Chapter –XVI
Fearlessness, true purity, establishment in Jynyana Yoga, charity, control, sacrifice, studiousness, austerity and simplicity; non violence, truthfulness, non anger, renunciation, calmness, absence of slander, compassion for beings, non-covetousness, sweetness (of temper), a sense of shame in violating norms laid down by scriptures or society, absence of rashness; glory, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, absence of enmity, absence of haughtiness - these belong to one born with the divine wealth, O Arjuna. (1-3)
Bhagavan Shri Krishna starts with the qualities belonging to the one born with divine wealth. Such a person has a natural inclination to acquire the knowledge so far revealed in Shrimad Bhagavad-Gita and particularly in the last chapter.
Ostentation, arrogance, haughtiness, anger, rudeness and ignorance, O Partha, belong to the one born with demoniac wealth. (4)
Such persons are not inclined to absorb the knowledge propounded so far. They are selfish, desire bound and they create conflicts, unpleasantness etc. in the world.
Divine wealth is said to be for liberation and the demoniac for bondage. Do not worry, O Pandava, you are born with divine wealth. (5)
Very clear! You have assured Your worthy disciple and devotee Arjuna that he should not worry because he has been born with divine wealth. Of course, he is your chosen one. But what about us who may have been born with demoniac wealth? Must we worry and grieve?
Whether we are born with divine wealth or demoniac wealth, we are Yours. Please do not stand there and make fun of us. You will have to guide us and grace us. How You do it is Your look out. Please go on; we are all ears.
There are two kinds of beings in this world, the divine and the Demoniac. The divine type has been described at length; hear from Me, O Partha, of the demoniac. (6)
It has to be understood that there are two types of beings in the world - divine and demoniac. Both have a place and both are necessary to restore the equilibrium of the universe. When this equilibrium is disturbed, Bhagavan intervenes.
It is only in the sixteenth chapter that Bhagavan Shri Krishna asserts this reality although it seems so obvious and everybody knows about it. It is true that everybody knows that there have always been demoniac people in the world, but very few get reconciled to this situation. Most of us keep hoping that one day all the evil will be eradicated from the world and that will be the day worth living for. It takes a lot of wisdom and maturity to realise that both the divine and demoniac people will continue to inhabitant the world and that their existence should be accepted without attachment or aversion.
This is such a tricky subject, that whatever one says by way of explanatory notes can be misinterpreted.. Does it mean that we should not fight against evil? Surely we must. That is what Shri Krishna had been telling Arjuna all the time. But while fighting we must remember that the distinction between divine and demoniac nature and the battle between good and evil is only at the level of Nature. In essence the same Reality is within divine and demoniac people. So, when we fight we act according to our nature but we must not despise anyone. Rather we must salute Him who abides in everybody - even in our enemy - while performing actions which require to be done in accordance with one's nature.
The demons do not know what to do and what to refrain from; they have in them neither cleanliness, nor (good) conduct nor truth. (7)
Bhagavan Shri Krishna begins to describe the demoniac nature. People endowed with this nature lack discrimination, cleanliness, good conduct and truth.
They speak of the world as being without truth and without basis, without a Lord and brought about by mutual coincidence - as nothing but originating in lust. (8)
These opinions, ways of thinking, and attitudes of mind go with the demoniac nature. They are compelled to think like this by their nature.
Holding this viewpoint, these self destroyed and small minded people of fierce deeds are born for the destruction of the world working against its welfare. (9)
How can Self be ever destroyed? It can be destroyed only for the conscious mind. In the case of persons endowed with demoniac nature, as far as the conscious mind is concerned, the self has been destroyed. Their conscious mind does not know the reality about their Self. Their attitude is narrow-minded; their deeds are fierce and terrible because they tend to generate disturbance and disharmony. They work against the welfare of the world and their nature is destructive.
Although the people with divine nature come in conflict with such people at the level of nature, it should be remembered that they are as much playing their role required by nature as the divine people.
Subject to insatiable desires, full of hypocrisy, pride and drunkenness (in a figurative sense), of impure vows act holding on to false values on account of delusion. (10)
Subject to unlimited worries lasting up to death and given to the fulfilment of desires as the highest aim, convinced that this is all. (11)
If worries are accepted as real, they last as long as the life lasts. There is no escape from them. If the pursuit and fulfilment of desires is taken to be the highest aim, this is bound to happen.
Tied with hundreds of bonds of expectations and given to desire and anger, they strive to collect wealth by unfair means for the gratification of desires. (12)
When fulfilment and gratification of desires is the ultimate aim, wealth will have to be collected even by unfair means.
This has been gained by me today; this desire I shall obtain; this wealth is (today) and this (other) also will be (mine). (13)
"That enemy has been killed by me, others also I shall kill. I am the Lord. I am the enjoyer, perfect, powerful and happy. (14)
What a vivid description! That is how the mind works. All this sounds too familiar. Why do You have to embarrass us? You naughty Lord!
