1 Bg 16: The Divine And Demoniac Natures
2
3 Chapter 16
4
5 The Divine And Demoniac Natures
6
7 Bg 16.1-3
8
9 TEXTS 1–3
10
11 TRANSLATION
12
13 The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Fearlessness;
> purification of one's existence; cultivation of spiritual
> knowledge; charity; self-control; performance of sacrifice;
> study of the Vedas; austerity; simplicity; nonviolence;
> truthfulness; freedom from anger; renunciation;
> tranquillity; aversion to faultfinding; compassion for all
> living entities; freedom from covetousness; gentleness;
> modesty; steady determination; vigor; forgiveness;
> fortitude; cleanliness; and freedom from envy and from the
> passion for honor-these transcendental qualities, O son of
> Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.
14
15 PURPORT
16
17 In the beginning of the Fifteenth Chapter, the banyan tree
> of this material world was explained. The extra roots
> coming out of it were compared to the activities of the
> living entities, some auspicious, some inauspicious. In the
> Ninth Chapter, also, the devas, or godly, and the asuras,
> the ungodly, or demons, were explained. Now, according to
> Vedic rites, activities in the mode of goodness are
> considered auspicious for progress on the path of
> liberation, and such activities are known as daivi prakrti,
> transcendental by nature. Those who are situated in the
> transcendental nature make progress on the path of
> liberation. For those who are acting in the modes of
> passion and ignorance, on the other hand, there is no
> possibility of liberation. Either they will have to remain
> in this material world as human beings, or they will
> descend among the species of animals or even lower life
> forms. In this Sixteenth Chapter the Lord explains both the
> transcendental nature and its attendant qualities and
> the demoniac nature and its qualities. He also explains
> the advantages and disadvantages of these qualities.
18
19 The word abhijatasya in reference to one born of
> transcendental qualities or godly tendencies is very
> significant.
20
21 To beget a child in a godly atmosphere is known in the
> Vedic scriptures as Garbhadhana-samskara. If the parents
> want a child in the godly qualities they should follow the
> ten principles recommended for the social life of the human
> being. In Bhagavad-gita we have studied also before that
> sex life for begetting a good child is Krsna Himself.
22
23 Sex life is not condemned, provided the process is used in
> Krsna consciousness. Those who are in Krsna consciousness
> at least should not beget children like cats and dogs but
> should beget them so that they may become Krsna conscious
> after birth. That should be the advantage of children born
> of a father and mother absorbed in Krsna consciousness.
24
25 The social institution known as varnasrama-dharma-the
> institution dividing society into four divisions of social
> life and four occupational divisions or castes-is not meant
> to divide human society according to birth. Such divisions
> are in terms of educational qualifications. They are to
> keep the society in a state of peace and prosperity. The
> qualities mentioned herein are explained as transcendental
> qualities meant for making a person progress in spiritual
> understanding so that he can get liberated from the
> material world.
26
27 In the varnasrama institution the sannyasi, or the person
> in the renounced order of life, is considered to be the
> head or the spiritual master of all the social statuses and
> orders. A brahmana is considered to be the spiritual master
> of the three other sections of a society, namely, the
> ksatriyas, the vaisyas and the sudras, but a sannyasi, who
> is on the top of the institution, is considered to be the
> spiritual master of the brahmanas also. For a sannyasi, the
> first qualification should be fearlessness. Because a
> sannyasi has to be alone without any support or guarantee
> of support, he has simply to depend on the mercy of the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one thinks, "After
> I leave my connections, who will protect me?" he
> should not accept the renounced order of life.
28
29 One must be fully convinced that Krsna or the Supreme
> Personality of Godhead in His localized aspect as Paramatma
> is always within, that He is seeing everything and He
> always knows what one intends to do. One must thus have
> firm conviction that Krsna as Paramatma will take care of a
> soul surrendered to Him. "I shall never be alone," one
> should think. "Even if I live in the darkest regions of a
> forest I shall be accompanied by Krsna, and He will give me
> all protection." That conviction is called abhayam,
> fearlessness. This state of mind is necessary for a
> person in the renounced order of life.
30
31 Then he has to purify his existence. There are so many
> rules and regulations to be followed in the renounced order
> of life. Most important of all, a sannyasi is strictly
> forbidden to have any intimate relationship with a woman.
