Bhagavad-gita As It Is
CHAPTER 16: The Divine And Demoniac Natures
©1989, The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Text:
1-3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11-12,
13-15,
16,
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18,
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TEXT 1-3
sri-bhagavan uvaca
abhayam sattva-samsuddhir
jnana-yoga-vyavasthitih
danam damas ca yajnas ca
svadhyayas tapa arjavam
ahimsa satyam akrodhas
tyagah santir apaisunam
daya bhutesv aloluptvam
mardavam hrir acapalam
tejah ksama dhrtih saucam
adroho nati-manita
bhavanti sampadam daivim
abhijatasya bharata
WORD FOR WORD
sri-bhagavan uvaca -- the Supreme Personality of Godhead said;
abhayam -- fearlessness; sattva-samsuddhih -- purification
of one's existence; jnana -- in knowledge; yoga -- of
linking up; vyavasthitih -- the situation; danam -- charity;
damah -- controlling the mind; ca -- and; yajnah --
performance of sacrifice; ca -- and; svadhyayah -- study of
Vedic literature; tapah -- austerity; ariavam -- simplicity;
ahimsa -- nonviolence; satyam -- truthfulness;
akrodhah -- freedom from anger; tyagah -- renunciation;
santih -- tranquillity; apaisunam -- aversion to
fault-finding; daya -- mercy; bhutesu -- towards all living
entities; aloluptvam -- freedom from greed; mardavam --
gentleness; hrih -- modesty; acapalam -- determination;
teiah -- vigor; ksama -- forgiveness; dhrtih --
fortitude; saucam -- cleanliness; adrohah -- freedom from
envy; na -- not; ati manita -- expectation of honor;
bhavanti -- are; sampadam -- the qualities; daivim --
the transcendental nature; abhijatasya -- of one who is born of;
bharata -- O son of Bharata.
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.
PURPORT
In the beginning of the Fifteenth Chapter, the banyan tree of this
material world was explained. The extra roots coming out of it were
compared to the activities of the living entities, some auspicious, some
inauspicious. In the Ninth Chapter, also, the devas, or godly, and
the asuras, the ungodly, or demons, were explained. Now, according
to Vedic rites, activities in the mode of goodness are considered
auspicious for progress on the path of liberation, and such activities are
known as daiviprakrti, transcendental by nature. Those who are
situated in the transcendental nature make progress on the path of
liberation. For those who are acting in the modes of passion and
ignorance, on the other hand, there is no possibility of liberation.
Either they will have to remain in this material world as human beings, or
they will descend among the species of animals or even lower life forms.
In this Sixteenth Chapter the Lord explains both the transcendental nature
and its attendant qualities and the demoniac nature and its qualities. He
also explains the advantages and disadvantages of these qualities.
The word abhijatasya in reference to one born of transcendental
qualities or godly tendencies is very significant. To beget a child in a
godly atmosphere is known in the Vedic scriptures as Garbhadhana-samskara.
If the parents want a child in the godly qualities they should follow the
ten principles recommended for the social life of the human being. In
Bhagavad-gita we have studied also before that sex life for
begetting a good child is Krishna Himself. Sex life is not condemned,
provided the process is used in Krishna consciousness. Those who are in
Krishna consciousness at least should not beget children like cats and
dogs but should beget them so that they may become Krishna conscious after
birth. That should be the advantage of children born of a father and
mother absorbed in Krishna consciousness.
The social institution known as varnashrama-dharma -- the
institution dividing society into four divisions of social life and four
occupational divisions or castes -- is not meant to divide human society
according to birth. Such divisions are in terms of educational
qualifications. They are to keep the society in a state of peace and
prosperity. The qualities mentioned herein are explained as transcendental
qualities meant for making a person progress in spiritual understanding so
that he can get liberated from the material world.
In the varnashrama institution the sannyasi, or the person in
the renounced order of life, is considered to be the head or the spiritual
master of all the social statuses and orders. A brahmana is
considered to be the spiritual master of the three other sections of a
society, namely, the ksatriyas, the vaishyas and the
sudras, but a sannyasi, who is on the top of the
institution, is considered to be the spiritual master of the
brahmanas also. For a sannyasi, the first qualification
should be fearlessness. Because a sannyasi has to be alone without
any support or guarantee of support, he has simply to depend on the mercy
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one thinks, "After I leave my
connections, who will protect me?" he should not accept the renounced
order of life. One must be fully convinced that Krishna or the Supreme
Personality of Godhead in His localized aspect as Paramatma is always
within, that He is seeing everything and He always knows what one intends
to do. One must thus have firm conviction that Krishna as Paramatma will
take care of a soul surrendered to Him. "I shall never be alone," one
should think. "Even if I live in the darkest regions of a forest I shall
be accompanied by Krishna, and He will give me all protection." That
conviction is called abhayam, fearlessness. This state of mind is
necessary for a person in the renounced order of life.
Then he has to purify his existence. There are so many rules and
regulations to be followed in the renounced order of life. Most important
of all, a sannyasi is strictly forbidden to have any intimate
relationship with a woman. He is even forbidden to talk with a woman in a
secluded place. Lord Caitanya was an ideal sannyasi, and when He
was at Puri His feminine devotees could not even come near to offer their
respects. They were advised to bow down from a distant place. This is not
a sign of hatred for women as a class, but it is a stricture imposed on
the sannyasi not to have close connections with women. One has to
follow the rules and regulations of a particular status of life in order
to purify his existence. For a sannyasi, intimate relations with
women and possession of wealth for sense gratification are strictly
forbidden. The ideal sannyasi was Lord Caitanya Himself, and we can
learn from His life that He was very strict in regards to women. Although
He is considered to be the most liberal incarnation of Godhead, accepting
the most fallen conditioned souls, He strictly followed the rules and
regulations of the sannyasa order of life in connection with
association with woman. One of His personal associates, namely Chota
Haridasa, was associated with Lord Caitanya along with His other
confidential personal associates, but somehow or other this Chota Haridasa
looked lustily on a young woman, and Lord Caitanya was so strict that He
at once rejected him from the society of His personal associates. Lord
Caitanya said, "For a sannyasi or anyone who is aspiring to get out
of the clutches of material nature and trying to elevate himself to the
spiritual nature and go back home, back to Godhead, for him, looking
toward material possessions and women for sense gratification -- not even
enjoying them, but just looking toward them with such a propensity -- is
so condemned that he had better commit suicide before experiencing such
illicit desires." So these are the processes for purification.
