Chapter 16 · Class prep

BG 16.1-3

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.

Essence. The divine qualities — fearlessness, purity, charity, austerity, simplicity, nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, peacefulness, aversion to fault-finding, compassion, gentleness, modesty, steady determination, vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom from envy and the desire for honor — belong to those of divine nature.

• Audit yourself against this list of 26 divine qualities.
• Identify the three you most need to cultivate.
• Treat the list as the daily curriculum.

BG 16.4

Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance – these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Pṛthā.

Essence. The demoniac qualities are pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance.

• Honestly note any of these six in yourself.
• Don't excuse them; address them.
• Track when each shows up and what triggers it.

BG 16.5

The transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation, whereas the demoniac qualities make for bondage. Do not worry, O son of Pāṇḍu, for you are born with the divine qualities.

Essence. The divine qualities are conducive to liberation; the demoniac to bondage — do not lament; you are born of divine nature.

• Receive Kṛṣṇa's reassurance: you are born of divine nature.
• Don't despair when demoniac tendencies arise; they are conquerable.
• Cultivate the divine qualities to crowd out the demoniac.

BG 16.6

O son of Pṛthā, in this world there are two kinds of created beings. One is called divine and the other demoniac. I have already explained to you at length the divine qualities. Now hear from Me of the demoniac.

Essence. There are two kinds of created beings — the divine and the demoniac. I have explained the divine; now hear of the demoniac.

• Welcome description of the demoniac as diagnostic, not condemnation.
• Use the description to spot tendencies in yourself or environment.
• Don't reduce others to 'demoniac' — recognize the tendency in everyone.

BG 16.7

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.

Essence. Those of demoniac nature do not know what to do, what not to do; cleanliness, proper behavior, truth — none are found in them.

• Cultivate the basics — knowing what to do, what not to do.
• Don't dismiss 'cleanliness, proper behavior, truth' as conventional.
• Treat conventional virtues as foundational.

BG 16.8

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.

Essence. They say the world is unreal, without foundation, without God controlling — produced from sex desire, with no other cause.

• Recognize these as common philosophical errors of our age.
• Counter them clearly in yourself when they arise.
• Don't underestimate the seductiveness of these views.

BG 16.9

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.

Essence. Following such conclusions, the demoniac, with lost souls and dull intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works to destroy the world.

• Recognize that wrong philosophy yields wrong action.
• Take philosophy seriously — it's not idle.
• Refute false philosophy in yourself before it produces fruit.

BG 16.10

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.

Essence. Taking shelter of insatiable lust, possessed by pride and false prestige, attached to impermanent things, they execute polluted plans.

• Audit attachments to the impermanent.
• Notice the link between lust, pride, and polluted plans.
• Address one item in the chain to break the rest.

BG 16.11-12

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.

Essence. Bound by hundreds of desires until death, satisfying lust, anger as their refuge — they unjustly amass wealth for sense gratification.

• Notice when the spirit of 'amassing for myself' creeps in.
• Distinguish need-meeting from amassing.
• Refuse anger as a refuge.

BG 16.13-15

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.

Essence. '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.'

• Hear the demoniac inner monologue and recognize it.
• Don't pretend you've never heard it in yourself.
• Replace it with offering, sufficiency, humility.

BG 16.16

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.

Essence. Bewildered by such anxieties, caught in a net of illusions, addicted to sense pleasure — they fall into hellish existence.

• Recognize the trajectory: anxieties → illusions → addiction → fall.
• Interrupt early in the chain.
• Don't wait until late to address the pattern.

BG 16.17

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.

Essence. Self-complacent, impudent, deluded by wealth and false prestige — they perform sacrifice in name only, not according to scripture.

• Distinguish scripture-aligned worship from showy religion.
• Refuse pomp without substance.
• Honor scripture's authority over personal preference.

BG 16.18

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.

Essence. Bewildered by false ego, strength, pride, lust, and anger — they envy Me, the Supreme Personality, who am situated in their bodies and the bodies of others.

• Recognize envy of Kṛṣṇa as the deep root of demoniac error.
• Don't entertain even subtle envy of God.
• Replace envy with recognition.

BG 16.19

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.

BG 16.20

Attaining repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac life, O son of Kuntī, such persons can never approach Me. Gradually they sink down to the most abominable type of existence.

BG 16.21

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.

Essence. There are three gates leading to hell — lust, anger, and greed; every sane person should give them up; they bring degradation.

• Map each of the three gates in your life.
• Address whichever is most open.
• Treat all three as cumulative.

BG 16.22

The man who has escaped these three gates of hell, O son of Kuntī, performs acts conducive to self-realization and thus gradually attains the supreme destination.

Essence. He who has escaped these three gates engages in works for self-elevation — gradually attains the supreme goal.

• Trust that escaping these three is itself elevation.
• Don't underestimate the foundational work.
• Recognize gradual progress as real progress.

BG 16.23

He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.

Essence. He who disregards scripture and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, happiness, nor the supreme destination.

• Take scripture seriously as the standard, not as one option among many.
• Distinguish your whim from scriptural authority.
• When in doubt, defer to scripture.

BG 16.24

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.

Essence. Therefore, scripture is the authority; understand by it what is duty and what is not — perform your prescribed duty as instructed.

• Use scripture to clarify duty in concrete situations.
• Don't let modern advice displace scripture.
• Honor your guru's interpretation as the operating bridge.