FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 16.8

అసత్యమప్రతిష్ఠం తే జగదాహురనీశ్వరమ్ । అపరస్పరసమ్భూతం కిమన్యత్కామహైతుకమ్ ॥ ౮ ॥
asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te
[asatyam apratishtham te]
jagad āhur anīśvaram
[jagad aahur aneeshvaram]
aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ
[aparaspara-sambhootam]
kim anyat kāma-haitukam
[kim anyat kaama-haitukam]
Word-for-word
asatyam — unreal apratiṣṭham — without foundation te — they jagat — the cosmic manifestation āhuḥ — say anīśvaram — with no controller aparaspara — without cause sambhūtam — arisen kim anyat — there is no other cause kāma - haitukam — it is due to lust only .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te
asatyam
unreal
apratiṣṭham
without foundation
te
they
jagad āhur anīśvaram
jagat
the cosmic manifestation
āhuḥ
say
anīśvaram
with no controller
aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ
aparaspara
without cause
sambhūtam
arisen
kim anyat kāma-haitukam
kim anyat
there is no other cause
kāma - haitukam
it is due to lust only .
Important Words
  • asatyam — unreal
    A-satyam — without truth, without reality. The demoniac claim of 'no truth in the cosmos' is itself a truth-claim, self-refuting. This is the first inversion: denying satya about the world that is held up by satya.
  • apratiṣṭham — without foundation
    A-pratiṣṭha — pratiṣṭhā being the support, the standing-place. The demoniac say the world floats on nothing. The Vedānta says it is supported by Brahman; the Bhāgavata that it rests on the Lord. To deny pratiṣṭhā is to deny that ground.
  • anīśvaram — with no controller
    An-īśvaram — without an Īśvara. The crucial denial. Once the controller is removed, every act becomes 'mine' and every restraint optional. This single denial unlocks the rest of the demoniac philosophy.
  • aparaspara — without cause
    Literally 'without mutual relation' — without the chain of cause from a higher cause. The demoniac sever the world from its source and treat it as self-arisen. Modern materialism uses different vocabulary for the same claim.
  • kāma - haitukam — it is due to lust only
    Kāma as the sole cause. Hetuka — causal. Reduce existence to a single cause — desire — and you have license to obey it. The reductionism is the doorway to the bondage.
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.
Purport

The demonic conclude that the world is phantasmagoria. There is no cause and effect, no controller, no purpose: everything is unreal. They say that this cosmic manifestation arises due to chance material actions and reactions. They do not think that the world was created by God for a certain purpose. They have their own theory: that the world has come about in its own way and that there is no reason to believe that there is a God behind it. For them there is no difference between spirit and matter, and they do not accept the Supreme Spirit. Everything is matter only, and the whole cosmos is supposed to be a mass of ignorance. According to them, everything is void, and whatever manifestation exists is due to our ignorance in perception. They take it for granted that all manifestation of diversity is a display of ignorance, just as in a dream we may create so many things which actually have no existence. Then when we are awake we shall see that everything is simply a dream. But factually, although the demons say that life is a dream, they are very expert in enjoying this dream. And so, instead of acquiring knowledge, they become more and more implicated in their dreamland. They conclude that as a child is simply the result of sexual intercourse between man and woman, this world is born without any soul. For them it is only a combination of matter that has produced the living entities, and there is no question of the existence of the soul. As many living creatures come out from perspiration and from a dead body without any cause, the whole living world has come out of the material combinations of the cosmic manifestation. Therefore material nature is the cause of this manifestation, and there is no other cause. They do not believe in the words of Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: “Under My direction the whole material world is moving.” In other words, among the demons there is no perfect knowledge of the creation of the world; every one of them has some particular theory of his own. According to them, one interpretation of the scriptures is as good as another, for they do not believe in a standard understanding of the scriptural injunctions.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
8. They say the world is false, without a foundation, without a creator, having arisen without cause. What else can be said? Its cause is just some speculation according to ones desire.
Commentary

