BG 16.12

16.12 आशापाशशतैः by a hundred ties of hope? बद्धाः bound? कामक्रोधपरायणाः given over to lust and anger? ईहन्ते (they) strive (to attain)? कामभोगार्थम् for sensual enjoyment? अन्यायेन by unlawful means? अर्थसञ्चयान् hoards of wealth.Commentary They murder people and rob them of their wealth in order to have sensual enjoyments. They amass wealth for sensepleasure only? but not for doing righteous actions. They have no mercy. They are very cruel. They are held in bondage by a hundred ties of expectation. They harbour in their hearts a craving for all kinds of sensual objects. Various sorts of desires crop up in their mind. When their desires are not gratified they become furious. They acire wealth by unjust means. Hope or expectation binds a man to the wheel of Samsara.,Therefore hope is likened to a cord or a rope. There is no end to their cravings. Though they possess enormous wealth their cravings are not appeased. They multiply daily. These people become hopeless victims of greed.

— vedicscriptures · exposition · source ↗

The demoniac accept that the enjoyment of the senses is the ultimate goal of life, and this concept they maintain until death. They do not believe in life after death, and they do not believe that one takes on different types of bodies according to one’s karma, or activities in this world. Their plans for life are never finished, and they go on preparing plan after plan, all of which are never finished. We have personal experience of a person of such demoniac mentality who, even at the point of death, was requesting the physician to prolong his life for four years more because his plans were not yet complete. Such foolish people do not know that a physician cannot prolong life even for a moment. When the notice is there, there is no consideration of the man’s desire. The laws of nature do not allow a second beyond what one is destined to enjoy. The demoniac person, who has no faith in God or the Supersoul within himself, performs all kinds of sinful activities simply for sense gratification. He does not know that there is a witness sitting within his heart. The Supersoul is observing the activities of the individual soul. As it is stated in the Upaniṣads, there are two birds sitting in one tree; one is acting and enjoying or suffering the fruits of the branches, and the other is witnessing. But one who is demoniac has no knowledge of Vedic scripture, nor has he any faith; therefore he feels free to do anything for sense enjoyment, regardless of the consequences.

— vedicscriptures · exposition · source ↗