O Arjuna! Those who are engrossed in desires, who consider heaven alone as the supreme goal, who delight in the desire-prompted actions prescribed in the Vedas, and who declare that there is nothing beyond enjoyments—such undiscerning men utter this kind of flowery speech, which yields the fruit of action in the form of rebirth and which describes numerous rituals for the attainment of enjoyments and opulence.
Commentary: 'Kāmātmānaḥ'—They are so absorbed in desires that they become desire itself. They perceive no distinction between themselves and desire. Their belief is that without desire, a person cannot live, no work can be accomplished, and without desire, a person becomes like an inert stone, devoid of consciousness. Such individuals are 'kāmātmānaḥ' (desire-identified).
The Self remains ever constant, without increase or decrease, but desires come and go, waxing and waning. The Self is a fragment of the Supreme Lord, while desire pertains to the fragment of the material world. Thus, the Self and desire are entirely distinct. However, those steeped in desire have no awareness of their separate true nature.
'Svargaparāḥ'—In heaven, the most excellent divine enjoyments are attained; therefore, heaven alone is their supreme objective, and they remain constantly engaged day and night in striving for its attainment.
Here, the term 'svargaparāḥ' refers to those human beings who have faith in the heavenly and other realms described in the Vedas and scriptures.
'Vedavāda-ratāḥ pārtha nānyad astīti vādinaḥ'—They delight in the desire-prompted actions mentioned in the Vedas, meaning they interpret the purport of the Vedas solely in terms of enjoyments and the attainment of heaven; hence they are 'vedavāda-ratāḥ' (devoted to the ritualistic portions of the Vedas). In their view, there is nothing beyond the enjoyments of this world and heaven; that is, in their sight, there exists nothing apart from enjoyments—not God, not Self-knowledge, not liberation, not divine love. Therefore, they remain wholly absorbed in enjoyments. Indulging in pleasures is their primary aim.
'Yām imāṁ puṣpitāṁ vācaṁ pravadanty avipaścitaḥ'—Those undiscerning men, who lack discrimination between the real and the unreal, the eternal and the temporary, the indestructible and the destructible, utter this flowery speech of the Vedas, which describes worldly life and enjoyments.
Here, the implication of the term 'puṣpitām' (flowery) is that the speech describing the attainment of enjoyments and opulence is mere flowers and leaves, not fruit. Satisfaction comes only from fruit, not from the beauty of flowers and leaves. That speech does not yield lasting fruit. The fruit of that speech—the enjoyments of heaven, etc.—only appears beautiful to behold; it lacks permanence.
'Janmakarmaphalapradām'—That flowery speech yields the fruit of action in the form of rebirth; because it gives importance only to worldly enjoyments. Attachment to those enjoyments is the cause of future births (Gita 13.21).
'Kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulāṁ bhogaiśvarya-gatiṁ prati'—That flowery, i.e., outwardly attractive, speech, which describes the desire-prompted observances for attaining enjoyments and opulence, abounds in various rituals. That is, those observances involve many types of procedures, many kinds of actions to be performed, require many types of materials, and also entail considerable physical exertion, etc. (Gita 18.24).
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