BG 16: The Divine and Demoniac Natures
1-3
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
abhayaḿ sattva-saḿśuddhir
jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ
dānaḿ damaś ca yajñaś ca
svādhyāyas tapa ārjavam
ahiḿsā satyam akrodhas
tyāgaḥ śāntir apaiśunam
dayā bhūteṣv aloluptvaḿ
mārdavaḿ hrīr acāpalam
tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucam
adroho nāti-mānitā
bhavanti sampadaḿ daivīm
abhijātasya bhārata
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Fearlessness; purification of one's existence; cultivation of spiritual knowledge; charity; self-control; performance of sacrifice; study of the Vedas; austerity; simplicity; nonviolence; truthfulness; freedom from anger; renunciation; tranquillity; aversion to faultfinding; compassion for all living entities; freedom from covetousness; gentleness; modesty; steady determination; vigor; forgiveness; fortitude; cleanliness; and freedom from envy and from the passion for honor — these transcendental qualities, O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.
4
dambho darpo 'bhimānaś ca
krodhaḥ pāruṣyam eva ca
ajñānaḿ cābhijātasya
pārtha sampadam āsurīm
TRANSLATION
Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance — these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Pṛthā.
5
daivī sampad vimokṣāya
nibandhāyāsurī matā
mā śucaḥ sampadaḿ daivīm
abhijāto 'si pāṇḍava
TRANSLATION
The transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation, whereas the demoniac qualities make for bondage. Do not worry, O son of Pāṇḍu, for you are born with the divine qualities.
6
dvau bhūta-sargau loke 'smin
daiva āsura eva ca
daivo vistaraśaḥ prokta
āsuraḿ pārtha me śṛṇu
TRANSLATION
O son of Pṛthā, in this world there are two kinds of created beings. One is called the divine and the other demoniac. I have already explained to you at length the divine qualities. Now hear from Me of the demoniac.
7
pravṛttiḿ ca nivṛttiḿ ca
janā na vidur āsurāḥ
na śaucaḿ nāpi cācāro
na satyaḿ teṣu vidyate
TRANSLATION
Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in them.
8
asatyam apratiṣṭhaḿ te
jagad āhur anīśvaram
aparaspara-sambhūtaḿ
kim anyat kāma-haitukam
TRANSLATION
They say that this world is unreal, with no foundation, no God in control. They say it is produced of sex desire and has no cause other than lust.
9
etāḿ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya
naṣṭātmāno 'lpa-buddhayaḥ
prabhavanty ugra-karmāṇaḥ
kṣayāya jagato 'hitāḥ
TRANSLATION
Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who have no intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to destroy the world.
10
kāmam āśritya duṣpūraḿ
dambha-māna-madānvitāḥ
mohād gṛhītvāsad-grāhān
pravartante 'śuci-vratāḥ
TRANSLATION
Taking shelter of insatiable lust and absorbed in the conceit of pride and false prestige, the demoniac, thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean work, attracted by the impermanent.
11-12
cintām aparimeyāḿ ca pralayāntām
upāśritāḥ kāmopabhoga-paramā etāvad iti
niścitāḥ āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ
īhante kāma-bhogārtham anyāyenārtha-sañcayān
TRANSLATION
They believe that to gratify the senses is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus until the end of life their anxiety is immeasurable. Bound by a network of hundreds of thousands of desires and absorbed in lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.
13-15
idam adya mayā labdham imaḿ
prāpsye manoratham idam astīdam api
me bhaviṣyati punar dhanam asau
mayā hataḥ śatrur haniṣye cāparān
api īśvaro 'ham ahaḿ bhogī
siddho 'haḿ balavān sukhī āḍhyo
'bhijanavān asmi ko 'nyo 'sti
sadṛśo mayā yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya
ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ
TRANSLATION
The demoniac person thinks: "So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I have killed him, and my other enemies will also be killed. I am the lord of everything. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice." In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance.
16
aneka-citta-vibhrāntā
moha-jāla-samāvṛtāḥ
prasaktāḥ kāma-bhogeṣu
patanti narake 'śucau
TRANSLATION
Thus perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network of illusions, they become too strongly attached to sense enjoyment and fall down into hell.
17
ātma-sambhāvitāḥ stabdhā
dhana-māna-madānvitāḥ
yajante nāma-yajñais te
dambhenāvidhi-pūrvakam
TRANSLATION
Self-complacent and always impudent, deluded by wealth and false prestige, they sometimes proudly perform sacrifices in name only, without following any rules or regulations.
18
ahańkāraḿ balaḿ darpaḿ
kāmaḿ krodhaḿ ca saḿśritāḥ
mām ātma-para-deheṣu
pradviṣanto 'bhyasūyakāḥ
TRANSLATION
Bewildered by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, the demons become envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in their own bodies and in the bodies of others, and blaspheme against the real religion.
19
tān ahaḿ dviṣataḥ krūrān
saḿsāreṣu narādhamān
kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān
āsurīṣv eva yoniṣu
TRANSLATION
Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, I perpetually cast into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life.
20
āsurīḿ yonim āpannā
mūḍhā janmani janmani
mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya
tato yānty adhamāḿ gatim
TRANSLATION
Attaining repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac life, O son of Kuntī, such persons can never approach Me. Gradually they sink down to the most abominable type of existence.
21
tri-vidhaḿ narakasyedaḿ
dvāraḿ nāśanam ātmanaḥ
kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas
tasmād etat trayaḿ tyajet
TRANSLATION
There are three gates leading to this hell — lust, anger and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.
22
etair vimuktaḥ kaunteya
tamo-dvārais tribhir naraḥ
ācaraty ātmanaḥ śreyas
tato yāti parāḿ gatim
TRANSLATION
The man who has escaped these three gates of hell, O son of Kuntī, performs acts conducive to self-realization and thus gradually attains the supreme destination.
23
yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya
vartate kāma-kārataḥ
na sa siddhim avāpnoti
na sukhaḿ na parāḿ gatim
TRANSLATION
He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.
24
tasmāc chāstraḿ pramāṇaḿ te
kāryākārya-vyavasthitau
jñātvā śāstra-vidhānoktaḿ
karma kartum ihārhasi
TRANSLATION
One should therefore understand what is duty and what is not duty by the regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations, one should act so that he may gradually be elevated.
