Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16, Verse 14

Chapter 16 – Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

असौ मया हतः शत्रुर्हनिष्ये चापरानपि ।
ईश्वरोऽहमहं भोगी सिद्धोऽहं बलवान्सुखी ॥

Transliteration

asau mayā hataḥ śatrurhaniṣye cāparānapi .
īśvaro.ahamahaṃ bhogī siddho.ahaṃ balavānsukhī ॥

Meaning

'That enemy has been slain by me, and I shall slay others too. I am the lord, I am the enjoyer; I am successful, powerful and happy.'

Word meanings

असौ – that
मया – by me
हतः – slain
शत्रुः – enemy
हनिष्ये – I shall slay
च – and
अपरान् – others
अपि – also
ईश्वरः – lord, master
अहम् – I
अहम् – I
भोगी – enjoyer
सिद्धः – successful, accomplished
अहम् – I
बलवान् – powerful
सुखी – happy

Anvaya (word order)

(ते चिन्तयन्ति) — असौ शत्रुः मया हतः, अपरान् अपि च हनिष्ये; अहम् ईश्वरः, अहं भोगी, अहं सिद्धः, बलवान्, सुखी (अस्मि) ।

Explanation

The previous verse displayed the greed for wealth of the demonic person; here his intoxication with power and his hostility come into view. 'That enemy has been slain by me; I shall slay others too.' For such a person anyone who stands in his way is an enemy, and destroying enemies is his idea of victory. His measure of success is the defeat of others.

Then comes the loudest note of ego: ishvaro 'ham, 'I am the lord'. The one who denied God earlier (16.8) now sets himself up as God. This is a psychological truth: when people remove God from their lives, they fill the empty place with their own ego.

Aham bhogi, 'I am the enjoyer'; siddho 'ham, 'I am accomplished, I have everything and need no one'; balavan sukhi, 'I am powerful and happy'. The sentence rings with 'I' again and again. It is the summit of egotism.

Yet there is a deep irony in this self-praise. One who is truly happy has no need to keep telling himself so. And one who thinks himself all-powerful is still helpless before old age, disease and death. In the Mahabharata, Duryodhana is a living example of this mentality.

Context

The previous verse gave the demonic person's thoughts about wealth; this verse gives his thoughts of hostility, power and ego. The next verse describes his pride in family, wealth and showy religion.

Life lesson

When we accept no truth greater than ourselves, our ego becomes our god. Hold your strength and success with humility, for all of them are temporary.

Key terms

Ishvaro 'ham: 'I am the lord' — the height of egotism
Siddha: Here, the arrogant feeling 'I am complete and lack nothing'