The next item is jnana-yoga-vyavasthiti: being engaged in the
cultivation of knowledge. Sannyasi life is meant for distributing
knowledge to the householders and others who have forgotten their real
life of spiritual advancement. A sannyasi is supposed to beg from
door to door for his livelihood, but this does not mean that he is a
beggar. Humility is also one of the qualifications of a transcendentally
situated person, and out of sheer humility the sannyasi goes from
door to door, not exactly for the purpose of begging, but to see the
householders and awaken them to Krishna consciousness. This is the duty of
a sannyasi. If he is actually advanced and so ordered by his
spiritual master, he should preach Krishna consciousness with logic and
understanding, and if one is not so advanced he should not accept the
renounced order of life. But even if one has accepted the renounced order
of life without sufficient knowledge, he should engage himself fully in
hearing from a bona fide spiritual master to cultivate knowledge. A
sannyasi, or one in the renounced order of life, must be situated
in fearlessness, sattva-samsuddhi (purity) and jnana-yoga
(knowledge).
The next item is charity. Charity is meant for the householders. The
householders should earn a livelihood by an honorable means and spend
fifty percent of their income to propagate Krishna consciousness all over
the world. Thus a householder should give in charity to institutional
societies that are engaged in that way. Charity should be given to the
right receiver. There are different kinds of charity, as will be explained
later on -- charity in the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance.
Charity in the mode of goodness is recommended by the scriptures, but
charity in the modes of passion and ignorance is not recommended, because
it is simply a waste of money. Charity should be given only to propagate
Krishna consciousness all over the world. That is charity in the mode of
goodness.
Then as far as dama (self-control) is concerned, it is not only
meant for other orders of religious society, but is especially meant for
the householder. Although he has a wife, a householder should not use his
senses for sex life unnecessarily. There are restrictions for the
householders even in sex life, which should only be engaged in for the
propagation of children. If he does not require children, he should not
enjoy sex life with his wife. Modern society enjoys sex life with
contraceptive methods or more abominable methods to avoid the
responsibility of children. This is not in the transcendental quality, but
is demoniac. If anyone, even if he is a householder, wants to make
progress in spiritual life, he must control his sex life and should not
beget a child without the purpose of serving Krishna. If he is able to
beget children who will be in Krishna consciousness, one can produce
hundreds of children, but without this capacity one should not indulge
only for sense pleasure.
Sacrifice is another item to be performed by the householders, because
sacrifices require a large amount of money. Those in other orders of life,
namely brahmacarya, vanaprastha and sannyasa, have no money;
they live by begging. So performance of different types of sacrifice is
meant for the householders. They should perform agni-hotra
sacrifices as enjoined in the Vedic literature, but such sacrifices at the
present moment are very expensive, and it is not possible for any
householder to perform them. The best sacrifice recommended in this age is
called sankirtan-yajna. This sankirtan-yajna, the chanting
of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare
Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is the best and most inexpensive sacrifice;
everyone can adopt it and derive benefit. So these three items, namely
charity, sense control and performance of sacrifice, are meant for the
householder.
Then svadhyaya, Vedic study, is meant for brahmacarya, or
student life. Brahmacaris should have no connection with women;
they should live a life of celibacy and engage the mind in the study of
Vedic literature for cultivation of spiritual knowledge. This is called
svadhyaya.
Tapas, or austerity, is especially meant for the retired life. One should
not remain a householder throughout his whole life; he must always
remember that there are four divisions of life -- brahmacarya,
grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. So after grhastha,
householder life, one should retire. If one lives for a hundred years, he
should spend twenty-five years in student life, twenty-five in householder
life, twenty-five in retired life and twenty-five in the renounced order
of life. These are the regulations of the Vedic religious discipline. A
man retired from household life must practice austerities of the body,
mind and tongue. That is tapasya. The entire
varnashrama-dharma society is meant for tapasya. Without
tapasya, or austerity, no human being can get liberation. The
theory that there is no need of austerity in life, that one can go on
speculating and everything will be nice, is recommended neither in the
Vedic literature nor in Bhagavad-gita. Such theories are
manufactured by show-bottle spiritualists who are trying to gather more
followers. If there are restrictions, rules and regulations, people will
not become attracted. Therefore those who want followers in the name of
religion, just to have a show only, don't restrict the lives of their
students, nor their own lives. But that method is not approved by the
Vedas.
As far as the brahminical quality of simplicity is concerned, not only
should a particular order of life follow this principle, but every member,
be he in the brahmacari ashrama, grhastha ashrama, vanaprastha ashrama
or sannyasa ashrama. One should be very simple and straightforward.