> He is even forbidden to talk with a woman in a secluded
> place. Lord Caitanya was an ideal sannyasi, and when He was
> at Puri His feminine devotees could not even come near to
> offer their respects. They were advised to bow down from a
> distant place. This is not a sign of hatred for women as a
> class, but it is a stricture imposed on the sannyasi not to
> have close connections with women. One has to follow the
> rules and regulations of a particular status of life in
> order to purify his existence. For a sannyasi, intimate
> relations with women and possession of wealth for sense
> gratification are strictly forbidden. The ideal sannyasi
> was Lord Caitanya Himself, and we can learn from His life
> that He was very strict in regards to women. Although He is
> considered to be the most liberal incarnation of Godhead,
> accepting the most fallen conditioned souls, He strictly
> followed the rules and regulations of the sannyasa order of
> life in connection with association with woman. One of
> His personal associates, namely Chota Haridasa, was
> associated with Lord Caitanya along with His
> other confidential personal associates, but somehow or
> other this Chota Haridasa looked lustily on a young woman,
> and Lord Caitanya was so strict that He at once rejected
> him from the society of His personal associates. Lord
> Caitanya said, "For a sannyasi or anyone who is aspiring to
> get out of the clutches of material nature and trying to
> elevate himself to the spiritual nature and go back home,
> back to Godhead, for him, looking toward material
> possessions and women for sense gratification-not even
> enjoying them, but just looking toward them with such a
> propensity-is so condemned that he had better commit
> suicide before experiencing such illicit desires." So these
> are the processes for purification.
32
33 The next item is jnana-yoga-vyavasthiti: being engaged in
> the cultivation of knowledge. Sannyasi life is meant for
> distributing knowledge to the householders and others who
> have forgotten their real life of spiritual advancement. A
> sannyasi is supposed to beg from door to door for his
> livelihood, but this does not mean that he is a beggar.
> Humility is also one of the qualifications of a
> transcendentally situated person, and out of sheer humility
> the sannyasi goes from door to door, not exactly for the
> purpose of begging, but to see the householders and awaken
> them to Krsna consciousness. This is the duty of a sannyasi.
> If he is actually advanced and so ordered by his spiritual
> master, he should preach Krsna consciousness with logic and
> understanding, and if one is not so advanced he should not
> accept the renounced order of life. But even if one has
> accepted the renounced order of life without sufficient
> knowledge, he should engage himself fully in hearing from a
> bona fide spiritual master to cultivate knowledge. A
> sannyasi, or one in the renounced order of life, must be
> situated in fearlessness, sattva-samsuddhi (purity) and
> jnana-yoga (knowledge).
34
35 The next item is charity. Charity is meant for the
> householders. The householders should earn a livelihood by
> an honorable means and spend fifty percent of their income
> to propagate Krsna consciousness all over the world. Thus a
> householder should give in charity to institutional
> societies that are engaged in that way. Charity should be
> given to the right receiver. There are different kinds of
> charity, as will be explained later on-charity in the
> modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Charity in the
> mode of goodness is recommended by the scriptures, but
> charity in the modes of passion and ignorance is not
> recommended, because it is simply a waste of money. Charity
> should be given only to propagate Krsna consciousness all
> over the world. That is charity in the mode of goodness.
36
37 Then as far as dama (self-control) is concerned, it is not
> only meant for other orders of religious society, but is
> especially meant for the householder. Although he has a
> wife, a householder should not use his senses for sex life
> unnecessarily. There are restrictions for the householders
> even in sex life, which should only be engaged in for the
> propagation of children. If he does not require children,
> he should not enjoy sex life with his wife. Modern society
> enjoys sex life with contraceptive methods or more
> abominable methods to avoid the responsibility of children.
> This is not in the transcendental quality, but is demoniac.
> If anyone, even if he is a householder, wants to make
> progress in spiritual life, he must control his sex life
> and should not beget a child without the purpose of serving
> Krsna. If he is able to beget children who will be in Krsna
> consciousness, one can produce hundreds of children, but
> without this capacity one should not indulge only for sense
> pleasure.
38
39 Sacrifice is another item to be performed by the
> householders, because sacrifices require a large amount of
> money. Those in other orders of life, namely
> brahmacarya, vanaprastha and sannyasa, have no money;
> they live by begging. So performance of different types of
> sacrifice is meant for the householders. They should
> perform agni-hotra sacrifices as enjoined in the Vedic
> literature, but such sacrifices at the present moment are
> very expensive, and it is not possible for any householder
> to perform them. The best sacrifice recommended in this age
> is called sankirtana-yajna. This sankirtana-yajna, the
> chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/
> Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is the
> best and most inexpensive sacrifice; everyone can adopt it
> and derive benefit. So these three items, namely charity,
> sense control and performance of sacrifice, are meant for
> the householder.
40
41 Then svadhyaya, Vedic study, is
> meant for
> brahmacarya, or student life. Brahmacaris should have no
> connection with women; they should live a life of celibacy
> and engage the mind in the study of Vedic literature for
> cultivation of spiritual knowledge. This is called
> svadhyaya.
42
43 Tapas, or austerity, is especially meant for the retired
> life. One should not remain a householder throughout his
> whole life; he must always remember that there are four
> divisions of life-brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and
> sannyasa. So after grhastha, householder life, one should
> retire. If one lives for a hundred years, he should spend
> twenty-five years in student life, twenty-five in
> householder life, twenty-five in retired life and twenty-
> five in the renounced order of life. These are the
> regulations of the Vedic religious discipline. A man
> retired from household life must practice austerities of
> the body, mind and tongue. That is tapasya. The entire
> varnasrama-dharma society is meant for tapasya.
