In chapter sixteen Lord Krishna describes explicitly,
explaining seperately and in detail the divine properties, conduct and
actions which are righteous in nature and conducive to divinity. Also he
delineates the evil propensities and ill conduct which are unrighteous
in nature and which determine the unrighteous and which are
antagonistic to divinity. Thus this chapter is entitled: The Divine and
the Demoniac Natures Defined.
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
SYNONYMS
sri-bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Personality of Godhead said;
abhayam--fearlessness;
sattva-samsuddhih--purification of one's existence;
jnana--knowledge;
yoga--of linking up;
vyavasthitih--the situation;
danam--charity;
damah ca--and controlling the mind;
yajnah ca--and performance of sacrifice;
svadhyayah--study of Vedic literature;
tapah--austerity;
arjavam--simplicity;
ahimsa--nonviolence;
satyam--truthfulness;
akrodhah--freedom from anger;
tyagah--renunciation;
santih--tranquility;
apaisunam--aversion to fault-finding;
daya--mercy;
bhutesu--towards all living entities;
aloluptvam--freedom from greed;
mardavam--gentleness;
hrih--modesty;
acapalam--determination;
tejah--vigor;
ksama--forgiveness;
dhrtih--fortitude;
saucam--cleanliness;
adrohah--freedom from envy;
na--not;
ati-manita--expectation of honor;
bhavanti--become;
sampadam--qualities;
daivim--transcendental;
abhijatasya--of one who is born of;
bharata--O son of Bharata.
TRANSLATION
The
Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purification of one's existence,
cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control, performance
of sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity and simplicity; nonviolence,
truthfulness, freedom from anger; renunciation, tranquility, aversion
to faultfinding, compassion and freedom from covetousness; gentleness,
modesty and steady determination; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude,
cleanliness, freedom from envy and 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
daivi prakrti,
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 of the human being. In
Bhagavad-gita we have studied
also before that sex life for begetting a good child is Krsna Himself.
Sex life is not condemned provided the process is used in Krsna
consciousness. Those who are in Krsna consciousness at least should not
beget children like cats and dogs but should beget them so that they may
become Krsna conscious after birth. That should be the advantage of
children born of a father or mother absorbed in Krsna consciousness.

The social institution known as
varnasrama-dharma--the
institution dividing society into four 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
varnasrama 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
vaisyas 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
he 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 Krsna or the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His
localized aspect as Paramatma is always within, that He is seeing
everything and that He always knows what one intends to do. One must
thus have firm conviction that Krsna 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 Krsna, and He will give me all protection." That
conviction is called
abhayam, without fear. 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 the life in connection with association with
woman. One of His personal associates, namely Chota Haridasa, was
personally 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 Krsna consciousness. This is the
duty of a
sannyasi. If he is actually advanced and so ordered by
his spiritual master, he should preach Krsna consciousness with logic
and understanding, and if he is not so advanced he should not accept the
renounced order of life. But even if he 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 Krsna consciousness all over
the world. Thus a householder should give in charity to such
institutional societies that are engaged in that way. Charity should be
given to the right receiver. There are different kinds of charities, 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 Krsna 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 it 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 Krsna. If he is able to beget children who will be in
Krsna 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. 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 householder. 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
sankirtana-yajna, the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare
Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare
Hare. This 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, and
tapas, austerity,
and
arjavam, gentleness or simplicity, are meant for the
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 must 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
varnasrama-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 neither recommended 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 simplicity is concerned, not only should a particular order of
life follow this principle, but every member, be he in the
brahmacari asrama, or
grhastha asrama, or
vanaprastha asrama. One must live very simply.
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
other 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 modes 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
tejah 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.
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, who 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 classes 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 the
social 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
SYNONYMS
dambhah--pride;
darpah--arrogance;
abhimanah--conceit;
ca--and;
krodhah--anger;
parusyam--harshness;
eva--certainly;
ca--and;
ajnanam--ignorance;
ca--and;
abhijatasya--one who is born of;
partha--O son of Prtha;
sampadam--nature;
asurim--demoniac.
