Saturday, January 13, 2007

Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

DIVINE AND THE DEMONIC QUALITIES


Verse 16.01-03

Lord Krishna said:

The following qualities that belong to Godly men endowed with divine nature:
Cleanliness, Purity of innerpsyche
Fearlessness, Absence of indecisiveness, Determination
Study of scriptures
Charity, Sacrifice, Modesty, Simplicity
Gentleness, Sense of restraint and self control
Honesty, Truthfulness
Nonviolence, Forgiveness, Compassion for all creatures
Absence of anger, Equanimity
Absence of pride, Freedom from passion for honor
Absence of malice, Absence from malicious talk
Freedom from greed, Austerity
Perseverance in attaining spiritual knowledge
Renunciation

Verse 16.04-05

These qualities belong to those of demoniac nature are Hypocrisy, arrogance, pride, conceit, harshness, anger, harshness, and ignorance.

Divine qualities lead to salvation, the demonic qualities are said to be for bondage.

O Arjuna, you are born with divine qualities.

Verse 16.06-18

There are only two types (or castes) of human beings in this world: The divine, or the wise; and the demonic, or the ignorant.

The divine has been described at length, now hear from Me about the demonic, O Arjuna.

Persons of demonic nature do not know what to do and what not to do. They neither have purity nor good conduct nor truthfulness. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in them. They say there is nothing called God and sexual union of man and woman alone is the spice of the world.

Adhering to this wrong atheist view, these degraded souls - with small intellect and cruel deeds engage themselves in unbeneficial and horrible works. They are born as enemies for the destruction of the world.

Filled with insatiable desires, hypocrisy, pride, and arrogance;
Holding wrong views due to delusion;
Obsessed with endless anxiety lasting until death,
Considering sense gratification their highest aim,
Convinced that sense pleasure is everything;
Bound by hundreds of ties of desire and
Enslaved by lust and anger;

they strive to obtain wealth by unlawful means for the fulfillment of sensual pleasures and act with impure motives.. They believe that to gratify the senses is the prime necessity of human civilization. They think:

This has been gained by me today, I shall fulfill this desire, I have this much wealth, and will have more wealth in the future

That enemy has been slain by me, and I shall slay others also. I am the Lord. I am the enjoyer. I am successful, powerful, and happy

I am rich and born in a noble family. Who is equal to me? I shall perform sacrifice, I shall give charity, and I shall rejoice.

Thus deluded by ignorance; Bewildered by many fancies; entangled in the net of delusion; addicted to the enjoyment of sensual pleasures; they fall into a foul hell.

Self-conceited, stubborn, filled with pride and intoxication of wealth; they perform service only in name, for show, and not according to scriptural injunction.

These malicious people cling to egoism, power, arrogance, lust, and anger; and hate Me who dwells in their own bodies and those of others.

Verse 16.19-20

I hurl these envious, mischievous, cruel, sinful, and mean people into the cycles of rebirth in the womb of demons again and again. O Arjuna, entering the wombs of demons birth after birth, the deluded ones sink to the lowest hell without ever attaining Me until their minds change for the better by the causeless mercy of the Lord.

Verse 16.21-22

There are three gates leading to hell. They are lust, anger, and greed. They lead to the downfall (or bondage) of the individual. Therefore, Every sane man should give up these. One who is liberated from these three gates of hell, O Arjuna, does what is best for him or her, and consequently attains the highest state.

Verse 16.23-24

One, who acts under the influence of his or her desires, disobeying scriptural injunctions, neither attains perfection nor happiness, nor the Supreme Abode.

Therefore, let the scripture be your authority in determining what should be done and what should not be done. You should perform your duty following the scriptural injunction.

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