Bhagavad Gita Verse 27, Chapter 18

raagee karmaphalaprepsurlubdho himsaatmakoshuchihi |
harshashookaanvitaha kartaa raajasaha parikeertitaha || 27 ||
 
One with likes, coveting the reward of action, greedy, cruel, impure, prone to joy and sorrow, such a doer is said to be raajasic.
 
raagee : one with likes
karmaphalaprepsuhu : coveting reward of action
lubdhaha : greedy
himsaatmakaha : cruel
ashuchihi : impure
harshashookaanvitaha : prone to joy and sorrow
kartaa : doer
raajasaha : raajasic
parikeertitaha : is said
 
Having described the saattvic doer or kartaa, Shri Krishna now speaks about the raajasic doer. For most of us, this is our normal or default state of mind whenever we perform any action. Raaga refers to likes, and also to its opposite factors, dvesha or dislikes. Our mind rushes out into the world towards a certain set of objects, people and situations that it likes, and also, runs away from other objects that it dislikes. This creates additional friction while performing action. For instance, if we have to deal with people that our mind dislikes, we will not be able to get the job done efficiently.
 
A raajasic doer is always thinking - what is in it for me? This thought of coveting the reward of action shifts our attention away from the action, and consequently, losing focus from the action. Our motives are impure, since they are selfish. Once we get a personal reward, we want more like it, we become greedy. We sometimes do not hesitate to harm others who come in the way of our personal reward, we can become quite cruel towards them. We are also prone to elation and depression whenever there are temporary wins or setbacks in performing our actions.
 
Such a doer is termed raajasic. The raajasic doer is prompted to act by raajasic vision, which cuts up the world into pieces and attaches likes and dislikes to those pieces, as opposed to saattvic vision that presents a unified, harmonious view of the world. The foundation of a raajasic doer is the notion of attachment to the reward, the action, and to the sense of individuality or I. This stands in total contrast to the saattvic doer. The only way we can rise from our present state to a saattvic state, is by reducing our attachment to the world, and increasing our attachment to Ishvara.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 16

kaamamaashritya dushpooram dambhamaanamadaanvitaahaa |
mohaad griheetvaasadgraahaanpravartanteshuchivrataahaa || 10 ||
 
Filled with insatiable desires, with pretentiousness, pride and arrogance, holding untrue views in delusion, they work with impure resolve.
 
kaamam : desires
aashritya : filled
dushpooram : insatiable
dambhaha : pretentiousness
maanaha : pride
madaanvitaahaa : with arrogance
mohaad : in delusion
griheetvaa : holding
asadgraahaan : untrue views
pravartante : work
ashuchihi : impure
vrataahaa : resolve
 
A major aspect of the materialistic world view is greed. Shri Krishna refers to this greed using the phrase duspooram kaamam, meaning selfish desires that can never be satisfied or fulfilled. People who follow the materialistic world view believe that one who is without selfish desires is as good as dead. They do not believe that selfless action, work that benefits someone other than themselves, is worth anything.
 
This greed propels them to dambhaha or pretentiousness. They do not see the harm in putting on a show in order to gain favours or get what they want. As they accumulate more wealth and power, they feed their superiority complex, resulting in maanaha or excessive pride. When their pride reaches greater and greater heights, they become drunk with their ill-gotten accomplishments and possessions. This is mada, intoxication.
 
We keep coming back to the theme of ignorance and delusion, of moha, when we analyze the materialistic world view. When one cannot tell right from wrong, one begins to develop views that are not based on truth or rationality, termed in the shloka as moha-asat. It is no surprise that the activities or undertakings of such people are impure, lawless, without any consideration of duty or the big picture. Defrauding others or destroying others property are illegal in the eyes of the law, but perfectly legal from their standpoint.