TRANSLATION
Arrogance, pride, anger, conceit, 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
SYNONYMS
daivi--transcendental;
sampat--nature;
vimoksaya--meant for liberation;
nibandhaya--for bondage;
asuri--demoniac qualities;
mata--it is considered;
ma--do not;
sucah--worry;
sampadam--nature;
daivim--transcendental;
abhijatah--born;
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
Krsna 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
SYNONYMS
dvau--two;
bhuta-sargau--created living beings;
loke--in the world;
asmin--this;
daivah--godly;
asurah--demoniac;
eva--certainly;
ca--and;
daivah--divine;
vistarasah--at great length;
proktah--said;
asuram--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
Krsna, 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
SYNONYMS
pravrttim--proper action;
ca--also;
nivrttim--improper action;
ca--and;
janah--persons;
na--never;
viduh--know;
asurah--demoniac qualities;
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 are followed from the beginning, especially among the
Aryans, those who adopt the Vedic civilization and who are known as the
most advanced civilized people. 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 no 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,
changing clothes, etc. As far as internal cleanliness is concerned, one
should always remember the holy names of God and chant Hare Krsna, Hare
Krsna, Krsna Krsna, 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 grown-up 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 womanly life,
and therefore marriage is practically now an imagination in human
society. Nor is the moral condition of women 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
SYNONYMS
asatyam--unreal;
apratistham--without foundation;
te--they;
jagat--the cosmic manifestation;
ahuh--is said;
anisvaram--with no controller;
aparaspara--by mutual lust;
sambhutam--cause;
kim anyat--there is no other cause;
kama-haitukam--it is due to lust only.
TRANSLATION
They
say that this world is unreal, that there is no foundation and that
there is no God in control. 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,
no 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,
similarly, 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 Krsna in
Bhagavad-gita: mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram.
"Under My direction the whole material world is moving." In other
words, amongst 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
SYNONYMS
etam--thus;
drstim--vision;
avastabhya--accepting;
nasta--lost;
atmanah--self;
alpa-buddhayah--less intelligent;
prabhavanti--flourish;
ugra-karmanah--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 today is 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
SYNONYMS
kamam--lust;
asritya--taking shelter of;
duspuram--insatiable;
dambha--pride;
mana--false prestige;
mada-anvitah--absorbed in conceit;
mohat--by illusion;
grhitva--taking;
asat--nonpermanent;
grahan--things;
pravartante--flourish;
asuci--unclean;
vratah--avowed.
TRANSLATION
The
demoniac, taking shelter of insatiable lust, pride and false prestige,
and being thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean work, attracted
by the impermanent.
PURPORT

The
demoniac mentality is described here. The demons lust is never
satiated. 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 vow, 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, still,
by artificial means the world creates a false honor for them. Although
they are gliding toward hell, they consider themselves very much
advanced.
TEXT 11-12
cintam aparimeyam ca
pralayantam upasritah
kamopabhoga-parama
etavad iti niscitah
asa-pasa-satair baddhah
kama-krodha-parayanah
ihante kama-bhogartham
anyayenartha-sancayan
SYNONYMS
cintam--fears and anxieties;
aparimeyam--unmeasurable;
ca--and;
pralaya-antam--unto the point of death;
upasritah--having taken shelter of them;
kama-upabhoga--sense gratification;
paramah--the highest goal of life;
etavat--thus;
iti--in this way;
niscitah--ascertained;
asa-pasa--entanglements in the network of hope;
sataih--by hundreds;
baddhah--being bound;
kama--lust;
krodha--anger;
parayanah--always situated in that mentality;
ihante--desire;
kama--lust;
bhoga--sense enjoyment;
artham--for that purpose;
anyayena--illegally;
artha--wealth;
sancayan--accumulate.
