Bhagavad-gītā 16.20
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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yonim
—
species
Accusative singular of yoni — womb, source, species. Paired with āsurīm (demoniac), it specifies the kind of birth obtained. Each soul lands in some specific womb that matches its accumulated consciousness.
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āpannāḥ
—
gaining
Past participle of ā-pad — to fall into, to obtain. The same root from āpatti — calamity. The 'gaining' is ironic; it is what they have earned, not what they wanted.
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mūḍhāḥ
—
the foolish
From muh — to be bewildered. Mūḍha is the bewildered one, the deluded one. Repeated through the Gītā as Kṛṣṇa's diagnosis of those who do not see Him.
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janmani janmani
—
in birth after birth
Locative repetition — a Sanskrit idiom of intensification. Not just one repeat but the open-ended series. The verse is the long view: the pattern does not exhaust itself in two or three births.
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aprāpya
—
without achieving
Gerund of a-pra-āp — not attaining. The negative gerund: 'having not attained, they then sink further.' The cosmic accountancy: failure to approach the Lord compounds into descent.
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gatim
—
destination
Accusative of gati — destination, motion, goal. Paired with adhamām (lowest), it compresses the result of the long pattern: the soul's gati becomes lower until it can barely move.
It is known that God is all-merciful, but here we find that God is never merciful to the demoniac. It is clearly stated that the demoniac people, life after life, are put into the wombs of similar demons, and, not achieving the mercy of the Supreme Lord, they go down and down, so that at last they achieve bodies like those of cats, dogs and hogs. It is clearly stated that such demons have practically no chance of receiving the mercy of God at any stage of later life. In the Vedas also it is stated that such persons gradually sink to become dogs and hogs. It may be then argued in this connection that God should not be advertised as all-merciful if He is not merciful to such demons. In answer to this question, in the Vedānta-sūtra we find that the Supreme Lord has no hatred for anyone. The placing of the asuras, the demons, in the lowest status of life is simply another feature of His mercy. Sometimes the asuras are killed by the Supreme Lord, but this killing is also good for them, for in Vedic literature we find that anyone who is killed by the Supreme Lord becomes liberated. There are instances in history of many asuras – Rāvaṇa, Kaṁsa, Hiraṇyakaśipu – to whom the Lord appeared in various incarnations just to kill them. Therefore God’s mercy is shown to the asuras if they are fortunate enough to be killed by Him.
Not attaining Me, the asuras attain low births. However, those asuras in the form of Kaṁsa and others attained Me, Kṛṣṇa, who appeared at the end of Dvāpara-yuga in the twenty eighth cycle of Vaivasvata Manu’s reign. Though hating Me, they attained Me in the form of liberation. Because I am an ocean of mercy, I give even such sinful asuras liberation, which is only attained by the perfection of bhakti and jṣāna. The Personified Vedas say: nibhṛta-marun-mano’kṣa dṛḍha-yoga-yujo hṛdi yan munaya upāsate tad-arayo’pi yayuḥ smaraṇāt Simply by constantly thinking of Him, the enemies of the Lord attained the same Supreme Truth whom sages fixed in yoga worship by controlling their breath, mind and senses. SB 10.87.23 This widens the scope of My supreme attractive position which I mentioned previously. But as the Bhagavatāmṛta Kārikā says: māṁ kṛṣṇa-rūpiṇaṁ yāvan nāpnuvanti mama dviṣaḥ tāvad evādhamaṁ yoniṁ prāpnuvantīti hi sphuṭam In as much as those who hate Me do not attain Me in My form as Kṛṣṇa, it is clear that they attain the lowest births.