Ahimsa means not arresting the progressive life of any living
entity. One should not think that since the spirit spark is never killed
even after the killing of the body there is no harm in killing animals for
sense gratification. People are now addicted to eating animals, in spite
of having an ample supply of grains, fruits and milk. There is no
necessity for animal killing. This injunction is for everyone. When there
is no alternative, one may kill an animal, but it should be offered in
sacrifice. At any rate, when there is an ample food supply for humanity,
persons who are desiring to make advancement in spiritual realization
should not commit violence to animals. Real ahimsa means not
checking anyone's progressive life. The animals are also making progress
in their evolutionary life by transmigrating from one category of animal
life to another. If a particular animal is killed, then his progress is
checked. If an animal is staying in a particular body for so many days or
so many years and is untimely killed, then he has to come back again in
that form of life to complete the remaining days in order to be promoted
to another species of life. So their progress should not be checked simply
to satisfy one's palate. This is called ahimsa.
Satyam. This word means that one should not distort the truth for some
personal interest. In Vedic literature there are some difficult passages,
but the meaning or the purpose should be learned from a bona fide
spiritual master. That is the process for understanding the Vedas.
Sruti means that one should hear from the authority. One should not
construe some interpretation for his personal interest. There are so many
commentaries on Bhagavad-gita that misinterpret the original text.
The real import of the word should be presented, and that should be
learned from a bona fide spiritual master.
Akrodha means to check anger. Even if there is provocation one
should be tolerant, for once one becomes angry his whole body becomes
polluted. Anger is a product of the mode of passion and lust, so one who
is transcendentally situated should check himself from anger.
Apaisunam means that one should not find fault with others or
correct them unnecessarily. Of course to call a thief a thief is not
faultfinding, but to call an honest person a thief is very much offensive
for one who is making advancement in spiritual life. Hri means that
one should be very modest and must not perform some act which is
abominable. Acapalam, determination, means that one should not be
agitated or frustrated in some attempt. There may be failure in some
attempt, but one should not be sorry for that; he should make progress
with patience and determination.
The word tejas used here is meant for the ksatriyas. The
ksatriyas should always be very strong to be able to give
protection to the weak. They should not pose themselves as nonviolent. If
violence is required, they must exhibit it. But a person who is able to
curb down his enemy may under certain conditions show forgiveness. He may
excuse minor offenses.
Saucam means cleanliness, not only in mind and body but in one's
dealings also. It is especially meant for the mercantile people, who
should not deal in the black market. Nati-manita, not expecting
honor, applies to the sudras, the worker class, which are
considered, according to Vedic injunctions, to be the lowest of the four
classes. They should not be puffed up with unnecessary prestige or honor
and should remain in their own status. It is the duty of the sudras
to offer respect to the higher class for the upkeep of the social order.
All these twenty-six qualifications mentioned are transcendental
qualities. They should be cultivated according to the different statuses
of social and occupational order. The purport is that even though material
conditions are miserable, if these qualities are developed by practice, by
all classes of men, then gradually it is possible to rise to the highest
platform of transcendental realization.
TEXT 4
dambho darpo 'bhimanas ca
krodhah parusyam eva ca
ajnanam cabhijatasya
partha sampadam asurim
WORD FOR WORD
dambhah -- pride; darpah -- arrogance; abhimanah --
conceit; ca -- and; krodhah -- anger; parusyam --
harshness; eva -- certainly; ca -- and; ajnanam --
ignorance; ca -- and; abhijatasya -- of one who is born of;
partha -- O son of Prtha; sampadam -- the qualities;
asurim -- the demoniac nature.
TRANSLATION
Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance -- these
qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Prtha.
PURPORT
In this verse, the royal road to hell is described. The demoniac want to
make a show of religion and advancement in spiritual science, although
they do not follow the principles. They are always arrogant or proud in
possessing some type of education or so much wealth. They desire to be
worshiped by others, and demand respectability, although they do not
command respect. Over trifles they become very angry and speak harshly,
not gently. They do not know what should be done and what should not be
done. They do everything whimsically, according to their own desire, and
they do not recognize any authority. These demoniac qualities are taken on
by them from the beginning of their bodies in the wombs of their mothers,
and as they grow they manifest all these inauspicious qualities.
TEXT 5
daivi sampad vimoksaya
nibandhayasuri mata
ma sucah sampadam daivim
abhijato 'si pandava
WORD FOR WORD
daivi -- transcendental; sampat -- assets; vimoksaya
-- meant for liberation; nibandhaya -- for bondage; asuri --
demoniac qualities; mata -- are considered; ma -- do not;
sucah -- worry; sampadam -- assets; daivim --
transcendental; abhijatah -- born of; asi -- you are;
pandava -- O son of Pandu.
TRANSLATION
The transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation, whereas the
demoniac qualities make for bondage. Do not worry, O son of Pandu, for you
are born with the divine qualities.
PURPORT
Lord Krishna encouraged Arjuna by telling him that he was not born with
demoniac qualities. His involvement in the fight was not demoniac, because
he was considering the pros and cons. He was considering whether
respectable persons such as Bhisma and Drona should be killed or not, so
he was not acting under the influence of anger, false prestige or
harshness. Therefore he was not of the quality of the demons. For a
ksatriya, a military man, shooting arrows at the enemy is
considered transcendental, and refraining from such a duty is demoniac.
Therefore there was no cause for Arjuna to lament. Anyone who performs the
regulative principles of the different orders of life is transcendentally
situated.
TEXT 6
dvau bhuta-sargau loke 'smin
daiva asura eva ca
daivo vistarasah prokta
asuram partha me srnu
WORD FOR WORD
dvau -- two; bhuta-sargau -- created living beings;
loke -- in the world; asmin -- this; daivah -- godly;
asurah -- demoniac; eva -- certainly; ca -- and;
daivah -- the divine; vistarasah -- at great length;
proktah -- said; asuram -- the demoniac; partha -- O
son of Prtha; me -- from Me; srnu -- just hear.