This verse describes the thinking process of the asuras. They say that the world is an illusory conception, based on falsity (asatyam); that it is without shelter (apratiṣṭha), not having even the basis of a flower in the sky; that it is without creatorship of a controller since it is false (anīśvaram). Because it has arisen from nowhere like entities from perspiration, it has not arisen from a cause (aparaspara-saṁbhūtam). What else can be said (kim anyat)? Its cause is just according to the desire of those who propound theories about it (kāma haitukam). If they can imagine that the world arises only by illusion, then that becomes the cause. Others explain the verse thus: It has no proof, no confirmation from the Vedas, Purāṇas or other sources of knowledge (asatyam). It is said: trayo vedasya kartāro bhaṇḍa-dhūrta-niśācarā The makers of the three Vedas are jackals imitating wise men. [Note: This is the philosophy of Cārvāka and others of the Lokāyata school. This is quoted by Śrīdhara Svāmī as well, but the source is not given.] It has no state of dharma or adharma (apratiṣṭham). The ideas of dharma and adharma are both mistaken conceptions. The Lord also is conceived on the basis of mistake or bhrama (anīśvaram). “It is observed that the world arises only from the mutual interactions of men and women.” This is not a fact. The world does not arise from their interaction (aparaspara-saṁbhūtam). Though it is said that the child arises from the mother and father, it is a mistaken idea, like false knowledge that the pot has arisen from the potter. What should be said? The cause of the world is simply a speculation of one’s whim (kāma-haitukam). By logic, whatever different persons speak about atoms, māyā or God, they talk of that as the cause.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
8. They say the world is false, without a foundation, without a creator. It arises by innate properties of matter. It arises by lust alone.
Commentary

The Lord shows the conclusions of the demons. He speaks first of one soul (impersonal) philosophy. This world is false (asatyam), filled with error, like thinking shell is silver. The world has no basis (apratiṣṭham), like a flower in the sky. It has no God as a cause for its creation, maintenance and destruction (anīśvaraḥ). Being of this nature, it is just composed of an illusion. If there were a Supreme Lord within the world, the world He created would not be so ephemeral. Therefore they consider that the world must be false. This one soul without qualities, known by all sources of knowledge, because of error in knowledge, reflects itself through ignorance as another entity—in the form of the material world, the individual jīvas and the Lord. From the time of realizing ones real nature as the one soul, there is no contradiction, there is only oneness. Until that time of awakening, everything is like elephants, horses and chariots in a dream. In realizing ones true nature, what was imagined out of ignorance should disappear along with the notion of being a separate jīva, just as the chariots and horses disappear during deep sleep. The Lord then describes the theory of svabhāva or nature, advocated by the Buddhists. The world does not arise from the intercourse between men and women (aparaspara sambhūtam) or like a potter produces a pot (with intention), since the parents produce a child with lack of knowledge. Even after men and women enjoy one time only, children appear, and scorpions appear from sweat spontaneously. Thus creation takes place by its own nature, spontaneously, by natures inherent properties. The Lord describes the theory of the Lokāyatas (Carvaka). What more can be said? There is no purpose of the world except to fulfill lust. The lust between men and women alone is the cause of the world, being the motive for all action. Haitukam from hetu indicates some motive. Or the Jains say that is the cause is ones own will—whatever one can imagine according to his reasoning power, he will say that is the cause of the world.

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

Demoniac philosophy is explained here

World is unreal with no God in control
No cause other than lust and thus this world is produced of sex desire LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 16.8 & 16.9: The next ten verses (Texts 16.9 – 16.18) explain the abominable activity performed by those possessing this philosophy and mentality

Focus of Learning

(a) World is unreal with no God in control

No foundation: Creation is by chance

(b) No cause other than lust and thus this world is produced of sex desire

Lust as the cause – Living beings are a combination of matter produced from sex life
No existence of soul – All is matter, no difference between matter and spirit
Life is a dream – They say life is a dream but they are very expert in enjoying the dream
Thus not acquire knowledge but get implicated in the dreamland
No Superior controller – Do not believe that material nature is under control of Supreme Lord (Ref. Bg. 9.10 “mayadhyaksena prakatih…”)
No standard understanding of scriptures – They say that one interpretation of scripture is as good as other

(b) Unclean – he neither likes nor follow these rules

External cleanliness – Brushing, shaving, bathing etc.
Internal cleanliness – Chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra

(c) Improper behavior

Manu-samhita is the guide for human behavior (Especially Hindus follow it)
Improper behavior with others – Anger, harshness
Manu-samhita explains the laws of inheritance and other legalities also – examples of proper social behavior.
Women should not be give freedom
Women are protected in all ages, not as slaves but as children
Result of modern woman liberation – Moral condition of women is not very good and marriage is practically an imagination

