mode of ignorance here:

anubandhaṁ kṣayaṁ hiṁsām, anubandhaṁ, that which causes bondage, all work causes bondage but mode in ignorance is especially causes bondage. Just like addictions which are like vicious binding which people feel difficult to break through, 

kṣayaṁ hiṁsām, kṣayaṁ, is destruction Aksaya is opposite one which cannot be destroyed, so terrorism vandalism all these are actions in the mode of ignorance, hiṁsā, is violence. Ksaya is more with things and Himsa is more with people. So in mode of ignorance one is either violent towards people or destructive towards things. 

anapekṣya ca pauruṣam, anapekṣya, words have different meanings depending on their context,  \in 12th capter anapekṣya is having meaning that a devotees who doesn’t have apeksha, but here the meaning is not in terms of expectation but in terms of considerations, one is so reckless one is so foolhardy that one doesn’t think about consequences, one acts recklessly self-destructively,  

anapekṣya ca pauruṣam, pauruṣam, here refers to harshness, in terms of speech the person is not sensitive, speaks bad words, uses foul language, and speak in insulting way to others as if it is something very intelligent a sign of cleverness,  like people imitate in a mocking way, that is how they wanted to prove how what is told is not correct, rather then doing constructive criticism they do destructive criticism, goal is to destroy the person’s moral also, in some circle it is seen as cleverness as more stingily someone can taunt others the cleverer the person is, when someone delights in hurting other it is tamasik, 

Srila Prabhupada translated pauruṣam as pauruṣam — self-sanctioned, means one thinking whatever one wants towards his life he thinks I can do it.

mohād ārabhyate karma, moha is very common while describing mode of ignorance, like in 18.7 mohāt tasya parityāgas, when one does Tyaga in moha that is considered to be in mode of ignorance.

yat tat tāmasam ucyate, that is tamasam, that is in mode of ignorance.

End of transcription.