Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16, Verse 18

Chapter 16 – Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

अहंकारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः ।
मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः ॥

Transliteration

ahaṃkāraṃ balaṃ darpaṃ kāmaṃ krodhaṃ ca saṃśritāḥ .
māmātmaparadeheṣu pradviṣanto.abhyasūyakāḥ ॥

Meaning

Clinging to egoism, power, arrogance, desire and anger, these malicious people hate Me, who dwell in their own bodies and in the bodies of others.

Word meanings

अहङ्कारम् – egoism
बलम् – power (to dominate others)
दर्पम् – arrogance
कामम् – desire
क्रोधम् – anger
च – and
संश्रिताः – clinging to, taking refuge in
माम् – Me
आत्मपरदेहेषु – in their own and others' bodies
प्रद्विषन्तः – hating intensely
अभ्यसूयकाः – malicious, finding fault even in virtues

Anvaya (word order)

अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः अभ्यसूयकाः (ते) आत्मपरदेहेषु (स्थितं) मां प्रद्विषन्तः (भवन्ति) ।

Explanation

Here Krishna names the basic supports of the demonic nature: ahankara (egoism, 'I am everything'), bala (power used to dominate others and impose one's will), darpa (arrogance that oversteps the bounds of dharma), kama (desire) and krodha (anger). The demonic person does not take refuge in God; these five faults become his refuge instead.

Abhyasuyakah: asuya means finding fault even in the virtues of others. The demonic person cannot bear genuine goodness in anyone; he finds some hidden motive or hypocrisy behind it. This is envy in its most poisonous form.

The deepest point is mam atma-para-deheshu pradvishantah: 'they hate Me, dwelling in their own and others' bodies'. The Lord resides as the inner controller in the heart of every being (13.17, 15.15). Whoever torments others is really tormenting the Lord within them. And whoever silences the voice of conscience to do wrong is defying the Lord within himself.

Shankara explains that hating the Lord means transgressing the commands of scripture, since scripture is the Lord's own word. Ramanuja takes it as envy of the Lord and an inability to tolerate His very existence. Both readings show that the demonic nature is, at bottom, a turning away from the Supreme.

Context

The previous verse described the showy sacrifices of the demonic; this verse describes their basic supports and their hatred of the Lord. In the next two verses Krishna tells what destiny awaits such people.

Life lesson

God dwells in every being. To hurt anyone or to resent anyone's goodness is ultimately to move away from God. Learn to welcome the goodness of others with an open heart.

Key terms

Abhyasuyaka: One who finds fault even in others' virtues
Bala: Here, arrogant power used to dominate others
Atma-para-deha: One's own body and others' bodies, in which the Lord dwells as inner controller