Bhagavad-gītā 16.17
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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ātma - sambhāvitāḥ
—
self-complacent
Ātma-sam-bhāvita — self-honored, self-imagined-as-great. The compound is precise: not honored by others, but by themselves. The demoniac certify themselves; no external authority is admitted.
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stabdhāḥ
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impudent
Stabdha — stiff, unbending, paralyzed in arrogance. The opposite of the bowed head before the guru. The neck of the demoniac cannot bend, which is why nothing higher can enter.
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dhana - māna
—
of wealth and false prestige
Compound: wealth-and-prestige. The two together create a particular intoxication — wealth alone can humble, prestige alone can sober, but combined they form mada (delusion-drunkenness).
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dambhena
—
out of pride
Instrumental — by means of pride. The fuel of the false sacrifice. Pride is not a side-effect of the demoniac yajña; it is the operating substance.
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avidhi - pūrvakam
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without following any rules and regulations
A-vidhi-pūrvakam — not-rule-preceded. Vidhi is scriptural injunction. The compound says: not done with regard to the rules first. Form without the form-giver. Yajña that has thrown away the yajña-śāstra.
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-pūrvakam, meaning a disregard for the rules and regulations, is especially stressed here. These things are always due to ignorance and illusion.
Ātma-sambhāvitā means those who have attained worshipable status, but are not respected by any well bred people. Therefore they are unsubmissive (stabdhā). They perform worship by actions which are sacrifice in name only (nāma-yajṣaiḥ yajante).
Recognized as preeminent (ātma saṁbhāvitāḥ) by themselves alone, not by knowers of scripture, lacking humility (stabdhā), filled with pride in wealth, filled with pride (mada) at being respected as paramahaṁsa or a great mendicant, worthy of all worship, or greatly learned in worship, they worship devatās they themselves concoct, by rules of worship which is worship in name alone, dressing up as renunciates, and pretending to be religious (dambhena) for the prosperity of their own house and family. All this is without following the Vedic rules (avidhi pūravakm).
Demoniac hypocritical nature and preachings are described here
16.17 आत्मसम्भाविताः selfconceited? स्तब्धाः stubborn? धनमानमदान्विताः filled with the pride and intoxication of wealth? यजन्ते (they) perform? नामयज्ञैः sacrifices in name? ते they? दम्भेन out of ostentation? अविधिपूर्वकम् contrary to scriptural ordinances.Commentary They are puffed up with unbounded pride. They esteem themselves very highly. They are not esteemed or honoured as such by the righteous or pious persons. They have a very high opinion of their own greatness. They esteem themselves as possessed of all the virtuous attributes. They are not humble. They have no humility or meekness. Their minds are entirely filled with a sense of their own importance. They treat others with contempt. They think that others are inferior to them. They never bend their heads and make prostrations to elders or superiors or spiritual teachers and monks. They stand erect like a pillar or iron post? intoxicated as they are with the wine of wealth. They pretend to perform Yajnas.They do not care for an altar? a sacrifical bower or a receptacle for the fire? or any of the proper materials to be used in the sacrifices. They do not pay any attention to the prescribed rules. They do sacrifices in order to increase their own fame. They will not hear even the mentioning of the name of God or Brahmana. How can God or a Brahmana attend their sacrifices They perform sacrifices without paying attention to the several parts of them and the obligations enjoined in the scriptural ordinances such as the recitation of the Mantras? worship of the gods? giving of the fees? etc. They will not do the sacrifices with reverence and faith. They want that all the people should say that they are Somayajis (performers of the Soma sacrifice). They will not attain the fruits of the sacrifice. There is no idea of service in them. They perform sacrifice to deceive the world? but not out of sincerity and faith.Mana Pride consists in supposing oneself worthy of a high honour (on account of ones wealth or learning? etc.).Mada On account of intoxication of wealth the wealthy man treats the Guru and other persons who are worthy of being honoured? with contempt. Wealth and learning turn their heads. This is Mada.
- BG 16 17-22 - Sridhar Prabhu - ISKCON Chowpatty 2010-01-26
- Priya Valabha Mataji BG 16-17-18 Hindi
- Jitamitra Pr Hindi Comments - BG 16-17 - 2015-12-28 EOK
- Rasika Govinda Pr BG 16-17 Tamil - 2018-04-05
- Shubha Krishna Pr BG 16-17 Hindi
- Vaisesika Pr BG 16-17 - 2017-09-29 ISKCON Vrindavan
- Vishwarup Pr Hindi BG 16-17-18 - Q%26A - 2017-02-15
- Vishwarup Pr Hindi BG 16-17-18 - 2017-02-15
- BKG BG Course - BG 16-17-21 - 2020-09-16 New Goloka
- Sukadeva Sw Telugu BG 16-17
- 2017-09-29 BG 16-17 - Vaisesika Pr ISKCON Vrindavan
- SP Tamil Translation - BG 16-17 - Dishonesty Starts from Government - 1976-06-28 NV
- Distinguish scripture-aligned worship from showy religion.
- Refuse pomp without substance.
- Honor scripture's authority over personal preference.
- Where has my own worship become showy?
- What substance is missing?
An empty drum painted gold and beaten loudly. The sound is impressive; the inside is hollow. The demoniac's yajña — bright, costly, public — is exactly this: external sacrifice with no internal offering. Scripture demands the offering of the heart; the drum has none to give.
Dakṣa, intoxicated by his position as Prajāpati, performed a great sacrifice and deliberately excluded Śiva — out of personal pride after a perceived slight. Vedic rules require Śiva's portion in every yajña; Dakṣa knew this and proceeded anyway, dambhena, out of pride.
The sacrifice was destroyed by Vīrabhadra at Śiva's command. Dakṣa himself was beheaded and revived with the head of a goat. Ātma-sambhāvitāḥ — self-complacent — exactly. Yajñaiḥ nāma — sacrifices in name only — exactly.
Pauṇḍraka of Karūṣa, deluded by his wealth and the flattery of his courtiers, declared himself the real Vāsudeva. He had a duplicate Sudarśana cakra fashioned, wore the dress of the four-armed Lord, and demanded that Kṛṣṇa surrender to him.
Worship in name only, ritual without substance, performance dressed as devotion. Kṛṣṇa's actual cakra resolved the matter. The Bhāgavatam treats it as comic precisely because the imitation was so total and so empty.
My note
Source: vedabase.io