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Bhagavad-gītā 16.9

एतां दृष्टिमवष्टभ्य नष्टात्मानोऽल्पबुद्धय: । प्रभवन्त्युग्रकर्माण: क्षयाय जगतोऽहिता: ॥ ९ ॥
etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya
[etaam drishtim avashtabhya]
naṣṭātmāno ’lpa-buddhayaḥ
[nashtaatmaano ’lpa-buddhayah]
prabhavanty ugra-karmāṇaḥ
[prabhavanty ugra-karmaanah]
kṣayāya jagato ’hitāḥ
[kshayaaya jagato ’hitaah]
Word-for-word
etām — this dṛṣṭim — vision avaṣṭabhya — accepting naṣṭa — having lost ātmānaḥ — themselves alpa - buddhayaḥ — the less intelligent prabhavanti — flourish ugra - karmāṇaḥ — engaged in painful activities kṣayāya — for destruction jagataḥ — of the world ahitāḥ — unbeneficial .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya
etām
this
dṛṣṭim
vision
avaṣṭabhya
accepting
naṣṭātmāno ’lpa-buddhayaḥ
naṣṭa
having lost
ātmānaḥ
themselves
alpa - buddhayaḥ
the less intelligent
prabhavanty ugra-karmāṇaḥ
prabhavanti
flourish
ugra - karmāṇaḥ
engaged in painful activities
kṣayāya jagato ’hitāḥ
kṣayāya
for destruction
jagataḥ
of the world
ahitāḥ
unbeneficial .
Important Words
  • dṛṣṭim — vision
    Dṛṣṭi — view, perspective, philosophical seeing. The Gītā shows that conduct flows from dṛṣṭi. The demoniac act badly because they see badly. Correct the dṛṣṭi and the karma corrects itself.
  • naṣṭa — having lost
    Past participle of naś — to perish, to be lost. Naṣṭātmā — one whose ātman is lost (not destroyed, but lost from view). The self is still there; the consciousness of it has dissolved.
  • alpa - buddhayaḥ — the less intelligent
    Alpa — small. Buddhi — intelligence. A person can have a very capable mind by worldly measures and still be alpa-buddhi in Kṛṣṇa's reckoning. Spiritual smallness, not IQ. The Gītā's metric is different.
  • ugra - karmāṇaḥ — engaged in painful activities
    Ugra — fierce, terrible. The works of the demoniac are not just wrong; they are violent in scope. Weapons of mass destruction, ecological devastation, exploitation of the vulnerable — the verse foresees the modern catalogue.
  • kṣayāya — for destruction
    Dative — 'for the purpose of destruction.' Kṣaya means depletion, ruin. The aim of demoniac labor — whether they admit it or not — is jagat-kṣaya, the wearing-down of the world.
  • ahitāḥ — unbeneficial
    A-hita — not beneficial. The opposite of hita, that which conduces to welfare. A simple word, devastating in context: every effort of the demoniac is, by structure, useless or worse.
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.
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)
Bad metaphysics breeds bad action. Once one believes the world has no maker and lust is its only logic, the natural consequence is fierce, life-denying work — they 'arise for the destruction of the world.' The verse diagnoses ideologically driven violence millennia before the term existed.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
'Naṣṭa-ātmānaḥ' is striking — not 'they have lost their souls' so much as 'they are themselves a loss.' 'Prabhavanti' (they flourish, rise into prominence) is mordantly chosen: precisely such people often do well in worldly terms. Cf. BG 4.7-8 on dharma-glāni and the divine descent to restore balance — these are the agents of glāni. Cross-ref: BG 16.19, where Kṛṣṇa says what becomes of them.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
एताम् दृष्टिम् अवष्टभ्य नष्ट-आत्मानः अल्प-बुद्धयः अहिताः उग्र-कर्माणः (ते) जगतः क्षयाय प्रभवन्ति ।
etām dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya naṣṭa-ātmānaḥ alpa-buddhayaḥ ahitāḥ ugra-karmāṇaḥ (te) jagataḥ kṣayāya prabhavanti |
Clinging to this view, ruined in self, weak in intellect, hostile (to the world), engaged in cruel deeds, they arise (only) for the destruction of the world.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
एताम् दृष्टिम् अवष्टभ्य नष्ट-आत्मानः अल्प-बुद्धयः । प्रभवन्ति उग्र-कर्माणः क्षयाय जगतः अहिताः ॥
etām dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya naṣṭa-ātmānaḥ alpa-buddhayaḥ | prabhavanti ugra-karmāṇaḥ kṣayāya jagataḥ ahitāḥ ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
एताम् etām एतद् pron. (pronoun) acc.sg. (accusative singular)f. this
दृष्टिम् dṛṣṭim दृष्टि (f.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) view, vision
अवष्टभ्य avaṣṭabhya अव + √स्तभ् abs. (absolutive) having seized, clinging to
नष्ट-आत्मानः naṣṭa-ātmānaḥ नष्ट p.p.p. (past passive participle) + आत्मन् (m.) nom.pl. (nominative plural), bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) those whose self is lost / ruined
अल्प-बुद्धयः alpa-buddhayaḥ अल्प (adj.) + बुद्धि (f.) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) of small intelligence
प्रभवन्ति prabhavanti प्र + √भू pres. (present) 3pl.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) they arise, come forth (in strength)
उग्र-कर्माणः ugra-karmāṇaḥ उग्र (adj.) + कर्मन् (n.) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) of fierce / cruel deeds
क्षयाय kṣayāya क्षय (m.) dat.sg. (dative singular) for the destruction
जगतः jagataḥ जगत् (n.) gen.sg. (genitive singular) of the world
अहिताः ahitāḥ अ + हित (adj.) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m., neg. cpd. (compound) hostile, working against welfare
Purport

