Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16, Verse 13

Chapter 16 – Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

इदमद्य मया लब्धमिमं प्राप्स्ये मनोरथम् ।
इदमस्तीदमपि मे भविष्यति पुनर्धनम् ॥

Transliteration

idamadya mayā labdhamimaṃ prāpsye manoratham .
idamastīdamapi me bhaviṣyati punardhanam ॥

Meaning

'This I have gained today; this desire I shall fulfil next. This wealth is mine, and that wealth too shall be mine in future.'

Word meanings

इदम् – this
अद्य – today
मया – by me
लब्धम् – gained
इमम् – this
प्राप्स्ये – I shall obtain
मनोरथम् – desire, wish
इदम् – this
अस्ति – is (mine)
इदम् अपि – this too
मे – mine
भविष्यति – will be
पुनः – again, in future
धनम् – wealth

Anvaya (word order)

(ते चिन्तयन्ति) — इदम् अद्य मया लब्धम्, इमं मनोरथं प्राप्स्ये; इदम् (धनं मे) अस्ति, इदम् अपि धनं पुनः मे भविष्यति ।

Explanation

With this verse Krishna begins to look inside the mind of the demonic person. The next three verses are almost an autobiography, his thoughts in his own words. This is the Gita's remarkable psychological insight at work.

'This I have gained today.' Note maya, 'by me'. In every achievement there is only 'I': no grace of God, no help from others, no element of fortune. 'This desire I shall fulfil next.' As soon as one wish is satisfied, another stands ready.

'This is mine, and that too shall be mine.' Past, present and future are all filled with greed: pride in what has been gained, possessiveness over what one has, and craving for what one does not yet have. Such a mind never rests contentedly in the present.

This way of thinking does not belong only to 'demons'; it belongs to any mind that greed has overtaken. All of us think like this at times. Reading this verse, we might ask ourselves: Is my own success story only about 'me'? Am I grateful for what I have, or always running towards the next thing?

Context

The previous verse described the demonic amassing wealth unjustly; from here their inner thoughts are given in their own words. The next verse gives their thoughts of pride and of destroying enemies.

Life lesson

Gratitude for what we have, and acknowledging the part others and God play in our success, are the best remedies for greed. Do not turn every achievement into a stepping-stone for the next craving.

Key terms

Manoratha: A wish or desire of the mind
Maya labdham: 'Gained by me' — the ego of doership