काममाश्रित्य दुष्पूरं दम्भमानमदान्विताः | मोहाद्गृहीत्वासद्ग्राहान्प्रवर्तन्तेऽशुचिव्रताः || १० ||
kāmam āśritya duṣpūraṁ dambha-māna-madānvitāḥ mohād gṛhītvāsad-grāhān pravartante 'śuci-vratāḥ
kāmam—desire; āśritya—taking shelter of; duṣpūram—insatiable; dambha—pride; māna—false prestige; mada—arrogance; anvitāḥ—absorbed in; mohāt—from illusion; gṛhītvā—taking; asat-grāhān—impermanent things; pravartante—they practice; aśuci—unclean; vratāḥ—vows.
“Taking shelter of insatiable desire, filled with pride, false prestige, and arrogance, and through illusion adopting impermanent things, they proceed with impure resolves.”
The psychology of the demoniac person is here described precisely: insatiable desire (kāmam duṣpūram) is the engine; pride and arrogance are the fuel; illusion (moha) is the lens through which impermanent things appear to be permanent goods worth pursuing. The 'impure resolves' (aśuci-vratāḥ) are plans and purposes shaped entirely by this distorted psychology.
Insatiable desire—wanting more as soon as one thing is obtained—is a universal human experience, not just a 'demoniac' affliction. The antidote prescribed throughout the Gita is cultivating contentment (santosha). Each day, practice consciously noticing and appreciating what you already have before reaching for what you don't. This simple practice gradually transforms the quality of desire.