44
45 Without tapasya, or austerity, no human being can get
> liberation. The theory that there is no need of austerity
> in life, that one can go on speculating and everything will
> be nice, is recommended neither in the Vedic
> literature nor in Bhagavad-gita. Such theories are
> manufactured by show-bottle spiritualists who are
> trying to gather more followers. If there are restrictions,
> rules and regulations, people will not become attracted.
> Therefore those who want followers in the name of religion,
> just to have a show only, don't restrict the lives of their
> students, nor their own lives. But that method is not
> approved by the Vedas.
46
47 As far as the brahminical quality of simplicity is
> concerned, not only should a particular order of life
> follow this principle, but every member, be he in the
> brahmacari asrama, grhastha asrama, vanaprastha asrama
> or sannyasa asrama. One should be very simple and
> straightforward.
48
49 Ahimsa means not arresting the progressive life of any
> living entity. One should not think that since the spirit
> spark is never killed even after the killing of the body
> there is no harm in killing animals for sense gratification.
> People are now addicted to eating animals, in spite of
> having an ample supply of grains, fruits and milk. There is
> no necessity for animal killing. This injunction is for
> everyone. When there is no alternative, one may kill
> an animal, but it should be offered in sacrifice. At any
> rate, when there is an ample food supply for humanity,
> persons who are desiring to make advancement in spiritual
> realization should not commit violence to animals. Real
> ahimsa means not checking anyone's progressive life. The
> animals are also making progress in their evolutionary life
> by transmigrating from one category of animal life to
> another. If a particular animal is killed, then his
> progress is checked. If an animal is staying in a
> particular body for so many days or so many years and is
> untimely killed, then he has to come back again in that
> form of life to complete the remaining days in order to be
> promoted to another species of life. So their progress
> should not be checked simply to satisfy one's palate. This
> is called ahimsa.
50
51 Satyam. This word means that one should not distort the
> truth for some personal interest. In Vedic literature there
> are some difficult passages, but the meaning or the purpose
> should be learned from a bona fide spiritual master. That
> is the process for understanding the Vedas. Sruti means
> that one should hear from the authority. One should not
> construe some interpretation for his personal interest.
> There are so many commentaries on Bhagavad-gita that
> misinterpret the original text. The real import of the word
> should be presented, and that should be learned from a bona
> fide spiritual master.
52
53 Akrodha means to check anger. Even if there is provocation
> one should be tolerant, for once one becomes angry his
> whole body becomes polluted. Anger is a product of the
> mode of passion and lust, so one who is transcendentally
> situated should check himself from anger. Apaisunam means
> that one should not find fault with others or correct them
> unnecessarily. Of course to call a thief a thief is not
> faultfinding, but to call an honest person a thief is very
> much offensive for one who is making advancement in
> spiritual life. Hri means that one should be very modest
> and must not perform some act which is abominable. Acapalam,
> determination, means that one should not be agitated or
> frustrated in some attempt. There may be failure in some
> attempt, but one should not be sorry for that; he should
> make progress with patience and determination.
54
55 The word tejas used here is meant for the ksatriyas. The
> ksatriyas should always be very strong to be able to give
> protection to the weak. They should not pose themselves as
> nonviolent. If violence is required, they must exhibit it.
> But a person who is able to curb down his enemy may under
> certain conditions show forgiveness. He may excuse minor
> offenses.
56
57 Saucam means cleanliness, not only in mind and body but in
> one's dealings also. It is especially meant for the
> mercantile people, who should not deal in the black market.
> Nati-manita, not expecting honor, applies to the
> sudras, the worker class, which are considered, according
> to Vedic injunctions, to be the lowest of the four classes.
> They should not be puffed up with unnecessary prestige or
> honor and should remain in their own status. It is the duty
> of the sudras to offer respect to the higher class for the
> upkeep of the social order.
58
59 All these twenty-six qualifications mentioned are
> transcendental qualities. They should be cultivated
> according to the different statuses of social and
> occupational order. The purport is that even though
> material conditions are miserable, if these qualities are
> developed by practice, by all classes of men, then
> gradually it is possible to rise to the highest platform of
> transcendental realization.
60
61 Bg 16.4
62
63 TEXT 4
64
65 TRANSLATION
66
67 Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and
> ignorance-these qualities belong to those of demoniac
> nature, O son of Prtha.
68
69 PURPORT
70
71 In this verse, the royal road to hell is described. The
> demoniac want to make a show of religion and advancement in
> spiritual science, although they do not follow the
> principles. They are always arrogant or proud in possessing
> some type of education or so much wealth. They desire to be
> worshiped by others, and demand respectability, although
> they do not command respect. Over trifles they become very
> angry and speak harshly, not gently. They do not know what
> should be done and what should not be done. They do
> everything whimsically, according to their own desire, and
> they do not recognize any authority. These demoniac
> qualities are taken on by them from the beginning of their
> bodies in the wombs of their mothers, and as they grow they
> manifest all these inauspicious qualities.
72
73 Bg 16.5
74
75 TEXT 5
76
77 TRANSLATION
78
79 The transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation,
> whereas the demoniac qualities make for bondage. Do not
> worry, O son of Pandu, for you are born with the divine
> qualities.
