FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 16.13-15

इदमद्य मया लब्धमिमं प्राप्स्ये मनोरथम् । इदमस्तीदमपि मे भविष्यति पुनर्धनम् ॥ १३ ॥ असौ मया हत: शत्रुर्हनिष्ये चापरानपि । ईश्वरोऽहमहं भोगी सिद्धोऽहं बलवान्सुखी ॥ १४ ॥ आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया । यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिता: ॥ १५ ॥
idam adya mayā labdham
[idam adya mayaa labdham]
imaṁ prāpsye manoratham
[imam praapsye manoratham]
idam astīdam api me
[idam asteedam api me]
bhaviṣyati punar dhanam
[bhavishyati punar dhanam]
asau mayā hataḥ śatrur
[asau mayaa hatah shatrur]
haniṣye cāparān api
[hanishye chaaparaan api]
īśvaro ’ham ahaṁ bhogī
[eeshvaro ’ham aham bhogee]
siddho ’haṁ balavān sukhī
[siddho ’ham balavaan sukhee]
āḍhyo ’bhijanavān asmi
[aadhyo ’bhijanavaan asmi]
ko ’nyo ’sti sadṛśo mayā
[ko ’nyo ’sti sadrisho mayaa]
yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya
[yakshye daasyaami modishya]
ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ
[ity ajnaana-vimohitaah]
Word-for-word
idam — this adya — today mayā — by me labdham — gained imam — this prāpsye — I shall gain manaḥ - ratham — according to my desires idam — this asti — there is idam — this api — also me — mine bhaviṣyati — it will increase in the future punaḥ — again dhanam — wealth asau — that mayā — by me hataḥ — has been killed śatruḥ — enemy haniṣye — I shall kill ca — also aparān — others api — certainly īśvaraḥ — the lord aham — I am aham — I am bhogī — the enjoyer siddhaḥ — perfect aham — I am bala - vān — powerful sukhī — happy āḍhyaḥ — wealthy abhijana - vān — surrounded by aristocratic relatives asmi — I am kaḥ — who anyaḥ — other asti — there is sadṛśaḥ — like mayā — me yakṣye — I shall sacrifice dāsyāmi — I shall give charity modiṣye — I shall rejoice iti — thus ajñāna — by ignorance vimohitāḥ — deluded .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
idam adya mayā labdham
idam
this
adya
today
mayā
by me
labdham
gained
imaṁ prāpsye manoratham
imam
this
prāpsye
I shall gain
manaḥ - ratham
according to my desires
idam astīdam api me
idam
this
asti
there is
idam
this
api
also
me
mine
bhaviṣyati punar dhanam
bhaviṣyati
it will increase in the future
punaḥ
again
dhanam
wealth
asau mayā hataḥ śatrur
asau
that
mayā
by me
hataḥ
has been killed
śatruḥ
enemy
haniṣye cāparān api
haniṣye
I shall kill
ca
also
aparān
others
api
certainly
īśvaro ’ham ahaṁ bhogī
īśvaraḥ
the lord
aham
I am
siddho ’haṁ balavān sukhī
āḍhyo ’bhijanavān asmi
ko ’nyo ’sti sadṛśo mayā
yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya
ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ
aham
I am
bhogī
the enjoyer
siddhaḥ
perfect
aham
I am
bala - vān
powerful
sukhī
happy
āḍhyaḥ
wealthy
abhijana - vān
surrounded by aristocratic relatives
asmi
I am
kaḥ
who
anyaḥ
other
asti
there is
sadṛśaḥ
like
mayā
me
yakṣye
I shall sacrifice
dāsyāmi
I shall give charity
modiṣye
I shall rejoice
iti
thus
ajñāna
by ignorance
vimohitāḥ
deluded .
Important Words
  • labdham — gained
    Past passive participle — 'has been gained.' The demoniac speak in the past tense of ownership: this is already mine. The Gītā elsewhere insists that nothing is acquired in this absolute sense; possession is provisional.
  • manaḥ - ratham — according to my desires
    Literally 'mind-chariot' — what the mind rides toward. Manoratha is the daydream, the plan in the head. The demoniac confuse manoratha with reality.
  • īśvaraḥ — the lord
    The decisive theft. The demoniac claims for himself the very title that 16.8 denied to the cosmos. Anīśvaram — they say there is no Lord — and then aham īśvaraḥ — I am the Lord. The atheism was always a cover for self-deification.
  • bhogī — the enjoyer
    From bhuj — to eat, to enjoy. The Vedānta reserves bhoktṛtva (enjoyership) for the Lord; the soul is bhogya — that which is offered. The demoniac inverts the relationship and consumes what was meant to be offered.
  • siddhaḥ — perfect
    The demoniac claim of being already perfected — no further growth needed, no teacher required. This is the most spiritually fatal of the claims; it shuts the door against improvement.
  • ajñāna — by ignorance
    The Gītā closes the long monologue with this single word as diagnosis. The whole confident speech, viewed from above, is just vimohitāḥ — deluded — by ajñāna. The volume of the boast measures the depth of the ignorance.
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.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Three verses dramatize the inner monologue of the āsura. It is a torrent of 'I' and 'mine': today's gain, tomorrow's plan, that enemy dead and the next on the list, then the self-congratulating mantra — I am lord, enjoyer, perfected — and finally even religious acts coopted into the boast. Ignorance is the speaker.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Kṛṣṇa shifts from third-person description (16.7-12) to first-person direct speech — a rhetorical masterstroke. The structure: gain-and-planning (v.13), violence-and-self-deification (v.14), aristocratic-bragging-with-feigned-piety (v.15). 'Īśvaro 'haṁ, ahaṁ bhogī' inverts BG 5.29 — there Kṛṣṇa is bhoktā / īśvara; here the āsura usurps the title. Closing 'yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣye' shows even ritual becomes performance when the actor is the would-be Lord.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