TRANSLATION
O son of Prtha, 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.
PURPORT
Lord Krishna, having assured Arjuna that he was born with the divine
qualities, is now describing the demoniac way. The conditioned living
entities are divided into two classes in this world. Those who are born
with divine qualities follow a regulated life; that is to say they abide
by the injunctions in scriptures and by the authorities. One should
perform duties in the light of authoritative scripture. This mentality is
called divine. One who does not follow the regulative principles as they
are laid down in the scriptures and who acts according to his whims is
called demoniac or asuric. There is no other criterion but obedience to
the regulative principles of scriptures. It is mentioned in Vedic
literature that both the demigods and the demons are born of the
Prajapati; the only difference is that one class obeys the Vedic
injunctions and the other does not.
TEXT 7
pravrttim ca nivrttim ca
jana na vidur asurah
na saucam napi cacaro
na satyam tesu vidyate
WORD FOR WORD
pravrttim -- acting properly; ca -- also; nivrttim --
not acting improperly; ca -- and; janah -- persons;
na -- never; viduh -- know; asurah -- of demoniac
quality; na -- never; saucam -- cleanliness; na --
nor; api -- also; ca -- and; acarah -- behavior;
na -- never; satyam -- truth; tesu -- in them;
vidyate -- there is.
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.
PURPORT
In every civilized human society there is some set of scriptural rules and
regulations which is followed from the beginning. Especially among the
Aryans, those who adopt the Vedic civilization and who are known as the
most advanced civilized peoples, those who do not follow the scriptural
injunctions are supposed to be demons. Therefore it is stated here that
the demons do not know the scriptural rules, nor do they have any
inclination to follow them. Most of them do not know them, and even if
some of them know, they have not the tendency to follow them. They have no
faith, nor are they willing to act in terms of the Vedic injunctions. The
demons are not clean, either externally or internally. One should always
be careful to keep his body clean by bathing, brushing teeth, shaving,
changing clothes, etc. As far as internal cleanliness is concerned, one
should always remember the holy names of God and chant Hare Krishna, Hare
Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare
Hare. The demons neither like nor follow all these rules for external and
internal cleanliness.
As for behavior, there are many rules and regulations guiding human
behavior, such as the Manu-samhita, which is the law of the human
race. Even up to today, those who are Hindu follow the
Manu-samhita. Laws of inheritance and other legalities are derived
from this book. Now, in the Manu-samhita it is clearly stated that
a woman should not be given freedom. That does not mean that women are to
be kept as slaves, but they are like children. Children are not given
freedom, but that does not mean that they are kept as slaves. The demons
have now neglected such injunctions, and they think that women should be
given as much freedom as men. However, this has not improved the social
condition of the world. Actually, a woman should be given protection at
every stage of life. She should be given protection by the father in her
younger days, by the husband in her youth, and by the grownup sons in her
old age. This is proper social behavior according to the
Manu-samhita. But modern education has artificially devised a
puffed-up concept of manly life, and therefore marriage is practically now
an imagination in human society. Nor is the moral condition of woman very
good now. The demons, therefore, do not accept any instruction which is
good for society, and because they do not follow the experience of great
sages and the rules and regulations laid down by the sages, the social
condition of the demoniac people is very miserable.
TEXT 8
asatyam apratistham te
jagad ahur anisvaram
aparaspara-sambhutam
kim anyat kama-haitukam
WORD FOR WORD
asatyam -- unreal; apratistham -- without foundation;
te -- they; jagat -- the cosmic manifestation; ahuh
-- say; anisvaram -- with no controller; aparaspara --
without cause; sambhutam -- arisen; kim anyat -- there is no
other cause; kama-haitukam -- it is due to lust only.
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.
PURPORT
The demonic conclude that the world is phantasmagoria. There is no cause
and effect, no controller, no purpose: everything is unreal. They say that
this cosmic manifestation arises due to chance material actions and
reactions. They do not think that the world was created by God for a
certain purpose. They have their own theory: that the world has come about
in its own way and that there is no reason to believe that there is a God
behind it. For them there is no difference between spirit and matter, and
they do not accept the Supreme Spirit. Everything is matter only, and the
whole cosmos is supposed to be a mass of ignorance. According to them,
everything is void, and whatever manifestation exists is due to our
ignorance in perception. They take it for granted that all manifestation
of diversity is a display of ignorance. Just as in a dream we may create
so many things which actually have no existence, so when we are awake we
shall see that everything is simply a dream. But factually, although the
demons say that life is a dream, they are very expert in enjoying this
dream. And so, instead of acquiring knowledge, they become more and more
implicated in their dreamland. They conclude that as a child is simply the
result of sexual intercourse between man and woman, this world is born
without any soul. For them it is only a combination of matter that has
produced the living entities, and there is no question of the existence of
the soul. As many living creatures come out from perspiration and from a
dead body without any cause, the whole living world has come out of the
material combinations of the cosmic manifestation. Therefore material
nature is the cause of this manifestation, and there is no other cause.
They do not believe in the words of Krishna in Bhagavad-gita:
mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram. "Under My direction the
whole material world is moving." In other words, among the demons there is
no perfect knowledge of the creation of the world; every one of them has
some particular theory of his own. According to them, one interpretation
of the scriptures is as good as another, for they do not believe in a
standard understanding of the scriptural injunctions.
TEXT 9
etam drstim avastabhya
nastatmano 'lpa-buddhayah
prabhavanty ugra-karmanah
ksayaya jagato 'hitah
WORD FOR WORD
etam -- this; drstim -- vision; avastabhya --
accepting; nasta -- having lost; atmanah -- themselves;
alpa-buddhayah -- the less intelligent; prabhavanti --
flourish; ugra-karmanah -- engaged in painful activities;
ksayaya -- for destruction; jagatah -- of the world;
ahitah -- unbeneficial.
