Vyāsa (traditional attribution) · Complete work
Chapter 16 — The Yoga of Divine and Demonic Destinies
Chapter 16 — The Yoga of Divine and Demonic Destinies of 18. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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ॐश्रीपरमात्मने नमः
श्रीभगवानुवाच अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिर्ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः ।दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम् ॥१६- १॥
अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त्यागः शान्तिरपैशुनम् ।दया भूतेष्वलोलुप्त्वं मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलम् ॥१६- २॥
तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचमद्रोहो नातिमानिता ।भवन्ति संपदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत ॥१६- ३॥
दम्भो दर्पोऽभिमानश्च क्रोधः पारुष्यमेव च ।अज्ञानं चाभिजातस्य पार्थ संपदमासुरीम् ॥१६- ४॥
दैवी संपद्विमोक्षाय निबन्धायासुरी मता ।मा शुचः संपदं दैवीमभिजातोऽसि पाण्डव ॥१६- ५॥
द्वौ भूतसर्गौ लोकेऽस्मिन्दैव आसुर एव च ।दैवो विस्तरशः प्रोक्त आसुरं पार्थ मे शृणु ॥१६- ६॥
प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च जना न विदुरासुराः ।न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते ॥१६- ७॥
असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् ।अपरस्परसंभूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ॥१६- ८॥
एतां दृष्टिमवष्टभ्य नष्टात्मानोऽल्पबुद्धयः ।प्रभवन्त्युग्रकर्माणः क्षयाय जगतोऽहिताः ॥१६- ९॥
काममाश्रित्य दुष्पूरं दम्भमानमदान्विताः ।मोहाद्गृहीत्वासद्ग्राहान्प्रवर्तन्तेऽशुचिव्रताः ॥१६- १०॥
चिन्तामपरिमेयां च प्रलयान्तामुपाश्रिताः ।कामोपभोगपरमा एतावदिति निश्चिताः ॥१६- ११॥
आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः ।ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान् ॥१६- १२॥
इदमद्य मया लब्धमिमं प्राप्स्ये मनोरथम् ।इदमस्तीदमपि मे भविष्यति पुनर्धनम् ॥१६- १३॥
असौ मया हतः शत्रुर्हनिष्ये चापरानपि ।ईश्वरोऽहमहं भोगी सिद्धोऽहं बलवान्सुखी ॥१६- १४॥
आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया ।यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः ॥१६- १५॥
अनेकचित्तविभ्रान्ता मोहजालसमावृताः ।प्रसक्ताः कामभोगेषु पतन्ति नरकेऽशुचौ ॥१६- १६॥
आत्मसंभाविताः स्तब्धा धनमानमदान्विताः ।यजन्ते नामयज्ञैस्ते दम्भेनाविधिपूर्वकम् ॥१६- १७॥
अहंकारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः ।मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः ॥१६- १८॥
तानहं द्विषतः क्रुरान्संसारेषु नराधमान् ।क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभानासुरीष्वेव योनिषु ॥१६- १९॥
आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि ।मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् ॥१६- २०॥
त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः ।कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत् ॥१६- २१॥
एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः ।आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥१६- २२॥
यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः ।न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम् ॥१६- २३॥
तस्माच्छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ ।ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि ॥१६- २४॥
ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रेश्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे दैवासुरसंपद्विभागयोगो नाम षोडशोऽध्यायः ॥१६॥
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from all 18 Sanskrit chapters and 700 verses for fidelity, modern clarity, philosophical precision, symbolism, structure, and cadence.
Om
Homage to the Supreme Self
The Blessed Lord said:
Fearlessness, purity of being, steadfastness in the yoga of knowledge, generosity, self-restraint, sacrifice, sacred study, austerity, and straightforwardness; ॥१६- १॥
Nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, serenity, freedom from slander, compassion for all beings, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, and steadiness; ॥१६- २॥
Radiance, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, freedom from malice, and absence of conceit— these belong to one born to the divine endowment, O Bharata. ॥१६- ३॥
Hypocrisy, arrogance, self-importance, anger, harshness, and ignorance belong to one born to the demonic endowment, O Partha. ॥१६- ४॥
The divine endowment is held to lead to liberation, the demonic to bondage. Do not grieve, O Pandava; you were born to the divine endowment. ॥१६- ५॥
There are two kinds of created beings in this world: the divine and the demonic. The divine has been described at length; now hear from me of the demonic, O Partha. ॥१६- ६॥
Demonic people do not understand engagement or withdrawal. Neither purity, nor right conduct, nor truth is found in them. ॥१६- ७॥
They say the world is without truth, without foundation, without a Lord, born merely from mutual union—what else could it be but caused by desire? ॥१६- ८॥
Holding fast to this view, lost to themselves and small in understanding, they arise as doers of savage deeds, harmful and bent on the destruction of the world. ॥१६- ९॥
Taking refuge in insatiable desire, filled with hypocrisy, pride, and intoxication, grasping false convictions through delusion, they act with impure vows. ॥१६- १०॥
Giving themselves over to immeasurable anxieties that end only with death, they make the enjoyment of desires their highest aim, convinced that this is all. ॥१६- ११॥
Bound by hundreds of cords of hope, devoted to desire and anger, they strive to amass wealth unjustly for the gratification of their desires. ॥१६- १२॥
“This I have gained today; this desire I shall fulfill. This wealth is mine, and still more will be mine.” ॥१६- १३॥
“That enemy has been killed by me, and I shall kill the others too. I am the master, I am the enjoyer; I am accomplished, powerful, and happy. ॥१६- १४॥
I am wealthy and well-born. Who else is equal to me? I shall sacrifice, I shall give, I shall rejoice”—thus they are deluded by ignorance. ॥१६- १५॥