'अद्य मया इदम् लब्धम्, इमम् मनो-रथम् प्राप्स्ये, इदम् (धनम्) अस्ति, इदम् अपि धनम् पुनः मे भविष्यति । असौ शत्रुः मया हतः, अपरान् अपि च हनिष्ये । अहम् ईश्वरः, अहम् भोगी, अहम् सिद्धः बलवान् सुखी (अस्मि) । (अहम्) आढ्यः अभिजनवान् अस्मि — मया सदृशः कः अन्यः अस्ति ? यक्ष्ये, दास्यामि, मोदिष्ये' — इति (वदन्तः) अज्ञान-विमोहिताः (भवन्ति) ।
'adya mayā idam labdham, imam mano-ratham prāpsye, idam (dhanam) asti, idam api dhanam punaḥ me bhaviṣyati | asau śatruḥ mayā hataḥ, aparān api ca haniṣye | aham īśvaraḥ, aham bhogī, aham siddhaḥ balavān sukhī (asmi) | (aham) āḍhyaḥ abhijanavān asmi — mayā sadṛśaḥ kaḥ anyaḥ asti ? yakṣye, dāsyāmi, modiṣye' — iti (vadantaḥ) ajñāna-vimohitāḥ (bhavanti) |
'Today this is gained by me; I shall obtain that other desire; this much wealth is already mine, and yet more will come to me again. That enemy has been killed by me, and I shall kill the others too. I am the lord; I am the enjoyer; I am perfected, powerful, happy. I am wealthy, of high birth — who else exists who is my equal? I shall sacrifice, I shall give, I shall rejoice.' Saying so, they remain utterly deluded by ignorance.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
इदम् अद्य मया लब्धम् इमम् प्राप्स्ये मनो-रथम् । इदम् अस्ति इदम् अपि मे भविष्यति पुनः धनम् ॥
idam adya mayā labdham imam prāpsye mano-ratham | idam asti idam api me bhaviṣyati punaḥ dhanam ||
असौ मया हतः शत्रुः हनिष्ये च अपरान् अपि । ईश्वरः अहम् अहम् भोगी सिद्धः अहम् बलवान् सुखी ॥
asau mayā hataḥ śatruḥ haniṣye ca aparān api | īśvaraḥ aham aham bhogī siddhaḥ aham balavān sukhī ||
आढ्यः अभिजनवान् अस्मि कः अन्यः अस्ति सदृशः मया । यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्ये इति अज्ञान-विमोहिताः ॥
āḍhyaḥ abhijanavān asmi kaḥ anyaḥ asti sadṛśaḥ mayā | yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣye iti ajñāna-vimohitāḥ ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
इदम् idam इदम् pron. (pronoun) nom./acc.sg. (accusative singular)n. this
अद्य adya ind. (indeclinable) today
मया mayā अस्मद् pron. (pronoun) ins.sg. (instrumental singular) by me
लब्धम् labdham √लभ् p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. gained
इमम् imam इदम् pron. (pronoun) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. this
प्राप्स्ये prāpsye प्र + √आप् fut. (future) 1sg.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice) I shall obtain
मनो-रथम् mano-ratham मनस् (n.) + रथ (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) (chariot of the mind:) cherished desire
भविष्यति bhaviṣyati √भू fut. (future) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) will be
पुनः punaḥ ind. (indeclinable) again
धनम् dhanam धन (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) wealth
असौ asau अदस् pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. that (yonder)
हतः hataḥ √हन् p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. killed
शत्रुः śatruḥ शत्रु (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) enemy
हनिष्ये haniṣye √हन् fut. (future) 1sg.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice) I shall kill
अपरान् aparān अपर (adj.) acc.pl. (accusative plural)m. others
अपि api ind. (indeclinable) also
ईश्वरः īśvaraḥ ईश्वर (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) lord, master
अहम् aham अस्मद् pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular) I
भोगी bhogī भोगिन् (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. the enjoyer
सिद्धः siddhaḥ √सिध् p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. perfected, accomplished
बलवान् balavān बल (n.) + मतुप् → बलवत् nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. strong, powerful
सुखी sukhī सुखिन् (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. happy
आढ्यः āḍhyaḥ आढ्य (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. rich
अभिजनवान् abhijanavān अभिजन (m.) + मतुप् → अभिजनवत् nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. of noble birth, well-connected
अस्मि asmi √अस् pres. (present) 1sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) I am
कः kaḥ किम् interr. (interrogative) pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. who
अन्यः anyaḥ अन्य (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. other
अस्ति asti √अस् pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) is, exists
सदृशः sadṛśaḥ सदृश (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. similar, equal
यक्ष्ये yakṣye √यज् fut. (future) 1sg.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice) I shall sacrifice
दास्यामि dāsyāmi √दा fut. (future) 1sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) I shall give (in charity)
मोदिष्ये modiṣye √मुद् fut. (future) 1sg.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice) I shall rejoice
इति iti ind. (quotative) thus (closing the inner speech)
अज्ञान-विमोहिताः ajñāna-vimohitāḥ अज्ञान (n.) + विमोहित p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m., tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) deluded by ignorance
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Demoniac mentality is further described