80
81 PURPORT
82
83 Lord Krsna encouraged Arjuna by telling him that he was not
> born with demoniac qualities. His involvement in the fight
> was not demoniac, because he was considering the pros and
> cons. He was considering whether respectable persons such
> as Bhisma and Drona should be killed or not, so he was not
> acting under the influence of anger, false prestige or
> harshness. Therefore he was not of the quality of the
> demons. For a ksatriya, a military man, shooting arrows at
> the enemy is considered transcendental, and refraining from
> such a duty is demoniac. Therefore there was no cause for
> Arjuna to lament. Anyone who performs the regulative
> principles of the different orders of life is
> transcendentally situated.
84
85 Bg 16.6
86
87 TEXT 6
88
89 TRANSLATION
90
91 O son of Prtha, in this world there are two kinds of
> created beings. One is called the divine and the other
> demoniac. I have already explained to you at length the
> divine qualities. Now hear from Me of the demoniac.
92
93 PURPORT
94
95 Lord Krsna, having assured Arjuna that he was born with the
> divine qualities, is now describing the demoniac way. The
> conditioned living entities are divided into two classes in
> this world. Those who are born with divine qualities follow
> a regulated life; that is to say they abide by the
> injunctions in scriptures and by the authorities. One
> should perform duties in the light of authoritative
> scripture. This mentality is called divine. One who does
> not follow the regulative principles as they are laid down
> in the scriptures and who acts according to his whims is
> called demoniac or asuric. There is no other criterion but
> obedience to the regulative principles of scriptures. It is
> mentioned in Vedic literature that both the demigods and
> the demons are born of the Prajapati; the only difference
> is that one class obeys the Vedic injunctions and the other
> does not.
96
97 Bg 16.7
98
99 TEXT 7
100
101 TRANSLATION
102
103 Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and
> what is not to be done. Neither cleanliness nor proper
> behavior nor truth is found in them.
104
105 PURPORT
106
107 In every civilized human society there is some set of
> scriptural rules and regulations which is followed from
> the beginning. Especially among the Aryans, those who adopt
> the Vedic civilization and who are known as the most
> advanced civilized peoples, those who do not follow the
> scriptural injunctions are supposed to be demons. Therefore
> it is stated here that the demons do not know the
> scriptural rules, nor do they have any inclination to
> follow them. Most of them do not know them, and even if
> some of them know, they have not the tendency to follow
> them. They have no faith, nor are they willing to act in
> terms of the Vedic injunctions. The demons are not clean,
> either externally or internally.
108
109 One should always be careful to keep his body clean by
> bathing, brushing teeth, shaving, changing clothes, etc. As
> far as internal cleanliness is concerned, one should always
> remember the holy names of God and chant Hare Krsna, Hare
> Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama
> Rama, Hare Hare. The demons neither like nor follow all
> these rules for external and internal cleanliness.
110
111 As for behavior, there are many rules and regulations
> guiding human behavior, such as the Manu-samhita, which is
> the law of the human race. Even up to today, those who are
> Hindu follow the Manu-samhita. Laws of inheritance and
> other legalities are derived from this book. Now, in the
> Manu-samhita it is clearly stated that a woman should not
> be given freedom. That does not mean that women are to be
> kept as slaves, but they are like children. Children are
> not given freedom, but that does not mean that they are
> kept as slaves. The demons have now neglected such
> injunctions, and they think that women should be given as
> much freedom as men. However, this has not improved the
> social condition of the world. Actually, a woman should be
> given protection at every stage of life. She should be
> given protection by the father in her younger days, by the
> husband in her youth, and by the grownup sons in her old
> age. This is proper social behavior according to the Manu-
> samhita. But modern education has artificially devised a
> puffed-up concept of manly life, and therefore marriage
> is practically now an imagination in human society. Nor is
> the moral condition of woman very good now. The demons,
> therefore, do not accept any instruction which is good for
> society, and because they do not follow the experience of
> great sages and the rules and regulations laid down by the
> sages, the social condition of the demoniac people is very
> miserable.
112
113 Bg 16.8
114
115 TEXT 8
116
117 TRANSLATION
118
119 They say that this world is unreal, with no
> foundation, no God in control. They say it
> is produced of sex desire and has no cause other than lust.
120
121 PURPORT
122
123 The demonic conclude that the world is phantasmagoria.
> There is no cause and effect, no controller, no purpose:
> everything is unreal. They say that this cosmic
> manifestation arises due to chance material actions and
> reactions. They do not think that the world was created by
> God for a certain purpose. They have their own theory: that
> the world has come about in its own way and that there is
> no reason to believe that there is a God behind it. For
> them there is no difference between spirit and matter, and
> they do not accept the Supreme Spirit. Everything is matter
> only, and the whole cosmos is supposed to be a mass of
> ignorance. According to them, everything is void, and
> whatever manifestation exists is due to our ignorance in
> perception. They take it for granted that all manifestation
> of diversity is a display of ignorance. Just as in a dream
> we may create so many things which actually have no
> existence, so when we are awake we shall see that
> everything is simply a dream. But factually, although the
> demons say that life is a dream, they are very expert in
> enjoying this dream. And so, instead of acquiring knowledge,
> they become more and more implicated in their dreamland.