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.
PURPORT
The demoniac are engaged in activities that will lead the world to
destruction. The Lord states here that they are less intelligent. The
materialists, who have no concept of God, think that they are advancing.
But according to Bhagavad-gita, they are unintelligent and devoid
of all sense. They try to enjoy this material world to the utmost limit
and therefore always engage in inventing something for sense
gratification. Such materialistic inventions are considered to be
advancement of human civilization, but the result is that people grow more
and more violent and more and more cruel, cruel to animals and cruel to
other human beings. They have no idea how to behave toward one another.
Animal killing is very prominent amongst demoniac people. Such people are
considered the enemies of the world because ultimately they will invent or
create something which will bring destruction to all. Indirectly, this
verse anticipates the invention of nuclear weapons, of which the whole
world is today very proud. At any moment war may take place, and these
atomic weapons may create havoc. Such things are created solely for the
destruction of the world, and this is indicated here. Due to godlessness,
such weapons are invented in human society; they are not meant for the
peace and prosperity of the world.
TEXT 10
kamam asritya duspuram
dambha-mana-madanvitah
mohad grhitvasad-grahan
pravartante 'suci-vratah
WORD FOR WORD
kamam -- lust; asritya -- taking shelter of; duspuram
-- insatiable; dambha -- of pride; mana -- and false
prestige; mada-anvitah -- absorbed in the conceit; mohat --
by illusion; grhitva -- taking; asat -- nonpermanent;
grahan -- things; pravartante -- they flourish; asuci
-- to the unclean; vratah -- avowed.
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.
PURPORT
The demoniac mentality is described here. The demons have no satiation for
their lust. They will go on increasing and increasing their insatiable
desires for material enjoyment. Although they are always full of anxieties
on account of accepting nonpermanent things, they still continue to engage
in such activities out of illusion. They have no knowledge and cannot tell
that they are heading the wrong way. Accepting nonpermanent things, such
demoniac people create their own God, create their own hymns and chant
accordingly. The result is that they become more and more attracted to two
things -- sex enjoyment and accumulation of material wealth. The word
asuci-vratah, "unclean vows," is very significant in this
connection. Such demoniac people are only attracted by wine, women,
gambling and meat-eating; those are their asuci, unclean habits.
Induced by pride and false prestige, they create some principles of
religion which are not approved by the Vedic injunctions. Although such
demoniac people are most abominable in the world, by artificial means the
world creates a false honor for them. Although they are gliding toward
hell, they consider themselves very much advanced.
TEXTS 11-12
cintam aparimeyam ca
pralayantam upasritah
kamopabhoga-parama
etavad iti niscitah
asa-pasa-satair baddhah
kama-krodha-parayanah
ihante kama-bhogartham
anyayenartha-sancayan
WORD FOR WORD
cintam -- fears and anxieties; aparimeyam -- immeasurable;
ca -- and; pralaya-antam -- unto the point of death;
upasritah -- having taken shelter of; kama-upabhoga -- sense
gratification; paramah -- the highest goal of life; etavat
-- thus; iti -- in this way; niscitah -- having ascertained;
asa-pasa -- entanglements in a network of hope; sataih -- by
hundreds; baddhah -- being bound; kama -- of lust;
krodha -- and anger; parayanah -- always situated in the
mentality; ihante -- they desire; kama -- lust; bhoga
-- sense enjoyment; artham -- for the purpose of; anyayena
-- illegally; artha -- of wealth; sancayan -- accumulation.
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.
PURPORT
The demoniac accept that the enjoyment of the senses is the ultimate goal
of life, and this concept they maintain until death. They do not believe
in life after death, and they do not believe that one takes on different
types of bodies according to one's karma, or activities in this
world. Their plans for life are never finished, and they go on preparing
plan after plan, all of which are never finished. We have personal
experience of a person of such demoniac mentality who, even at the point
of death, was requesting the physician to prolong his life for four years
more because his plans were not yet complete. Such foolish people do not
know that a physician cannot prolong life even for a moment. When the
notice is there, there is no consideration of the man's desire. The laws
of nature do not allow a second beyond what one is destined to enjoy.
The demoniac person, who has no faith in God or the Supersoul within
himself, performs all kinds of sinful activities simply for sense
gratification. He does not know that there is a witness sitting within his
heart. The Supersoul is observing the activities of the individual soul.
As it is stated in the Upanisads, there are two birds sitting in
one tree; one is acting and enjoying or suffering the fruits of the
branches, and the other is witnessing. But one who is demoniac has no
knowledge of Vedic scripture, nor has he any faith; therefore he feels
free to do anything for sense enjoyment, regardless of the consequences.
TEXTS 13-15
idam adya maya labdham
imam prapsye manoratham
idam astidam api me
bhavisyati punar dhanam
asau maya hatah satrur
hanisye caparan api
isvaro 'ham aham bhogi
siddho 'ham balavan sukhi
adhyo 'bhijanavan asmi
ko 'nyo 'ti sadrso maya
yaksye dasyami modisya
ity ajnana-vimohitah
WORD FOR WORD
idam -- this; adya -- today; maya -- by me;
labdham -- gained; imam -- this; prapsye -- I shall
gain; manah-ratham -- according to my desires; idam -- this;
asti -- there is; idam -- this; api -- also;
me -- mine; bhavisyati -- it will increase in the future;
punah -- again; dhanam -- wealth; asau -- that;
maya -- by me; hatah -- has been killed; satruh --
enemy; hanisye -- I shall kill; ca -- also; aparan --
others; api -- certainly; isvarah -- the lord; aham
-- I am; aham -- I am; bhogi -- the enjoyer; siddhah
-- perfect; aham -- I am; bala-van -- powerful; sukhi
-- happy; adhyah -- wealthy; abhijana-van -- surrounded by
aristocratic relatives; asmi -- I am; kah -- who;
anyah -- other; asti -- there is; sadrsah -- like;
maya -- me; yaksye -- I shall sacrifice; dasyami -- I
shall give charity; modisye -- I shall rejoice; iti -- thus;
ajnana -- by ignorance; vimohitah -- deluded.