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-gītā, 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.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
9. Taking shelter of this viewpoint, being depraved, unintelligent, performing violent actions, these men are born to bring destruction to the world.
Commentary

Some of these asuras who speak in this way are lost souls (naṣṭātmaṇaḥ), some have little intelligence, some are violent, doing whatever they want, living hellish existence. This is described in eleven verses. Avaṣṭabhya means taking shelter of this conception.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
9. Taking shelter of these viewpoints, not understanding ātmā, believing in worthless philosophies, performing violent actions, and being hostile to the world, these men deviate the world from spiritual truth.
Commentary

Taking shelter of actions and philosophies to exemplify their respective views, they destroy the world. Dṛṣṭim is in the singular to indicate the whole class of demonic philosophies. Taking support (avaṣṭabhya) of their philosophies, these foolish people, with worthless opinions (alpa buddhayaḥ), devoid of understanding ātmā distinct from the body (naṣṭātmanaḥ), fixed in actions of violence, slander and insult (ugra karmānaḥ), being enemies of the world (jagataḥ ahitāḥ), deviate the world from spiritual truth (kṣayāya prabhavanti).

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Demoniac attitude and engagements are explained here

Attitude – The demoniac are lost to themselves (illusioned) and have no intelligence
Engagement – Engaged in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to destroy the world
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
16.9 Avastabhya, holding on to; etam, this; drstim, view; (these people) who are nasta-atmanah, of depraved character, who have deviated from the disciplines leading to the other world; alpa-budhayah, of poor intellect, whose intellect is indeed limited, engrossed with material things; ugra-kamanah, given to fearful actions-who are cruel by nature; and ahitah, harmful; i.e. inimical to the world; prabhavanti, wax strong; ksayaya, for the ruin; jagatah, of the world. This is the construction.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
16.9 Holding this view, viz., supporting this view, these men of lost souls do not realise that the self is different from the body. They are of 'fele understanding,' they lack the discernment that the self is to be known as different from the body, because of Its being the knower in the body which is an object of knowledge such as jars etc. These are of 'cruel deeds' viz., they do much harm to everybody; they are born to bring ruin to the world.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
16.9 See Coment under 16.12
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
16.9 Holding this view, these ruined souls of small intellect and fierce deeds, come forth as the enemies of the world for its destruction.
Commentary

16.9 एताम् this? दृष्टिम् view? अवष्टभ्य holding? नष्टात्मानः ruined souls? अल्पबुद्धयः of small intellect? प्रभवन्ति come forth? उग्रकर्माणः of fierce deeds? क्षयाय for the destruction? जगतः of the world? अहिताः enemies.Commentary They rob others. They acire wealth by destroying others. They boast of their evil actions.Nashtatmanah Ruined souls They have lost all chances of attaining Selfrealisation or going to the higher world.Alpabuddhayah They have a small intellect as they identify themselves with their little bodies full of impurities? as they have no conception of the Supreme Beign? and as their intellects are concerned with the little sensual pleasures only (eating? drinking? etc.).Ugrakarmanah Of fierce deeds They always injure others. They murder for aciring wealth. They do any heinous crime to get money and women. They bring great confusion and destroy the peace and harmony of the world.Enemies of the world World here means people who live in the world.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
16.9 Holding on to this view, (these people) who are of depraved character, of poor intellect, given to fearful actions and harmful, wax strong for the ruin of the world.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
16.9 Thinking thus, these degraded souls, these enemies of mankind - whose intelligence is negligible and whose deeds are monstrous - come into the world only to destroy.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 16.16 BG 3.32 BG 2.63 SB 7.2.7 SB 7.8.7 SB 1.3.24 CC Madhya 20.118 CC Madhya 22.24 CC Ādi 3.98 Īśa Upaniṣad 3 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.6
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Following such conclusions, the demoniac, with lost souls and dull intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works to destroy the world.
Practical Applications
  • Recognize that wrong philosophy yields wrong action.
  • Take philosophy seriously — it's not idle.
  • Refute false philosophy in yourself before it produces fruit.
Reflection Questions
  • What 'small' philosophical error of mine could yield large action?
  • What clear refutation is needed?
Analogy

A fire lit by people who do not understand fire. They light it indoors, near the curtains, with no chimney, calling the smoke their breath. The conflagration spreads not by malice alone but by ignorance of what they are handling. Wrong philosophy is exactly this kind of fire.

Stories
Hiraṇyakaśipu's Engineering of Hell

Having concluded that there was no God and no higher law, Hiraṇyakaśipu set about reorganizing the universe to his own design. He tortured the saintly, banned worship of Viṣṇu, and persecuted his own son for chanting the holy name.

The Bhāgavatam frames his entire reign as the visible fruit of his philosophy. Naṣṭātmā — he had lost himself. Alpa-buddhi — his vast intelligence had become small under the weight of his ideology. The works that followed were ugra-karma, jagat-kṣayāya — meant to destroy.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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