Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16, Verse 21

Chapter 16 – Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः ।
कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत् ॥

Transliteration

trividhaṃ narakasyedaṃ dvāraṃ nāśanamātmanaḥ .
kāmaḥ krodhastathā lobhastasmādetattrayaṃ tyajet ॥

Meaning

Desire, anger and greed: these are the three gates of hell, destructive of the self. Therefore one should abandon these three.

Word meanings

त्रिविधम् – threefold
नरकस्य – of hell
इदम् – this
द्वारम् – gate
नाशनम् – destructive
आत्मनः – of the self, of one's own welfare
कामः – desire, lust
क्रोधः – anger
तथा – and
लोभः – greed
तस्मात् – therefore
एतत् – these
त्रयम् – three
त्यजेत् – one should abandon

Anvaya (word order)

कामः क्रोधः तथा लोभः — इदं त्रिविधं नरकस्य द्वारम् आत्मनः नाशनम् (अस्ति); तस्मात् एतत् त्रयं त्यजेत् ।

Explanation

After His long description of the demonic nature and its fearful results, Krishna now gives the essence of the whole subject in one extremely practical formula. Many faults of the demonic endowment have been listed: hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, falsehood, cruelty and hatred. Yet they all have just three roots: kama (desire), krodha (anger) and lobha (greed). These are the 'three gates of hell'.

The image of a gate is apt. A gate is where one enters a building. Hell, whether a realm of suffering after death or a tormented state of mind in this life, enters through these three gates. Close the gates, and entry becomes impossible.

Kama is intense craving for sense-pleasures and desired objects. Krodha is the agitation and urge for revenge that arise when desire is blocked. Lobha is the tendency to cling to what one has and to keep accumulating more. The three are interlinked: desire obstructed becomes anger, and desire fulfilled becomes greed. In Chapter 3 Krishna called desire and anger 'the great enemy, born of rajas' (3.37). In Chapter 2 He showed how brooding on objects leads through attachment, desire, anger, delusion and loss of memory to the ruin of the intellect and to downfall (2.62–63).

Nashanam atmanah: they are 'destructive of the self'. Since the Self is indestructible, atma here means one's own welfare, one's moral and spiritual life. Shankara says these three make a person unfit for any of the true aims of life. The lustful lose discernment, the angry lose relationships and health, and the greedy lose contentment and integrity.

Tasmad etat trayam tyajet: 'therefore abandon these three'. This is a direct command. Krishna does not say 'reduce them a little'; He says 'give them up'. What is the way? Desire is healed by contentment and discernment, anger by forgiveness and patience, greed by generosity and non-possessiveness. Above all, devotion to God so fills the mind that no room is left for these three.

This is one of the most quoted and practical verses of the entire Gita. Anyone, of any faith and in any situation, can make it a touchstone for life. Before every decision we can ask: is this driven by desire, anger or greed?

Context

Verses 7 to 20 described the demonic nature and its downfall in detail; this verse names the root cause of all of it and gives the direct means of escape. The next verse states the fruit of becoming free from these three.

Life lesson

Before every decision, ask yourself whether it is driven by desire, anger or greed. Closing these three gates is the most direct way to protect your life from sorrow.

Key terms

Trividha naraka-dvara: The threefold gate of hell — desire, anger and greed
Kama: Intense craving for sense-pleasure
Krodha: Anger, the agitation born of thwarted desire
Lobha: Greed, the insatiable urge to grasp and hoard