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.
TEXT 16
aneka-citta-vibhranta
moha-jala-samavrtah
prasaktah kama-bhogesu
patanti narake 'sucau
WORD FOR WORD
aneka -- numerous; citta -- by anxieties; vibhrantah
-- perplexed; moha -- of illusions; jala -- by a network;
samavrtah -- surrounded; prasaktah -- attached;
kama-bhogesu -- to sense gratification; patanti -- they
glide down; narake -- into hell; asucau -- unclean.
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.
PURPORT
The demoniac man knows no limit to his desire to acquire money. That is
unlimited. He thinks only of how much assessment he has just now and
schemes to engage that stock of wealth further and further. For that
reason, he does not hesitate to act in any sinful way and so deals in the
black market for illegal gratification. He is enamored by the possessions
he has already, such as land, family, house and bank balance, and he is
always planning to improve them. He believes in his own strength, and he
does not know that whatever he is gaining is due to his past good deeds.
He is given an opportunity to accumulate such things, but he has no
conception of past causes. He simply thinks that all his mass of wealth is
due to his own endeavor. A demoniac person believes in the strength of his
personal work, not in the law of karma. According to the law of
karma, a man takes his birth in a high family, or becomes rich, or
very well educated, or very beautiful because of good work in the past.
The demoniac think that all these things are accidental and due to the
strength of one's personal ability. They do not sense any arrangement
behind all the varieties of people, beauty and education. Anyone who comes
into competition with such a demoniac man is his enemy. There are many
demoniac people, and each is enemy to the others. This enmity becomes more
and more deep -- between persons, then between families, then between
societies, and at last between nations. Therefore there is constant
strife, war and enmity all over the world.
Each demoniac person thinks that he can live at the sacrifice of all
others. Generally, a demoniac person thinks of himself as the Supreme God,
and a demoniac preacher tells his followers: "Why are you seeking God
elsewhere? You are all yourselves God! Whatever you like, you can do.
Don't believe in God. Throw away God. God is dead." These are the
demoniac's preachings.
Although the demoniac person sees others equally rich and influential, or
even more so, he thinks that no one is richer than he and that no one is
more influential than he. As far as promotion to the higher planetary
system is concerned, he does not believe in performing yajnas, or
sacrifices. Demons think that they will manufacture their own process of
yajna and prepare some machine by which they will be able to reach
any higher planet. The best example of such a demoniac man was Ravana. He
offered a program to the people by which he would prepare a staircase so
that anyone could reach the heavenly planets without performing
sacrifices, such as are prescribed in the Vedas. Similarly, in the
present age such demoniac men are striving to reach the higher planetary
systems by mechanical arrangements. These are examples of bewilderment.
The result is that, without their knowledge, they are gliding toward hell.
Here the Sanskrit word moha-jala is very significant. Jala
means "net"; like fish caught in a net, they have no way to come out.
TEXT 17
atma-sambhavitah stabdha
dhana-mana-madanvitah
yajante nama-yajnais te
dambhenavidhi-purvakam
WORD FOR WORD
atma-sambhavitah -- self-complacent; stabdhah -- impudent;
dhana-mana -- of wealth and false prestige; mada -- in the
delusion; anvitah -- absorbed; yajante -- they perform
sacrifice; nama -- in name only; yajnaih -- with sacrifices;
te -- they; dambhena -- out of pride; avidhi-purvakam
-- without following any rules and regulations.
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.
PURPORT
Thinking themselves all in all, not caring for any authority or scripture,
the demoniac sometimes perform so-called religious or sacrificial rites.
And since they do not believe in authority, they are very impudent. This
is due to illusion caused by accumulating some wealth and false prestige.
Sometimes such demons take up the role of preacher, mislead the people,
and become known as religious reformers or as incarnations of God. They
make a show of performing sacrifices, or they worship the demigods, or
manufacture their own God. Common men advertise them as God and worship
them, and by the foolish they are considered advanced in the principles of
religion, or in the principles of spiritual knowledge. They take the dress
of the renounced order of life and engage in all nonsense in that dress.
Actually there are so many restrictions for one who has renounced this
world. The demons, however, do not care for such restrictions. They think
that whatever path one can create is one's own path; there is no such
thing as a standard path one has to follow. The word
avidhi-purvakam, meaning a disregard for the rules and regulations,
is especially stressed here. These things are always due to ignorance and
illusion.
TEXT 18
ahankaram balam darpam
kamam krodham ca samsritah
mam atma-para-dehesu
pradvisanto 'bhyasuyakah
WORD FOR WORD
ahankaram -- false ego; balam -- strength; darpam --
pride; kamam -- lust; krodham -- anger; ca -- also;
samsritah -- having taken shelter of; mam -- Me; atma
-- in their own; para -- and in other; dehesu -- bodies;
pradvisantah -- blaspheming; abhyasuyakah -- envious.
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.