> They conclude that as a child is simply the result of
> sexual intercourse between man and woman, this world is
> born without any soul. For them it is only a combination of
> matter that has produced the living entities, and there is
> no question of the existence of the soul. As many living
> creatures come out from perspiration and from a dead body
> without any cause, the whole living world has
> come out of the material combinations of the cosmic
> manifestation. Therefore material nature is the cause of
> this manifestation, and there is no other cause. They do
> not believe in the words of Krsna in Bhagavad-gita:
> mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram. "Under My
> direction the whole material world is moving." In other
> words, among the demons there is no perfect knowledge of
> the creation of the world; every one of them has some
> particular theory of his own. According to them, one
> interpretation of the scriptures is as good as another, for
> they do not believe in a standard understanding of the
> scriptural injunctions.
124
125 Bg 16.9
126
127 TEXT 9
128
129 TRANSLATION
130
131 Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to
> themselves and who have no intelligence, engage in
> unbeneficial, horrible works meant to destroy the world.
132
133 PURPORT
134
135 The demoniac are engaged in activities that will lead the
> world to destruction. The Lord states here that they are
> less intelligent. The materialists, who have no concept of
> God, think that they are advancing. But according to
> Bhagavad-gita, they are unintelligent and devoid of all
> sense. They try to enjoy this material world to the utmost
> limit and therefore always engage in inventing something
> for sense gratification. Such materialistic inventions are
> considered to be advancement of human civilization, but the
> result is that people grow more and more violent and more
> and more cruel, cruel to animals and cruel to other human
> beings. They have no idea how to behave toward one another.
> Animal killing is very prominent amongst demoniac people.
> Such people are considered the enemies of the world because
> ultimately they will invent or create something which will
> bring destruction to all. Indirectly, this verse
> anticipates the invention of nuclear weapons, of which the
> whole world is today very proud. At any moment war may take
> place, and these atomic weapons may create havoc. Such
> things are created solely for the destruction of the world,
> and this is indicated here. Due to godlessness, such
> weapons are invented in human society; they are not meant
> for the peace and prosperity of the world.
136
137 Bg 16.10
138
139 TEXT 10
140
141 TRANSLATION
142
143 Taking shelter of insatiable lust and
> absorbed in the conceit of pride and false prestige, the
> demoniac, thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean work,
> attracted by the impermanent.
144
145 PURPORT
146
147 The demoniac mentality is described here. The demons have
> no satiation for their lust. They will go on increasing
> and increasing their insatiable desires for material
> enjoyment. Although they are always full of anxieties on
> account of accepting nonpermanent things, they still
> continue to engage in such activities out of illusion. They
> have no knowledge and cannot tell that they are heading the
> wrong way. Accepting nonpermanent things, such demoniac
> people create their own God, create their own hymns and
> chant accordingly. The result is that they become more and
> more attracted to two things-sex enjoyment and accumulation
> of material wealth. The word asuci-vratah, "unclean vows,"
> is very significant in this connection. Such demoniac
> people are only attracted by wine, women, gambling and meat-
> eating; those are their asuci, unclean habits. Induced by
> pride and false prestige, they create some principles of
> religion which are not approved by the Vedic injunctions.
> Although such demoniac people are most abominable in the
> world, by artificial means the world creates a
> false honor for them. Although they are gliding toward hell,
> they consider themselves very much advanced.
148
149 Bg 16.11-12
150
151 TEXTS 11–12
152
153 TRANSLATION
154
155 They believe that to gratify the senses
> is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus
> until the end of life their anxiety is immeasurable.
> Bound by a network of hundreds of thousands of desires
> and absorbed in lust and anger, they secure money by
> illegal means for sense gratification.
156
157 PURPORT
158
159 The demoniac accept that the enjoyment of the senses is the
> ultimate goal of life, and this concept they maintain until
> death. They do not believe in life after death, and they do
> not believe that one takes on different types of bodies
> according to one's karma, or activities in this world.
> Their plans for life are never finished, and they go on
> preparing plan after plan, all of which are never finished.
> We have personal experience of a person of such demoniac
> mentality who, even at the point of death, was requesting
> the physician to prolong his life for four years more
> because his plans were not yet complete. Such foolish
> people do not know that a physician cannot prolong life
> even for a moment. When the notice is there, there is no
> consideration of the man's desire. The laws of nature do
> not allow a second beyond what one is destined to enjoy.
160
161 The demoniac person, who has no faith in God or the
> Supersoul within himself, performs all kinds of sinful
> activities simply for sense gratification. He does not know
> that there is a witness sitting within his heart. The
> Supersoul is observing the activities of the individual
> soul. As it is stated in the
> Upanisads, there are two birds sitting in one tree; one
> is acting and enjoying or suffering the fruits of the
> branches, and the other is witnessing. But one who is
> demoniac has no knowledge of Vedic scripture, nor has he
> any faith; therefore he feels free to do anything for sense
> enjoyment, regardless of the consequences.