Bewildered by countless thoughts, enveloped in the net of delusion, deeply attached to the enjoyment of desires, they fall into an impure hell. ॥१६- १६॥
Self-exalting, rigid, filled with the pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform sacrifices in name only, hypocritically and without regard for sacred rule. ॥१६- १७॥
Taking refuge in egoism, power, arrogance, desire, and anger, maliciously they hate me in their own bodies and in the bodies of others. ॥१६- १८॥
Those hateful, cruel, unholy, lowest of human beings I hurl ceaselessly through the cycles of existence into demonic wombs alone. ॥१६- १९॥
Entering demonic wombs, deluded birth after birth, never reaching me, O son of Kunti, they then descend to the lowest state. ॥१६- २०॥
Threefold is this gateway to hell, destructive of the self: desire, anger, and greed. Therefore one should abandon these three. ॥१६- २१॥
Freed from these three gates of darkness, O son of Kunti, a person acts for the highest good of the self and thereby reaches the supreme goal. ॥१६- २२॥
One who casts aside the rule of sacred teaching and acts under the impulse of desire attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme goal. ॥१६- २३॥
Therefore let sacred teaching be your authority in determining what should and should not be done. Knowing what is prescribed by the ordinances of sacred teaching, you should act here in this world. ॥१६- २४॥
Om Tat Sat. Thus, in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, in the knowledge of Brahman, in the scripture of yoga, in the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, the sixteenth chapter, called The Yoga of the Division between the Divine and Demonic Endowments. ॥१६॥
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 18 Sanskrit chapters and 700 verses.
Om
Salutations to the Supreme Self
The Blessed Lord said:
Fearlessness, purity of mind, steadfastness in the yoga of knowledge,giving, self-control, sacrifice, sacred study, austerity, and honesty— ॥१६- १॥
Nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, calmness, refraining from slander,compassion for all beings, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty, and steadiness— ॥१६- २॥
Vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, freedom from malice, and absence of excessive pride:these belong to one born with the divine endowment, Bharata. ॥१६- ३॥
Hypocrisy, arrogance, self-importance, anger, harshness,and ignorance belong to one born with the demonic endowment, Partha. ॥१६- ४॥
The divine endowment is regarded as leading to liberation, and the demonic to bondage.Do not grieve, Pandava; you were born with the divine endowment. ॥१६- ५॥
There are two kinds of created beings in this world: the divine and the demonic.The divine has been described at length. Now hear from me about the demonic, Partha. ॥१६- ६॥
Demonic people do not know when to act or when to refrain from action.Neither purity, nor proper conduct, nor truth is found in them. ॥१६- ७॥
They say that the world is unreal, without foundation, and without a Lord,not born through mutual union—what else but caused by desire? ॥१६- ८॥
Holding firmly to this view, ruined in themselves and limited in understanding,these harmful people arise, performing fierce deeds for the destruction of the world. ॥१६- ९॥
Taking refuge in desire that can never be satisfied, filled with hypocrisy, pride, and arrogance,grasping false ideas through delusion, they act with impure vows. ॥१६- १०॥
Taking refuge in immeasurable anxiety that lasts until death,they regard the enjoyment of desires as supreme, convinced that this is all there is. ॥१६- ११॥
Bound by hundreds of snares of hope, devoted to desire and anger,they strive to accumulate wealth unjustly for the enjoyment of their desires. ॥१६- १२॥
“This has been gained by me today; I will obtain this desire as well.This wealth is mine, and still more wealth will be mine in the future. ॥१६- १३॥
That enemy has been killed by me, and I will kill the others too.I am the lord; I am the enjoyer. I am successful, powerful, and happy. ॥१६- १४॥
I am wealthy and high-born. Who else is equal to me?I will sacrifice, I will give, and I will rejoice”—thus they are deluded by ignorance. ॥१६- १५॥
Confused by many thoughts, surrounded by a net of delusion,and deeply attached to the enjoyment of desires, they fall into impure hell. ॥१६- १६॥
Self-important, stubborn, and filled with the pride and arrogance of wealth,they perform sacrifices that are sacrifices in name only, hypocritically and without following the prescribed rule. ॥१६- १७॥
Taking refuge in egoism, power, arrogance, desire, and anger,these malicious people hate me in their own bodies and in the bodies of others. ॥१६- १८॥
Those hateful, cruel, impure people, the lowest of humanity,I continually hurl through the cycles of rebirth into demonic wombs alone. ॥१६- १९॥
Entering demonic wombs, deluded birth after birth,they never reach me, Kaunteya, and from there they go to an even lower state. ॥१६- २०॥
This threefold gate of hell brings ruin to the self:desire, anger, and greed. Therefore, one should abandon these three. ॥१६- २१॥
Freed from these three gates of darkness, Kaunteya,a person does what is good for the self and then reaches the highest destination. ॥१६- २२॥
One who rejects the rule of scripture and acts under the force of desireattains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest destination. ॥१६- २३॥
Therefore, let scripture be your authority in determining what should and should not be done.Having understood the action prescribed by the rules of scripture, you should act here accordingly. ॥१६- २४॥
Om. That is the Real. Thus ends the sixteenth chapter, named “The Yoga of the Division between the Divine and Demonic Endowments,” in the glorious Bhagavad Gita Upanishads, the knowledge of Brahman, the scripture of yoga, and the dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjuna. ॥१६॥