PURPORT
A demoniac person, being always against God's supremacy, does not like to
believe in the scriptures. He is envious of both the scriptures and the
existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is caused by his
so-called prestige and his accumulation of wealth and strength. He does
not know that the present life is a preparation for the next life. Not
knowing this, he is actually envious of his own self, as well as of
others. He commits violence on other bodies and on his own. He does not
care for the supreme control of the Personality of Godhead, because he has
no knowledge. Being envious of the scriptures and the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, he puts forward false arguments against the existence of God
and denies the scriptural authority. He thinks himself independent and
powerful in every action. He thinks that since no one can equal him in
strength, power or wealth, he can act in any way and no one can stop him.
If he has an enemy who might check the advancement of his sensual
activities, he makes plans to cut him down by his own power.
TEXT 19
tan aham dvisatah kruran
samsaresu naradhaman
ksioamy ajashram asubhan
asurisv eva yonisu
WORD FOR WORD
tan -- those; aham -- I; dvisatah -- envious;
kruran -- mischievous; samsaresu -- into the ocean of
material existence; nara-adhaman -- the lowest of mankind;
ksipami -- I put; ajashram -- forever; asubhan --
inauspicious; asurisu -- demoniac; eva -- certainly;
yonisu -- into the wombs.
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.
PURPORT
In this verse it is clearly indicated that the placing of a particular
individual soul in a particular body is the prerogative of the supreme
will. The demoniac person may not agree to accept the supremacy of the
Lord, and it is a fact that he may act according to his own whims, but his
next birth will depend upon the decision of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and not on himself. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Third Canto,
it is stated that an individual soul, after his death, is put into the
womb of a mother where he gets a particular type of body under the
supervision of superior power. Therefore in the material existence we find
so many species of life -- animals, insects, men, and so on. All are
arranged by the superior power. They are not accidental. As for the
demoniac, it is clearly said here that they are perpetually put into the
wombs of demons, and thus they continue to be envious, the lowest of
mankind. Such demoniac species of men are held to be always full of lust,
always violent and hateful and always unclean. The many kinds of hunters
in the jungle are considered to belong to the demoniac species of life.
TEXT 20
asurim yonim apanna
mudha janmani janmani
mam aprapyaiva kaunteya
tato yanty adhamam gatim
WORD FOR WORD
asurim -- demoniac; yonim -- species; apannah --
gaining; mudhah -- the foolish; janmani janmani -- in birth
after birth; mam -- Me; aprapya -- without achieving;
eva -- certainly; kaunteya -- O son of Kunti; tatah
-- thereafter; yanti -- go; adhamam -- condemned;
gatim -- destination.
TRANSLATION
Attaining repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac life, O son of
Kunti, such persons can never approach Me. Gradually they sink down to the
most abominable type of existence.
PURPORT
It is known that God is all-merciful, but here we find that God is never
merciful to the demoniac. It is clearly stated that the demoniac people,
life after life, are put into the wombs of similar demons, and, not
achieving the mercy of the Supreme Lord, they go down and down, so that at
last they achieve bodies like those of cats, dogs and hogs. It is clearly
stated that such demons have practically no chance of receiving the mercy
of God at any stage of later life. In the Vedas also it is stated
that such persons gradually sink to become dogs and hogs. It may be then
argued in this connection that God should not be advertised as
all-merciful if He is not merciful to such demons. In answer to this
question, in the Vedanta-sutra we find that the Supreme Lord has no
hatred for anyone. The placing of the asuras, the demons, in the
lowest status of life is simply another feature of His mercy. Sometimes
the asuras are killed by the Supreme Lord, but this killing is also
good for them, for in Vedic literature we find that anyone who is killed
by the Supreme Lord becomes liberated. There are instances in history of
many asuras -- Ravana, Kamsa, Hiranyakasipu -- to whom the Lord
appeared in various incarnations just to kill them. Therefore God's mercy
is shown to the asuras if they are fortunate enough to be killed by
Him.
TEXT 21
tri-vidham narakasyedam
dvaram nasanam atmanah
kamah krodhas tatha lobhas
tasmad etat trayam tyajet
WORD FOR WORD
tri-vidham -- of three kinds; narakasya -- of hell;
idam -- this; dvaram -- gate; nasanam -- destructive;
atmanah -- of the self; kamah -- lust; krodhah --
anger; tatha -- as well as; lobhah -- greed; tasmat
-- therefore; etat -- these; trayam -- three; tyajet
-- one must give up.
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.
PURPORT
The beginning of demoniac life
is described herein. One tries to satisfy his lust, and when he cannot,
anger and greed arise. A sane man who does not want to glide down to the
species of demoniac life must try to give up these three enemies, which can
kill the self to such an extent that there will be no possibility of
liberation from this material entanglement.
TEXT 22
etair vimuktah kaunteya
tamo-dvarais tribhir narah
acaraty atmanah sreyas
tato yati param gatim
WORD FOR WORD
etaih -- from these; vimuktah -- being liberated;
kaunteya -- O son of Kunti; tamah-dvaraih -- from the gates
of ignorance; tribhih -- of three kinds; narah -- a person;
acarati -- performs; atmanah -- for the self; sreyah
-- benediction; tatah -- thereafter; yati -- he goes;
param -- to the supreme; gatim -- destination.
TRANSLATION
The man who has escaped these three gates of hell, O son of Kunti,
performs acts conducive to self-realization and thus gradually attains the
supreme destination.
