Chapter XVI · Śloka 12
आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः ।
ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान् ॥
ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान् ॥
āśāpāśa-śatair baddhāḥ kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ |
īhante kāma-bhogārtham anyāyenārtha-sañcayān ||
īhante kāma-bhogārtham anyāyenārtha-sañcayān ||
Bound by hundreds of snares of hope, devoted to desire and anger, they strive to amass wealth by unjust means for the sake of sensual enjoyment.
The image of hundreds of snares (āśāpāśa-śatair) captures how each satisfied hope spawns new desires, each binding tighter than the last. Unjust acquisition — explicitly named — is the logical outcome of a worldview that has no moral law.