“I am the controller and the enjoyer”
Indicates false ego which connects spirit to matter
I am perfect and powerful
Everything is being done by my potency
Everything will increase
My enemies are defeated and I am happy LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 16.15 & 16.16: The demoniac think that all has been accomplished by their endeavor. But Text 16.16 explains their actual achievement
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
16.13 Idam, this thing; labham, has been gained; maya, by me; adya, today; prapsye, I shall acire; idam, this other; manoratham, desired object which is delectable to the mind. And idam, this; asti, is in hand; punah, again; idam, this; dhanam, wealth; api, also; bhavisyati, will come; me, to me, in the next year. Thery I shall become rich and famous.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
16.13 This land, sons etc., have I gained solely by my ability and not by the help of any higher force. I shall attain this desire also myself and not by good fortune or any other means. This wealth, gained solely by my ability, is with me. And this also shall be mine through my own ability.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
16.13 See Coment under 16.16
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
16.13 "This has been gained by me today; this desire of mine I shall fuffil; this is mine and this wealth also shall be mine in future."
Commentary

16.13 इदम् this? अद्य today? मया by me? लब्धम् has been gained? इमम् this? प्राप्स्ये (I) shall obtain? मनोरथम् desire? इदम् this? अस्ति is? इदम् this? अपि also? मे to me? भविष्यति shall be? पुनः again? धनम् wealth.Commentary I will be able to acire all that the world possesses. Then I will be the lord of all wealth. No one will be eal to me on the surface of this earth.In future Next year this wealth also shall be mine. I will be known to the world as a man of immense wealth. People will address me as my lord.These demons (who think like this) become selfconceited on account of their wealth. Their heads are swollen with pride. They regard everyone else as worthless as straw. Pride of wealth destroyes their power of discrimination. They strive for happiness but they never obtain it. They are entangled in the meshes of Maya. They are wedded to sin and misry here and hereafter.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
16.13 'This has been gained by me today; I shall acire this desired object. This is in hand; again, this wealth also will come to me.'
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
16.13 This I have gained today; tomorrow I will gratify another desire; this wealth is mine now, the rest shall be mine ere long;
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Dana (Charity / Generosity)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)Yajña (Sacrifice / Spirit of Offering)
Related verses
BG 16.18 BG 3.27 BG 18.58 SB 7.8.7 SB 8.22.9 SB 10.72.30 CC Madhya 22.25 CC Antya 6.220 CC Ādi 7.115 Īśa Upaniṣad 9 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.5
Concepts
YajnaIshvara
Sciences essays referencing this verse
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
'I have got this much wealth; I will get more; this much I have, more I shall have; that enemy I have killed, others I will kill; I am the lord; the enjoyer; perfect; powerful; happy.'
Practical Applications
  • Hear the demoniac inner monologue and recognize it.
  • Don't pretend you've never heard it in yourself.
  • Replace it with offering, sufficiency, humility.
Reflection Questions
  • When did I last hear this monologue in me?
  • What replacement script am I cultivating?
Analogy

A man hoarding river water in clay pots, certain each pot makes him richer, certain the river itself was his idea. The pots crack, the water seeps back to the river, and still he counts the pots. The demoniac inner monologue is exactly this kind of bookkeeping.

Stories
Hiraṇyakaśipu's Boast

After receiving Brahmā's boon making him almost unkillable, Hiraṇyakaśipu's speeches in the Bhāgavatam read almost like a paraphrase of this passage. He had subjugated the planets. He had taken the wealth of the demigods. He was the lord, the enjoyer, the one without rival. Sacrifices were now to be offered to him.

The seventh canto's narrative of his fall — torn open by Nṛsiṁha on the threshold of his own palace, neither inside nor outside, neither day nor night — is the most precise illustration of how this inner monologue ends.

Duryodhana's Forest Demonstration

When the Pāṇḍavas were in forest exile, Duryodhana arranged a grand procession to display his royal wealth before them — soldiers, elephants, gold — designed to wound. 'See what I have, see what you have lost.' Idam adya mayā labdham — 'this I have today.' Aham īśvaraḥ — 'I am the lord.'

The procession was attacked by Gandharvas; Duryodhana himself was captured and humiliated, and had to be rescued by the very Pāṇḍavas he meant to humiliate. The verse describes the script; the Mahābhārata supplies the staging.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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