TRANSLATION
They
believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime
necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their anxiety.
Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by 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 Vedic literature, 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.
TEXT 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 'sti sadrso maya
yaksye dasyami modisya
ity ajnana-vimohitah
SYNONYMS
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--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 else;
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 by.
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 enemy 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
SYNONYMS
aneka--numerous;
citta vibhrantah--perplexed by anxieties;
moha--of illusions;
jala--by a network;
samavrtah--surrounded;
prasaktah--attached;
kama--lust;
bhogesu--sense gratification;
patanti--glides down;
narake--into hell;
asucau--unclean.
TRANSLATION
Thus
perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network of illusions, one
becomes too strongly attached to sense enjoyment and falls down into
hell.
PURPORT

The
demoniac man knows no limit to his desire to acquire money. That is
unlimited. He only thinks how much assessment he has just now and
schemes to engage that stock of wealth farther and farther. 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 his personal ability. He does 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
SYNONYMS
atma-sambhavitah--self-complacent;
stabdhah--impudent;
dhana-mana--wealth and false prestige;
mada anvitah--absorbed in pride;
yajante--perform sacrifices;
nama--in name only;
yajnaih--with such a sacrifice;
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 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 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
SYNONYMS
ahankaram--false ego;
balam--strength;
darpam--pride;
kamam--lust;
krodham--anger;
ca--also;
samsritah--having taken shelter of;
mam--Me;
atma--one's own;
para dehesu--in other bodies;
pradvisantah--blasphemes;
abhyasuyakah--envious.
TRANSLATION
Bewildered
by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, the demon becomes
envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in his
own body and in the bodies of others, and blasphemes 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 of
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 refutes 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 in 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
ksipamy ajasram asubhan
asurisv eva yonisu
SYNONYMS
tan--those;
aham--I;
dvisatah--envious;
kruran--mischievous;
samsaresu--into the ocean of material existence;
nara-adhaman--the lowest of mankind;
ksipami--put;
ajasram--innumerable;
asubhan--inauspicious;
asurisu--demoniac;
eva--certainly;
yonisu--in the wombs.
TRANSLATION
Those
who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are cast
by Me 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 life are held to be always full of
lust, always violent and hateful and always unclean. They are just like
so many beasts in a jungle
TEXT 20
asurim yonim apanna
mudha janmani janmani
mam aprapyaiva kaunteya
tato yanty adhamam gatim
SYNONYMS
asurim--demoniac;
yonim--species;
apannah--gaining;
mudhah--the foolish;
janmani janmani--in birth after birth;
mam--unto Me;
aprapya--without achieving;
eva--certainly;
kaunteya--O son of Kunti;
tatah--thereafter;
yanti--goes;
adhamam--condemned;
gatim--destination.
TRANSLATION
Attaining
repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac life, 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
SYNONYMS
tri-vidham--three kinds of;
narakasya--hellish;
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--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
SYNONYMS
etaih--by these;
vimuktah--being liberated;
kaunteya--O son of Kunti;
tamah-dvaraih--the gates of ignorance;
tribhih--three kinds of;
narah--a person;
acarati--performs;
atmanah--self;
sreyah--benediction;
tatah--thereafter;
yati--goes;
param--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 Krsna 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
SYNONYMS
yah--anyone;
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
But
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. Therefore one should gradually
raise himself to the platform of Krsna 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, 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
SYNONYMS
tasmat--therefore;
sastram--scriptures;
pramanam--evidence;
te--your;
karya--duty;
akarya--forbidden activities;
vyavasthitau--in determining;
jnatva--knowing;
sastra--of scripture;
vidhana--regulations;
uktam--as declared;
karma--work;
kartum--to do;
iha arhasi--you should do it.
TRANSLATION
One
should 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 Krsna. If one understands Krsna from the
Bhagavad-gita
and becomes situated in Krsna 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 Krsna, Hare
Krsna, Krsna Krsna, 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 Krsna 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 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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