idam adya mayā labdham imaṁ prāpsye manoratham
idam astīdam api me bhaviṣhyati punar dhanam
idam — this;
adya — today;
mayā — by me;
labdham — gained;
imam — this;
prāpsye — I shall acquire;
manaḥ-ratham — desire;
idam — this;
asti — is;
idam — this;
api — also;
me — mine;
bhaviṣhyati — in future;
punaḥ — again;
dhanam — wealth;
In this verse from the Bhagavad Gita, we see a mindset of certain people who are fully focused on their possessions and ambitions. They are constantly talking about what they have achieved so far and what they wish to achieve in the future. For example, someone might say, "I got this new car today and I plan to buy an even bigger one soon. This car is mine right now, and I will have more money and things later on."
These kinds of thoughts show how much they are caught up in wanting more and more. They enjoy saying things like, "This is all mine now, and I will keep getting richer." Their perspective is quite limited—they are so attached to their wealth and what they own that they forget how temporary everything in life really is.
They often think that their success comes entirely from their own hard work. They don’t see or acknowledge any higher power that may have helped them in their journey. They feel immense pride in themselves and believe they are above everyone else. For example, if they have a successful business, they might think, "I did this all by myself; no one helped me." This kind of arrogance leads them to look down on others or even see some people as their enemies.
In their minds, they might also have thoughts like, "I have defeated one enemy, and I will defeat others too." They see themselves as powerful, thinking they are in control and can decide everything that happens around them. This gives them a sense of happiness, but it’s really just a delusion because they are deeply ignorant of the true nature of life.
Even when they perform good deeds like donating to charity or doing religious activities, their motivation is often not pure. They might do these things to show off or to feel good about themselves rather than from a genuine desire to help others or to grow spiritually. They might say, "I will do more charity work because it looks good on me and makes me feel important."
This whole attitude can trap them in a cycle of ego and ignorance, making them unable to see the real meaning of life or understand the long-term impact of their actions. They remain lost in their fantasies of wealth and power, failing to grasp that life is not just about what we own or how we appear to others.