162
163 Bg 16.13-15
164
165 TEXTS 13–15
166
167 TRANSLATION
168
169 The demoniac person thinks: "So much wealth do I have today,
> and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is
> mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more.
> He is my enemy, and I have killed him, and my other
> enemies will also be killed. I am the lord of everything. I
> am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful and happy. I am the
> richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is
> none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform
> sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall
> rejoice." In this way, such persons are deluded by
> ignorance.
170
171 Bg 16.16
172
173 TEXT 16
174
175 TRANSLATION
176
177 Thus perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network
> of illusions, they become too strongly attached to sense
> enjoyment and fall down into hell.
178
179 PURPORT
180
181 The demoniac man knows no limit to his desire to acquire
> money. That is unlimited. He thinks only of how much
> assessment he has just now and schemes to engage that stock
> of wealth further and further. For that reason, he does not
> hesitate to act in any sinful way and so deals in the black
> market for illegal gratification. He is enamored by the
> possessions he has already, such as land, family, house and
> bank balance, and he is always planning to improve them. He
> believes in his own strength, and he does not know that
> whatever he is gaining is due to his past good deeds. He is
> given an opportunity to accumulate such things, but he has
> no conception of past causes. He simply thinks that all his
> mass of wealth is due to his own endeavor. A demoniac
> person believes in the strength of his personal work, not
> in the law of karma. According to the law of karma, a man
> takes his birth in a high family, or becomes rich, or very
> well educated, or very beautiful because of good work in
> the past. The demoniac think that all these things are
> accidental and due to the strength of one's personal
> ability. They do not sense any arrangement behind all the
> varieties of people, beauty and education. Anyone who
> comes into competition with such a demoniac man is his
> enemy. There are many demoniac people, and each is enemy to
> the others. This enmity becomes more and more deep-between
> persons, then between families, then between societies, and
> at last between nations. Therefore there is constant strife,
> war and enmity all over the world.
182
183 Each demoniac person thinks that he can live at the
> sacrifice of all others. Generally, a demoniac person
> thinks of himself as the Supreme God, and a demoniac
> preacher tells his followers: "Why are you seeking God
> elsewhere? You are all yourselves God! Whatever you like,
> you can do. Don't believe in God. Throw away God. God is
> dead." These are the demoniac's preachings.
184
185 Although the demoniac person sees others equally rich and
> influential, or even more so, he thinks that no one is
> richer than he and that no one is more influential than
> he. As far as promotion to the higher planetary system is
> concerned, he does not believe in performing yajnas, or
> sacrifices. Demons think that they will manufacture their
> own process of yajna and prepare some machine by which
> they will be able to reach any higher planet. The best
> example of such a demoniac man was Ravana. He offered a
> program to the people by which he would prepare a staircase
> so that anyone could reach the heavenly planets without
> performing sacrifices, such as are prescribed in the Vedas.
> Similarly, in the present age such demoniac men are
> striving to reach the higher planetary systems by
> mechanical arrangements. These are examples of bewilderment.
> The result is that, without their knowledge, they are
> gliding toward hell. Here the Sanskrit word moha-jala
> is very significant. Jala means "net"; like fish caught
> in a net, they have no way to come out.
186
187 Bg 16.17
188
189 TEXT 17
190
191 TRANSLATION
192
193 Self-complacent and always impudent, deluded by wealth and
> false prestige, they sometimes proudly perform sacrifices
> in name only, without following any rules or regulations.
194
195 PURPORT
196
197 Thinking themselves all in all, not caring for any
> authority or scripture, the demoniac sometimes perform so-
> called religious or sacrificial rites. And since they do
> not believe in authority, they are very impudent. This is
> due to illusion caused by accumulating some wealth and
> false prestige. Sometimes such demons take up the role of
> preacher, mislead the people, and become known as religious
> reformers or as incarnations of God. They make a show of
> performing sacrifices, or they worship the demigods, or
> manufacture their own God. Common men advertise them as God
> and worship them, and by the foolish they are considered
> advanced in the principles of religion, or in the
> principles of spiritual knowledge. They take the dress of
> the renounced order of life and engage in all nonsense in
> that dress. Actually there are so many restrictions for one
> who has renounced this world. The demons, however, do not
> care for such restrictions. They think that whatever path
> one can create is one's own path; there is no such thing as
> a standard path one has to follow. The word avidhi-purvakam,
> meaning a disregard for the rules and regulations, is
> especially stressed here. These things are always due to
> ignorance and illusion.
198
199 Bg 16.18
200
201 TEXT 18
202
203 TRANSLATION
204
205 Bewildered by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger,
> the demons become envious of the Supreme Personality of
> Godhead, who is situated in their own bodies and in the
> bodies of others, and blaspheme against the real religion.
