Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17, Verse 6

Chapter 17 – Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

कर्षयन्तः शरीरस्थं भूतग्राममचेतसः ।
मां चैवान्तःशरीरस्थं तान्विद्ध्यासुरनिश्चयान् ॥

Transliteration

karṣayantaḥ śarīrasthaṃ bhūtagrāmamacetasaḥ .
māṃ caivāntaḥśarīrasthaṃ tānviddhyāsuraniścayān ॥

Meaning

— senselessly tormenting the elements that make up the body, and Me too who dwell within the body: know them to be of demonic resolve.

Word meanings

कर्षयन्तः – tormenting, emaciating
शरीरस्थम् – situated in the body
भूतग्रामम् – the aggregate of elements (and senses)
अचेतसः – senseless, lacking discernment
माम् – Me
च एव – and also
अन्तःशरीरस्थम् – dwelling within the body
तान् – them
विद्धि – know
आसुरनिश्चयान् – of demonic resolve

Anvaya (word order)

(ते) अचेतसः शरीरस्थं भूतग्रामम् अन्तःशरीरस्थं मां च एव कर्षयन्तः — तान् आसुरनिश्चयान् विद्धि ।

Explanation

The previous verse described the motives of those who practise terrible austerities against scripture; this verse describes their actions and gives a verdict on them. Karshayantah sharirastham bhuta-gramam: they torment the bhuta-grama in the body, the five great elements of which it is made, along with the senses and vital energies. The body is not an enemy but an instrument of spiritual practice; to torture it needlessly is to destroy that very instrument.

More serious still: mam chaivantah-sharirastham, 'and Me too, dwelling within the body'. The Lord lives in every body as the inner witness. When someone tortures his body out of ego and obstinacy, he as it were dishonours the Supreme whose temple the body is. Shankara explains that tormenting the Lord means transgressing His command, that is, scripture.

Achetasah: these people lack discernment. They imagine that the more they make the body suffer, the more power they will gain, failing to see that spiritual progress comes through purifying the mind, not destroying the body.

Tan viddhy asura-nishchayan: Krishna's verdict is plain: they are 'of demonic resolve'. Outwardly they look like ascetics, but their resolve is demonic, born of hypocrisy, ego and desire. This shows that in the Gita's view the value of a practice is judged not by its severity but by the spirit and discernment behind it.

Context

The previous verse described the motives of those practising austerities against scripture; this verse describes their actions and their demonic character. From the next verse Krishna begins to describe the three kinds each of food, sacrifice, austerity and charity.

Life lesson

The body is God's temple and an instrument of spiritual practice; torturing it is not spirituality. The worth of a practice lies not in its harshness but in the motive and wisdom behind it.

Key terms

Bhuta-grama: The aggregate of elements, senses and vital energies in the body
Antah-sharirastha: The Supreme dwelling within the body as inner controller
Asura-nishchaya: Of demonic resolve