PURPORT
One should be very careful of these three enemies to human life: lust,
anger and greed. The more a person is freed from lust, anger and greed,
the more his existence becomes pure. Then he can follow the rules and
regulations enjoined in the Vedic literature. By following the regulative
principles of human life, one gradually raises himself to the platform of
spiritual realization. If one is so fortunate, by such practice, to rise
to the platform of Krishna consciousness, then success is guaranteed for
him. In the Vedic literature, the ways of action and reaction are
prescribed to enable one to come to the stage of purification. The whole
method is based on giving up lust, greed and anger. By cultivating
knowledge of this process, one can be elevated to the highest position of
self-realization; this self-realization is perfected in devotional
service. In that devotional service, the liberation of the conditioned
soul is guaranteed. Therefore, according to the Vedic system, there are
instituted the four orders of life and the four statuses of life, called
the caste system and the spiritual order system. There are different rules
and regulations for different castes or divisions of society, and if a
person is able to follow them, he will be automatically raised to the
highest platform of spiritual realization. Then he can have liberation
without a doubt.
TEXT 23
yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya
vartate kama-karatah
na sa siddhim avapnoti
na sukham na param gatim
WORD FOR WORD
yah -- anyone who; sastra-vidhim -- the regulations of the
scriptures; utsrjya -- giving up; vartate -- remains;
kama-karatah -- acting whimsically in lust; na -- never;
sah -- he; siddhim -- perfection; avapnoti --
achieves; na -- never; sukham -- happiness; na --
never; param -- the supreme; gatim -- perfectional stage.
TRANSLATION
He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims
attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.
PURPORT
As described before, the sastra-vidhi, or the direction of the
sastra, is given to the different castes and orders of human
society. Everyone is expected to follow these rules and regulations. If
one does not follow them and acts whimsically according to his lust, greed
and desire, then he never will be perfect in his life. In other words, a
man may theoretically know all these things, but if he does not apply them
in his own life, then he is to be known as the lowest of mankind. In the
human form of life, a living entity is expected to be sane and to follow
the regulations given for elevating his life to the highest platform, but
if he does not follow them, then he degrades himself. But even if he
follows the rules and regulations and moral principles and ultimately does
not come to the stage of understanding the Supreme Lord, then all his
knowledge becomes spoiled. And even if he accepts the existence of God, if
he does not engage himself in the service of the Lord his attempts are
spoiled. Therefore one should gradually raise himself to the platform of
Krishna consciousness and devotional service; it is then and there that he
can attain the highest perfectional stage, not otherwise.
The word kama-karatah is very significant. A person who knowingly
violates the rules acts in lust. He knows that this is forbidden, but
still he acts. This is called acting whimsically. He knows that this
should be done, but still he does not do it; therefore he is called
whimsical. Such persons are destined to be condemned by the Supreme Lord.
Such persons cannot have the perfection which is meant for the human life.
The human life is especially meant for purifying one's existence, and one
who does not follow the rules and regulations cannot purify himself, nor
can he attain the real stage of happiness.
TEXT 24
tasmac chastram pramanam te
karyakarya-vyavasthitau
jnatva sastra-vidhanoktam
karma kartum iharhasi
WORD FOR WORD
tasmat -- therefore; sastram -- the scriptures;
pramanam -- evidence; te -- your; karya -- duty;
akarya -- and forbidden activities; vyavasthitau -- in
determining; jnatva -- knowing; sastra -- of scripture;
vidhana -- the regulations; uktam -- as declared;
karma -- work; kartum -- do; iha -- in this world;
arhasi -- you should.
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.
PURPORT
As stated in the Fifteenth Chapter, all the rules and regulations of the
Vedas are meant for knowing Krishna. If one understands Krishna
from the Bhagavad-gita and becomes situated in Krishna
consciousness, engaging himself in devotional service, he has reached the
highest perfection of knowledge offered by the Vedic literature. Lord
Caitanya Mahaprabhu made this process very easy: He asked people simply to
chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama,
Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare and to engage in the devotional service of
the Lord and eat the remnants of foodstuff offered to the Deity. One who
is directly engaged in all these devotional activities is to be understood
as having studied all Vedic literature. He has come to the conclusion
perfectly. Of course, for the ordinary persons who are not in Krishna
consciousness or who are not engaged in devotional service, what is to be
done and what is not to be done must be decided by the injunctions of the
Vedas. One should act accordingly, without argument. That is called
following the principles of sastra, or scripture. Sastra is
without the four principal defects that are visible in the conditioned
soul: imperfect senses, the propensity for cheating, certainty of
committing mistakes, and certainty of being illusioned. These four
principal defects in conditioned life disqualify one from putting forth
rules and regulations. Therefore, the rules and regulations as described
in the sastra -- being above these defects -- are accepted without
alteration by all great saints, acaryas and great souls.
In India there are many parties of spiritual understanding, generally
classified as two: the impersonalist and the personalist. Both of them,
however, lead their lives according to the principles of the Vedas.
Without following the principles of the scriptures, one cannot elevate
himself to the perfectional stage. One who actually, therefore,
understands the purport of the sastras is considered fortunate.
In human society, aversion to the principles of understanding the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the cause of all falldowns. That is the greatest
offense of human life. Therefore, maya, the material energy of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always giving us trouble in the shape
of the threefold miseries. This material energy is constituted of the
three modes of material nature. One has to raise himself at least to the
mode of goodness before the path to understanding the Supreme Lord can be
opened. Without raising oneself to the standard of the mode of goodness,
one remains in ignorance and passion, which are the cause of demoniac
life. Those in the modes of passion and ignorance deride the scriptures,
deride the holy man, and deride the proper understanding of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. They disobey the instructions of the spiritual
master, and they do not care for the regulations of the scriptures. In
spite of hearing the glories of devotional service, they are not
attracted. Thus they manufacture their own way of elevation. These are
some of the defects of human society which lead to the demoniac status of
life. If, however, one is able to be guided by a proper and bona fide
spiritual master, who can lead one to the path of elevation, to the higher
stage, then one's life becomes successful.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Sixteenth Chapter of the
Srimad Bhagavad-gita in the matter of the Divine and Demoniac
Natures.
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