206
207 PURPORT
208
209 A demoniac person, being always against God's supremacy,
> does not like to believe in the scriptures. He is envious
> of both the scriptures and the existence of the Supreme
> Personality of Godhead. This is caused by his so-called
> prestige and his accumulation of wealth and strength. He
> does not know that the present life is a preparation for
> the next life. Not knowing this, he is actually envious of
> his own self, as well as of others. He commits violence on
> other bodies and on his own. He does not care for the
> supreme control of the Personality of Godhead, because he
> has no knowledge. Being envious of the scriptures and the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead, he puts forward false
> arguments against the existence of God and denies the
> scriptural authority. He thinks himself independent and
> powerful in every action. He thinks that since no one can
> equal him in strength, power or wealth, he can act in
> any way and no one can stop him. If he has an enemy who
> might check the advancement of his sensual activities, he
> makes plans to cut him down by his own power.
210
211 Bg 16.19
212
213 TEXT 19
214
215 TRANSLATION
216
217 Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest
> among men, I perpetually cast into the ocean of
> material existence, into various demoniac species of life.
218
219 PURPORT
220
221 In this verse it is clearly indicated that the placing of a
> particular individual soul in a particular body is the
> prerogative of the supreme will. The demoniac person may
> not agree to accept the supremacy of the Lord, and it is a
> fact that he may act according to his own whims, but his
> next birth will depend upon the decision of the Supreme
> Personality of Godhead and not on himself. In the Srimad-
> Bhagavatam, Third Canto, it is stated that an individual
> soul, after his death, is put into the womb of a mother
> where he gets a particular type of body under the
> supervision of superior power. Therefore in the material
> existence we find so many species of life-animals, insects,
> men, and so on. All are arranged by the superior power.
> They are not accidental. As for the demoniac, it is clearly
> said here that they are perpetually put into the wombs of
> demons, and thus they continue to be envious, the lowest of
> mankind. Such demoniac species of men are held to be
> always full of lust, always violent and hateful and always
> unclean. The many kinds of hunters in the jungle are
> considered to belong to the demoniac species of
> life.
222
223 Bg 16.20
224
225 TEXT 20
226
227 TRANSLATION
228
229 Attaining repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac
> life, O son of Kunti, such persons can never approach Me.
> Gradually they sink down to the most abominable type of
> existence.
230
231 PURPORT
232
233 It is known that God is all-merciful, but here we find that
> God is never merciful to the demoniac. It is clearly stated
> that the demoniac people, life after life, are put into the
> wombs of similar demons, and, not achieving the mercy of
> the Supreme Lord, they go down and down, so that at last
> they achieve bodies like those of cats, dogs and hogs. It
> is clearly stated that such demons have practically no
> chance of receiving the mercy of God at any stage of later
> life. In the Vedas also it is stated that such persons
> gradually sink to become dogs and hogs. It may be then
> argued in this connection that God should not be advertised
> as all-merciful if He is not merciful to such demons. In
> answer to this question, in the Vedanta-sutra we find that
> the Supreme Lord has no hatred for anyone. The placing of
> the asuras, the demons, in the lowest status of life is
> simply another feature of His mercy. Sometimes the asuras
> are killed by the Supreme Lord, but this killing is also
> good for them, for in Vedic literature we find that anyone
> who is killed by the Supreme Lord becomes liberated. There
> are instances in history of many asuras-Ravana, Kamsa,
> Hiranyakasipu-to whom the Lord appeared in various
> incarnations just to kill them. Therefore God's mercy is
> shown to the asuras if they are fortunate enough to be
> killed by Him.
234
235 Bg 16.21
236
237 TEXT 21
238
239 TRANSLATION
240
241 There are three gates leading to this hell-lust, anger and
> greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead
> to the degradation of the soul.
242
243 PURPORT
244
245 The beginning of demoniac life is described herein. One
> tries to satisfy his lust, and when he cannot, anger and
> greed arise. A sane man who does not want to glide down to
> the species of demoniac life must try to give up these
> three enemies, which can kill the self to such an extent
> that there will be no possibility of liberation from this
> material entanglement.
246
247 Bg 16.22
248
249 TEXT 22
250
251 TRANSLATION
252
253 The man who has escaped these three gates of hell, O son of
> Kunti, performs acts conducive to self-realization and thus
> gradually attains the supreme destination.
254
255 PURPORT
256
257 One should be very careful of these three enemies to human
> life: lust, anger and greed. The more a person is freed
> from lust, anger and greed, the more his existence becomes
> pure. Then he can follow the rules and regulations enjoined
> in the Vedic literature. By following the regulative
> principles of human life, one gradually raises himself to
> the platform of spiritual realization. If one is so
> fortunate, by such practice, to rise to the platform of
> Krsna consciousness, then success is guaranteed for him. In
> the Vedic literature, the ways of action and reaction are
> prescribed to enable one to come to the stage of
> purification. The whole method is based on giving up lust,
> greed and anger. By cultivating knowledge of this process,
> one can be elevated to the highest position of self-
> realization; this self-realization is perfected in
> devotional service. In that devotional service, the
> liberation of the conditioned soul is guaranteed. Therefore,
> according to the Vedic system, there are instituted the
> four orders of life and the four statuses of life, called
> the caste system and the spiritual order system. There are
> different rules and regulations for different castes or
> divisions of society, and if a person is able to follow
> them, he will be automatically raised to the highest
> platform of spiritual realization. Then he can have
> liberation without a doubt.