(d) Untruthful

Concoct philosophies for their own purposes
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
16.8 Te, they, the domoniacal persons; ahuh, say; that the jagat, world; is asatyam, unreal-as we ourselves are prone to falsehood, so is this whole world unreal; apratistham, it has no basis, it does not have righteousness and unrighteousness as its basis; it is anisvaram, without a God-nor is there a God who rules this (world) according to rigtheousness and unrighteousness (of beings). Hence they say that the world is godless. Moreover, it is aparaspara-sambhutam, born of mutual union. The whole world is born of the union of the male and female impelled by passion. (That union is) kama-haitukam, brought about by passion. Kama-haitukam and kama-hetukam are the same. Kim anyat, what other (cause can there be)? There exists to other unseen cause such as righteousness, unrigtheousness, etc. Certainly, the passion of living beings is the cause of the world. This is the view of the materialists.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
16.8 They maintain that the universe is 'without truth,' viz., they do not accept that this universe, which is the effect of Brahman denoted by the term Satya, has Brahman for its Self. They contend that it is bereft of any 'foundation,' viz., they do not accept that it has Brahman for its foundation. Brahman as Ananta supports the earth and bears all the worlds, as declared in 'This earth, sustained upon the head of this great serpent, supports in its turn, this garland of worlds, along with their men, demons and gods' (V.P., 2.5.27). They say that it is 'without a Lord,' viz. they don't accept that this universe is controlled by Me, the Lord of all, the Supreme Brahman, whose will is always true. It has been already averred: 'I am the origin of all; from Me proceed everything' (10.8). And they also contend thus: 'What else can exist without mutual causation?' i.e., except by the union of the male and the female among men, beasts etc. What else exists apart from this nature? The meaning is that nothing else is seen. Therefore the entire world is rooted in sexual lust.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
16.8 Asatyam etc. [It] has nothing beyond : Here there is no other thing beyond what is seen.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
16.8 They say, "This universe is without truth, without (moral) basis, without a God, brought about by mutual union, with lust for its cause; what else?"
Commentary

16.8 असत्यम् without truth? अप्रतिष्ठम् without (moral) basis? ते they? जगत् the world? आहुः say? अनीश्वरम् without a God? अपरस्परसम्भूतम् brought about by mutual union? किम् what? अन्यत else? कामहैतुकम् with lust for its cause.Commentary They hold that the universe is without any substratum or support or an undying basic reality.This is a description of the opinion of atheists like the Charvakas and other materialists. They do not believe in the existence of Brahman Who is the support of this world. They do not even accept the existence of an Isvara in this world. They say We are unreal. Therefore this world also is unreal? the scriptures which declare the truth are also unreal. What else but lust can be the cause of this universe Sexual passion is the sole cause of all living creatures. There is no such thing as the theory of Karma. The whole world is caused by the mutual union of man and woman under the impulse of lust. There is neither virtue nor vice. There is no Lord Who dispenses the fruits of actions of the individuals according to virtue and vice. Dharma and Adharma are not the basis of this world. Sexual desire is the sole basis for this universe. This world is a world of chance. They are not endowed with the faculty of introspection. They are ignorant of the field (Nature) and knower of the field (God).Mutual union Sexual union it may mean the union of atoms. The world arose from the combination of atoms according to the Vaiseshikas.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
16.8 They say that the world is unreal, it has no basis, it is without a God. It is born of mutual union brought about by passion! What other (cause can there be)?
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
16.8 They say the universe is an accident with no purpose and no God. Life is created by sexual union, a product of lust and nothing else.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 7.15 BG 9.11 BG 7.24 SB 7.5.31 SB 3.32.39 SB 11.3.43 CC Ādi 2.117 CC Madhya 6.168 CC Madhya 25.55 Īśa Upaniṣad 1 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.9
Concepts
DharmaMaya
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
They say the world is unreal, without foundation, without God controlling — produced from sex desire, with no other cause.
Practical Applications
  • 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.
Reflection Questions
  • Which of these errors has crept into my own thinking?
  • What clear scriptural counter helps?
Analogy

A house built on the claim that there is no foundation under it. The occupants insist the walls hold themselves up by lust alone, that no architect drew the plans, that no ground supports the floor. Kṛṣṇa is naming the philosophy of a building that will fall.

Stories
Cārvāka's Doctrine

The ancient Cārvāka school taught almost exactly what this verse describes. The world is real only as matter; there is no God, no soul, no afterlife; the highest aim is sense-enjoyment in the brief interval one is alive. Eat, drink, and borrow if you must — once burned, who returns?

The Bhāgavatam shows that this philosophy is not modern. It is ancient as the āsura nature itself. Every age renames it; every age the demoniac find it again.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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