Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 The Yoga of Divine and Demonic Qualities

Shloka 1 Fearlessness, Purity and Steadfast Knowledge: The First Divine Qualities śhrī bhagavān uvācha | abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśhuddhir jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ | dānaṁ damaśh cha yajñaśh cha svādhyāyas tapa ārjavam || 16.1 || The Supreme Lord said: Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in the path of knowledge and spiritual practice, charity, control of the senses, performance of sacred duties, study of the scriptures, austerity and straightforwardness are the divine qualities. → Shloka 2 Non-Violence, Truth and Compassion: Qualities of the Divine Nature ahiṁsā satyam akrodhas tyāgaḥ śhāntir apaiśhunam | dayā bhūteṣhv aloluptvaṁ mārdavaṁ hrīr achāpalam || 16.2 || Non-violence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, tranquility, aversion to faultfinding, compassion towards all living beings, freedom from covetousness, gentleness, modesty and steadiness are further qualities of the divine nature. → Shloka 3 Radiance, Forgiveness and Humility: Marks of One Born with Divine Wealth tejaḥ kṣhamā dhṛitiḥ śhaucham adroho nāti-mānitā | bhavanti sampadaṁ daivīm abhijātasya bhārata || 16.3 || Vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom from malice and absence of excessive pride: these qualities belong to one who is born with a divine nature, O Arjuna, descendant of Bharata. → Shloka 4 Hypocrisy, Arrogance and Ignorance: The Demoniac Nature dambho darpo ’bhimānaśh cha krodhaḥ pāruṣhyam eva cha | ajñānaṁ chābhijātasya pārtha sampadam āsurīm || 16.4 || Hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance are the qualities of one who is born with a demoniac nature, O Arjuna, son of Pritha. → Shloka 5 Divine Nature Leads to Liberation, Demoniac Nature to Bondage daivī sampad vimokṣhāya nibandhāyāsurī matā | mā śhuchaḥ sampadaṁ daivīm abhijāto ’si pāṇḍava || 16.5 || The divine qualities lead to liberation, while the demoniac qualities lead to bondage. Do not grieve, O Arjuna, son of Pandu, for you are born with divine qualities. → Shloka 6 Two Types of Beings in the World: The Divine and the Demoniac dvau bhūta-sargau loke ’smin daiva āsura eva cha | daivo vistaraśhaḥ prokta āsuraṁ pārtha me śhṛiṇu || 16.6 || There are two types of beings in this world: the divine and the demoniac. The divine type has already been described at length. Now hear from Me, O Arjuna, about the demoniac type. → Shloka 7 Those of Demoniac Nature Do Not Know Right Action or Restraint pravṛittiṁ cha nivṛittiṁ cha janā na vidur āsurāḥ | na śhaucham nāpi chāchāro na satyaṁ teṣhu vidyate || 16.7 || Those of demoniac nature do not understand what is right to do and what is right to refrain from. Neither purity, nor good conduct, nor truthfulness is found in them. → Shloka 8 The Demoniac Worldview: A Godless World Born of Desire asatyam apratiṣhṭhaṁ te jagad āhur anīśhvaram | aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ kim anyat kāma-haitukam || 16.8 || Those of demoniac nature say that the world is unreal, has no moral foundation and has no God as its controller. They claim it is born merely of the union of male and female, and has no cause other than desire. → Shloka 9 Lost Souls with Narrow Vision Become Enemies of the World etāṁ dṛiṣhṭim avaṣhṭabhya naṣhṭātmāno ’lpa-buddhayaḥ | prabhavanty ugra-karmāṇaḥ kṣhayāya jagato ’hitāḥ || 16.9 || Holding on to this view, these lost souls of limited understanding engage in cruel and harmful deeds. They rise as enemies of the world and work for its destruction. → Shloka 10 Insatiable Desire, Pride and Delusion Drive Impure Resolves kāmam āśhritya duṣhpūraṁ dambha-māna-madānvitāḥ | mohād gṛihītvāsad-grāhān pravartante ’śhuchi-vratāḥ || 16.10 || Taking shelter of insatiable desire and filled with hypocrisy, pride and arrogance, these deluded people adopt false and impure ideas and act with impure resolves. → Shloka 11 Endless Anxiety and the Belief That Sense Enjoyment Is Life's Highest Goal chintām aparimeyāṁ cha pralayāntām upāśhritāḥ | kāmopabhoga-paramā etāvad iti niśhchitāḥ || 16.11 || Giving themselves to endless anxieties that end only with death, they regard the enjoyment of desires as the highest goal of life and are convinced that this is all there is. → Shloka 12 Bound by Hundreds of Desires, They Gather Wealth by Unjust Means āśhā-pāśha-śhatair baddhāḥ kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ | īhante kāma-bhogārtham anyāyenārtha-sañchayān || 16.12 || Bound by hundreds of ties of desire and given to lust and anger, they strive to amass wealth by unjust means for the gratification of their desires. → Shloka 13 'This I Have Gained Today': The Greedy Mind That Never Rests idam adya mayā labdham imaṁ prāpsye manoratham | idam astīdam api me bhaviṣhyati punar dhanam || 16.13 || "This much I have gained today, and I shall fulfil this desire also. This wealth is mine, and more shall be mine in the future." → Shloka 14 'I Am the Lord, the Enjoyer': The Egoism of the Demoniac Mind asau mayā hataḥ śhatrur haniṣhye chāparān api | īśhvaro ’ham ahaṁ bhogī siddho ’haṁ balavān sukhī || 16.14 || "That enemy has been slain by me, and I shall slay others too. I am the lord. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful and happy." → Shloka 15 'Who Is Equal to Me?': Wealth, Status and Ignorant Pride āḍhyo ’bhijanavān asmi ko ’nyo ’sti sadṛiśho mayā | yakṣhye dāsyāmi modiṣhya ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ || 16.15 || "I am rich and of noble birth. Who else is equal to me? I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give charity, I shall rejoice." Thus they are deluded by ignorance. → Shloka 16 Bewildered by Thoughts and Caught in Delusion, They Fall into Hell aneka-chitta-vibhrāntā moha-jāla-samāvṛitāḥ | prasaktāḥ kāma-bhogeṣhu patanti narake ’śhuchau || 16.16 || Bewildered by many thoughts, entangled in the net of delusion and addicted to the enjoyment of sensual pleasures, they fall into a foul hell. → Shloka 17 Rituals in Name Only: Worship Performed with Pride and Without Scriptural Order ātma-sambhāvitāḥ stabdhā dhana-māna-madānvitāḥ | yajante nāma-yajñais te dambhenāvidhi-pūrvakam || 16.17 || Self-conceited and stubborn, filled with pride and intoxicated by wealth, they perform sacrifices in name only, with ostentation and without following the scriptural rules. → Shloka 18 Egotism, Power and Anger: Hating the Divine Within All Bodies ahaṅkāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ cha saṁśhritāḥ | mām ātma-para-deheṣhu pradviṣhanto ’bhyasūyakāḥ || 16.18 || Given to egotism, power, arrogance, desire and anger, these malicious people hate Me, who dwell in their own bodies and in the bodies of others. → Shloka 19 The Lord Casts the Cruel into Demoniac Births Again and Again tān ahaṁ dviṣhataḥ krūrān saṁsāreṣhu narādhamān | kṣhipāmy ajasram aśhubhān āsurīṣhv eva yoniṣhu || 16.19 || These cruel haters, the lowest among humans and evil-doers, I cast again and again into demoniac wombs in the cycle of birth and death. → Shloka 20 Failing to Reach the Lord, They Sink into the Lowest Condition āsurīṁ yonim āpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani | mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yānty adhamāṁ gatim || 16.20 || Having fallen into demoniac wombs, these deluded souls, birth after birth, never attain Me, O son of Kunti, and sink to the lowest condition. → Shloka 21 Lust, Anger and Greed: The Three Gates to Hell tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśhanam ātmanaḥ | kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet || 16.21 || There are three gates leading to this hell of self-destruction: lust, anger and greed. Therefore, one should abandon these three. → Shloka 22 Freed from the Three Gates of Darkness, One Attains the Supreme Goal etair vimuktaḥ kaunteya tamo-dvāraistribhir naraḥ | ācharaty ātmanaḥ śhreyas tato yāti parāṁ gatim || 16.22 || One who is freed from these three gates of darkness, O son of Kunti, works for his own highest good and thereby attains the supreme goal. → Shloka 23 Discarding the Scriptures and Acting on Whim Brings No Perfection or Happiness yaḥ śhāstra-vidhim utsṛijya vartate kāma-kārataḥ | na sa siddhim avāpnoti na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim || 16.23 || One who discards the injunctions of the scriptures and acts under the impulse of desire attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme goal. → Shloka 24 Let the Scriptures Be Your Authority in Knowing What to Do and Not to Do tasmāch chhāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ te kāryākārya-vyavasthitau | jñātvā śhāstra-vidhānoktaṁ karma kartum ihārhasi || 16.24 || Therefore, let the scriptures be your authority in determining what should be done and what should not be done. Knowing what the scriptural injunctions declare, you should act accordingly in this world. →