258
259 Bg 16.23
260
261 TEXT 23
262
263 TRANSLATION
264
265 He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts
> according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor
> happiness, nor the supreme destination.
266
267 PURPORT
268
269 As described before, the sastra-vidhi, or the direction of
> the sastra, is given to the different castes and orders of
> human society. Everyone is expected to follow these rules
> and regulations. If one does not follow them and acts
> whimsically according to his lust, greed and desire, then
> he never will be perfect in his life. In other words, a man
> may theoretically know all these things, but if he does not
> apply them in his own life, then he is to be known as the
> lowest of mankind. In the human form of life, a living
> entity is expected to be sane and to follow the regulations
> given for elevating his life to the highest platform, but
> if he does not follow them, then he degrades himself. But
> even if he follows the rules and regulations and moral
> principles and ultimately does not come to the stage of
> understanding the Supreme Lord, then all his knowledge
> becomes spoiled. And even if he accepts the existence of
> God, if he does not engage himself in the service of the
> Lord his attempts are spoiled. Therefore one should
> gradually raise himself to the platform of Krsna
> consciousness and devotional service; it is then and there
> that he can attain the highest perfectional stage, not
> otherwise.
270
271 The word kama-karatah is very significant. A person who
> knowingly violates the rules acts in lust. He knows that
> this is forbidden, but still he acts. This is called acting
> whimsically. He knows that this should be done, but still
> he does not do it; therefore he is called whimsical. Such
> persons are destined to be condemned by the Supreme Lord.
> Such persons cannot have the perfection which is meant for
> the human life. The human life is especially meant for
> purifying one's existence, and one who does not follow the
> rules and regulations cannot purify himself, nor can he
> attain the real stage of happiness.
272
273 Bg 16.24
274
275 TEXT 24
276
277 TRANSLATION
278
279 One should therefore understand what is duty and what is
> not duty by the regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such
> rules and regulations, one should act so that he may
> gradually be elevated.
280
281 PURPORT
282
283 As stated in the Fifteenth Chapter, all the rules and
> regulations of the Vedas are meant for knowing Krsna. If
> one understands Krsna from the Bhagavad-gita and becomes
> situated in Krsna consciousness, engaging himself in
> devotional service, he has reached the highest perfection
> of knowledge offered by the Vedic literature. Lord Caitanya
> Mahaprabhu made this process very easy: He asked people
> simply to chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare
> Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare and to
> engage in the devotional service of the Lord and eat the
> remnants of foodstuff offered to the Deity. One who is
> directly engaged in all these devotional activities is to
> be understood as having studied all Vedic literature. He
> has come to the conclusion perfectly. Of course, for the
> ordinary persons who are not in Krsna consciousness or who
> are not engaged in devotional service, what is to be done
> and what is not to be done must be decided by the
> injunctions of the Vedas. One should act accordingly,
> without argument. That is called following the principles
> of sastra, or scripture. Sastra is without the four
> principal defects that are visible in the conditioned soul:
> imperfect senses, the propensity for cheating, certainty of
> committing mistakes, and certainty of being illusioned.
> These four principal defects in conditioned life disqualify
> one from putting forth rules and regulations. Therefore,
> the rules and regulations as described in the sastra-being
> above these defects-are accepted without alteration by all
> great saints, acaryas and great souls.
284
285 In India there are many parties of spiritual understanding,
> generally classified as two: the impersonalist and the
> personalist. Both of them, however, lead their lives
> according to the principles of the Vedas. Without following
> the principles of the scriptures, one cannot elevate
> himself to the perfectional stage. One who actually,
> therefore, understands the purport of the sastras is
> considered fortunate.
286
287 In human society, aversion to the principles of
> understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the
> cause of all falldowns. That is the greatest offense of
> human life. Therefore, maya, the material energy of the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always giving us trouble
> in the shape of the threefold miseries. This material
> energy is constituted of the three modes of material nature.
> One has to raise himself at least to the mode of goodness
> before the path to understanding the Supreme Lord can be
> opened. Without raising oneself to the standard of the mode
> of goodness, one remains in ignorance and passion, which
> are the cause of demoniac life. Those in the modes of
> passion and ignorance deride the scriptures, deride the
> holy man, and deride the proper understanding of the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead. They disobey the
> instructions of the spiritual master, and they do not care
> for the regulations of the scriptures. In spite of hearing
> the glories of devotional service, they are not attracted.
> Thus they manufacture their own way of elevation. These are
> some of the defects of human society which lead to the
> demoniac status of life. If, however, one is able to be
> guided by a proper and bona fide spiritual master, who can
> lead one to the path of elevation, to the higher stage,
> then one's life becomes successful.
288
289 Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Sixteenth
> Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita in the matter of the
> Divine and Demoniac Natures.
290