"I am rich and of noble birth. Who else is equal to me? I will perform Yajynas, donations. I will rejoice". Thus they are deluded by ignorance. (15)
With their mind perplexed in many ways, entangled in the net of delusion, and addicted to the gratification of desires, they fall into foul hell. (16)
The first time hell has been mentioned in Bhagavad Geeta. But what is their fault sir? They are deluded by Your Maya and You have endowed them with demoniac nature. So, they cannot see beyond the desires and they are trapped. Why should they suffer the agony of hell?
Who is deluded and who suffers? The Self, who is the ultimate reality of whatever is, is never deluded and it never suffers. What is deluded and is subject to sin and suffering has no reality and consciousness of its own. Although it has no individuality and no reality of its own, on account of the miracle of ego (which is the supreme delusion) it appears to have individuality apart from the Self, its own consciousness and a reality of its own. This separate individuality can be called Jivatma or individual soul who is subject to delusion, sins and suffering. Its very basis is the delusion of ego. When that goes, nothing but the Self remains.
Self esteemed, arrogant, intoxicated by wealth and prestige, they ostentatiously perform Yajynas in name, not following prescribed procedures. (17)
Subject to ego, power, insolence, desire and anger these fault- finding people hate Me situated in their own and others bodies. (18)
When they condemn others, they hate Him situated in their bodies, and when they condemn themselves, they hate Him situated in their own bodies.
Those cruel haters, degraded among men, I hurl perpetually in unholy demoniac births only. (19)
No my Dearest, this is not the whole truth, You cannot have enmity with any body - even someone endowed with demoniac nature. Pardon, O Lord, but we know for sure that You are our Lord and our well wisher. You have also said it before, for instance in verse 6 of chapter IV and verse 29 of chapter V, Moreover, from where has all the nature, including demoniac nature come? Has it not come from You, O the unfathomable One? They why do You frighten us like this?
The one who would be frightened and who would suffer has no reality of its own. Let him be frightened and let him suffer if he must. Let the game be played in its own way to the best of Your design. We are what You please. If You please, we are the ones who suffer from the demoniac nature. If You please, we are the ones who are blessed with divine nature. If You please, we are You, beyond nature.
The deluded ones, obtaining demoniac bodies birth after birth, not attaining Me, O son of Kunti, they fall lower still. (20)
It is their conscious mind which is far from attaining Him. Otherwise what else is their reality in essence except Him. In this context it is worthwhile remembering verses 18 and 19 of fourteenth chapter.
Threefold is the gate to hell destructive of the self; desire, anger and greed; therefore one should renounce these three. (21)
Enough of this rather prolonged discourse on demoniac nature. Now there is a piece of advice for these who are wondering how to avoid this degradation.
But this seemingly trivial and prolonged discourse on demoniac nature is not in vain. He is always more kind-hearted and merciful than we can ever imagine. By recounting all the qualities of demoniac nature, He is taking them out of us without our knowing. Glory to Bhagavan Shri Krishna.
One who is free from these three gates of darkness, O son of Kunti, practises what is good for himself and then attains the supreme state. (22)
We shall certainly try to do what You say but You only have to accomplish every job. By Your blessings and grace, we should have nothing to do with successes and failures. After all we have no reality of our own.
He who leaving the way of the scriptures, acts under the motivation of desire, attains neither perfection nor happiness nor the supreme state. (23)
But what is Shastra? In Bhagavad Geeta, this word has come for the first time in the last verse of chapter XV and we must understand that the supreme knowledge mentioned in chapter XIV and XV is the best Shastra.
Otherwise we have heard that lovely verse in Sanskrit, which means:
"There is only one Shastra - the song sung by the son of Devaki. There is one God -the son of Devaki alone. There is one Mantra - Those, which are His names. Also, the action is one - the service of that God".
So, the entire Bhagavad Geeta is the Shastra.
If we act according to the motivation of desire, without bothering about the verdict of the Shastra, we are deemed.
Therefore, the scriptures are your authority in ascertaining what is worth doing and what is not worth doing. Having known what has been said in the tradition of Shastra, you should act here. (24)
The very first time indeed the Teacher of teachers has described how to distinguish actions worthy of performance and otherwise apart from the list which was contained in verse 2 of chapter II. Otherwise He has been talking in terms of seeing action in inaction and seeing inaction in action, offering all the actions to Him, all the actions are performed by the Nature through its Gunas. The piece of advice in this verse - a supreme conclusion of this chapter - is for those who are in doubt whether they fall in divine category or in the demoniac one and are wondering what to do to avoid a possible downfall. Those who are close to Him will not be perturbed by the description of the demoniac nature and the threats and frights contained in this chapter. Similarly, those who are outright demoniac will not even care to read any position of Bhagavad Geeta, let along this chapter or this verse.
But for us, Your word is the only Shastra -whether we understand it or not.
Thus, in the Upanishad of glorious Bhagavad Geeta, in the Science of the Absolute, in the Scripture of Yoga in The dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjuna ends the Sixteenth chapter entitled "The Yoga of the distinction between divine and demoniac endowments."