рдореВрдврдЧреНрд░рд╛рд╣реЗрдгрд╛рддреНрдордиреЛ рдпрддреНрдкреАрдбрдпрд╛ рдХреНрд░рд┐рдпрддреЗ рддрдкрдГ ред
рдкрд░рд╕реНрдпреЛрддреНрд╕рд╛рджрдирд╛рд░реНрдердВ рд╡рд╛ рддрддреНрддрд╛рдорд╕рдореБрджрд╛рд╣реГрддрдореН реерезрепрее

mūḍha-grāheṇātmano yat

pīḍayā kriyate tapaḥ

parasyotsādanārthaḿ vā

tat tāmasam udāhṛtam

 mūḍha — foolish;  grāheṇa — with endeavor;  ātmanaḥ — of one's own self;  yat — which;  pīḍayā — by torture;  kriyate — is performed;  tapaḥ — penance;  parasya —  to others;  utsādanaartham — for the  sake of causing annihilation;   — or;  tat — that;  tāmasam —  in the mode of darkness;  udāhṛtam — is said  to be.


Text

Penance performed out of foolishness, with self-torture or to destroy or injure others, is said to be in the mode of ignorance.

Purport

There are instances of foolish penance undertaken by demons like Hiranyakasipu, who performed austere penances to become immortal and kill the demigods. He prayed to Brahma for such things, but ultimately he was killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To undergo penances for something which is impossible is certainly in the mode of ignorance.