Meaning
O Arjuna, Progeny of Prithā! Those enchanted by the Vedas, with limited spiritual insight, and given to worldly indulgences speak in flowery, attractive language, believing that heaven is the highest destination and there is nothing beyond that. They eloquently advocate rituals promising celestial realms, worldly indulgences, and illustrious rebirths. Seduced by desires for pleasures and opulence, they assert that there is nothing beyond these worldly gains. (2:42, 43)
The perceptive abilities of these Vedic aficionados are clouded by their yearnings for worldly pleasures, power, and affluence. Such obsessions obstruct their progress towards and anchoring in supreme, divine consciousness. (2:44)
Commentary
In the Gitā, Heaven and its pleasures are considered as “worldly gains” too because heaven, referred to as "Surendra Loka" in the Sacred Book (9:20), is also a realm made of subtle matter, within time and space, offering many materialistic pleasures. Sri Krishna establishes Nirvāna as the highest spiritual destination in the Gitā, surpassing the allure of "Surendra Loka" (Indra Loka, Swarga) which is the abode of the middle order gods. This marks the Gitā's first critique of the Vedas, which serve as the foundation of Orthodox Hinduism.
Sanskrit
यामिमां पुष्पितां वाचं प्रवदन्त्यविपश्चितः ।
वेदवादरताः पार्थ नान्यदस्तीति वादिनः ॥ 2:42 ॥
Word Separation
याम् इमाम् पुष्पिताम् वाचम् प्र-वदन्ति अ-विपश्चितः,
वेद-वाद-रताः, पार्थ, न अन्यत् अस्ति इति वादिनः;
Sanskrit
कामात्मानः स्वर्गपरा जन्मकर्मफलप्रदाम् ।
क्रियाविशेषबहुलां भोगैश्वर्यगतिं प्रति ॥ 2:43 ॥
Word Separation
काम-आत्मानः, स्वर्ग-पराः, जन्म-कर्म-फल-प्रदाम्,
क्रिया-विशेष बहुलाम्, भोग-ऐश्वर्य-गतिम् प्रति;
Sanskrit
भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानां तयापहृतचेतसाम् ।
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिः समाधौ न विधीयते ॥ 2:44 ॥
Word Separation
भोग-ऐश्वर्य-प्रसक्तानाम्, तया अपहृत-चेतसाम्
व्यवसाय-आत्मिका बुद्धिः समाधौ न वि-धीयते।