“Will those born in the wombs of asuras become liberated at some time by Your mercy, after many births?” These fools, having been born in ḍemonic wombs, not attaining Me at all, proceed to the wombs of the lowest creatures like dogs. Use of the word eva after aprāpya indicates that there is no possibility for them to get My mercy. A good birth suitable for practicing attaining the Lord is very rare (what to speak of this low birth). The śruti also says: atha kapūya-caraṇā abhyāso ha yat te kapūyāṁ yonim āpadyeran śva-yoniṁ vā śūkara-yoniṁ vā caṇḍāla-yoniṁ vā Those of bad conduct attain low births, such as dogs, pigs and caṇḍālas. Chāndogya Upaniṣad 5.10.7 “But because You have the quality having all Your desires fulfilled (satya saṅkalpatva), You can make them qualified, even if they are so unqualified.” Anything is possible for the Lord, but though He could do this, He does not have that desire, since there is no good reason for Him to do that. Thus there is no fault of prejudice in the Lord. The author of the Vedānta says vaiṣyamya-niarghṛṇye na: there is no prejudice or hatred in the Lord. (Vedṇata Sūtras 2.1.35) Therefore these two verses are very appropriate. Those asauras described here who do not accept scripture are always shown to be inhabitants of hell. But those who become demons and kings obeident to demens by a curse, though showing externally hatred to the visible forms of Viṣṇū like Vāmana, Narasiṁha and Varāha, regarding them as enemies, are internally followers of the vedic path, and consider Him to be the Supreme Lord the controller of all, in control of time, beyond their material vision. Being killed by Vāmana and other incarnations, they give up the bodies of asuras . Those killed by Kṛṣṇa attain liberation. These persons are not opposers of the Vedas.
Fate of demoniac – They glide down to hell
(a) “Never attain Me” – explained as follows:
(b) What is the hope for them because God is supposed to be all Merciful:
E.g. Ravana, Kamsa, etc.
(a) PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Nothing is accidental – This verse clearly indicates that placing of a
particular soul in a particular body is the prerogative of the Supreme Will
(b) Fate of Demoniac
SUMMARISED THEME 16B
A) Demonaic qualities (16.4)
1. Pride
2. Anger
3. Arrogance
4. Conceit
5. Harshness
6. Ignorance
B) Demoniac nature (16.7)
C) Demonaic philosophy (16.8)
D) Demoniac attitude and engagements (16.9 & 16.11 – 16.12)
E) Demoniac mentality (16.10 & 16.13 – 16.15)
F) Result of demonaic work (16.16)
G) Demoniac preachings (16.17 – 16.18)
H) Fate of demonaic (16.19 – 16.20)
16.20 असुरीम् demoniacal? योनिम् womb? आपन्नाः entering into? मूढाः deluded? जन्मनि जन्मनि in birth after birth? माम् Me? अप्राप्य not attaining? एव still? कौन्तेय O son of Kunti (Arjuna)? ततः than that? यान्ति (they) fall into? अधमाम् lower? गतिम् condition (path or goal).Commentary These degraded Asuras are cast into the demoniacal wombs. They are reduced to the very lowest condition or the most appalling state. They are cast into utter darkness. They fall into lower and yet lower wombs in response to their own satanic desires and actions and their extreme Tamasic nature. From the birth of a tiger? they will get the birth of a serpent from a serpents they will get the birth of a wormfrom that they will get the birth of a tree? etc. In Sanskrit the suffix Tara denotes comparative degree and Tama is superlative degree. These people get Nikrishtatama Yonis (the lowest wombs).They do not reach Me as their minds are filled with impurities? as they do not tread the path of righteousness in accordance with the injunctions of the scriptures. The diabolical nature is inimical to spiritual progress. Therefore? you will have to annihilate the evil tendencies by cultivating divine alities and the practice of regular meditation. Then and only then will you attain liberation.
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A stone dropped into deep water sinks not by malice of the water but by its own density. Each lifetime of demoniac choice adds weight; the soul sinks further, never approaching Kṛṣṇa because it has loaded itself away from Him. Gravity, not punishment, is the verse's grammar.
King Vena, the son of Aṅga, was demoniac from birth. The sages crowned him in hope of correction; he forbade sacrifice and demanded worship of himself alone. When the sages killed him with the force of their mantra, his body was churned for any salvageable element — Pṛthu emerged from one arm — but the rest, the demoniac substance, descended to lower wombs.
The Bhāgavatam treats Vena as the textbook of janmani janmani — birth after birth — sinking through the very route the verse describes.
My note
Source: vedabase.io