Chapter 16

श्री भगवानुवाच · śrī bhagavānuvāca

अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिः ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः।दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम्॥

abhayaṃ sattvasaṃśuddhiḥ jñānayogavyavasthitiḥ |dānaṃ damaśca yajñaśca svādhyāyastapa ārjavam ||

The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and yoga, almsgiving, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity, and straightforwardness.

Lord Shri Krishna continued: Fearlessness, clean living, unceasing concentration on wisdom, readiness to give, self-control, a spirit of sacrifice, regular study of the scriptures, austerity, candor,

अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त्यागः शान्तिरपैशुनम्।दया भूतेष्वलोलुप्त्वं मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलम्॥

ahiṃsā satyamakrodhastyāgaḥ śāntirapaiśunam |dayā bhūteṣvaloluptvaṃ mārdavaṃ hrīracāpalam ||

Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of crookedness, compassion for beings, non-covetousness, gentleness, modesty, and absence of fickleness.

Harmlessness, truth, absence of wrath, renunciation, contentment, straightforwardness, compassion towards all, uncovetousness, courtesy, modesty, and constancy.

तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचमद्रोहो नातिमानिता।भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत॥

tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucamadroho nātimānitā |bhavanti sampadaṃ daivīmabhijātasya bhārata ||

Vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride—these belong to one born for a divine state, O Arjuna.

Valor, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, freedom from hate and vanity—these are the qualities of one who possesses the divine, O Arjuna!

दम्भो दर्पोऽभिमानश्च क्रोधः पारुष्यमेव च।अज्ञानं चाभिजातस्य पार्थ सम्पदमासुरीम्॥

dambho darpo'bhimānaśca krodhaḥ pāruṣyameva ca |ajñānaṃ cābhijātasya pārtha sampadamāsurīm ||

Hypocrisy, arrogance, and self-conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance—these belong to one who is born for a demoniacal state, O Partha.

Hypocrisy, pride, insolence, cruelty, and ignorance belong to those born of godless qualities.

दैवी सम्पद्विमोक्षाय निबन्धायासुरी मता।मा शुचः सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातोऽसि पाण्डव॥

daivī sampadvimokṣāya nibandhāyāsurī matā |mā śucaḥ sampadaṃ daivīmabhijāto'si pāṇḍava ||

The divine nature is deemed conducive to liberation, and the demonic to bondage. Grieve not, O Arjuna, for you are born with divine endowments.

Godly qualities lead to liberation; godless ones lead to bondage. Do not be anxious, Prince! You have the Godly qualities.

द्वौ भूतसर्गौ लोकेऽस्मिन् दैव आसुर एव च।दैवो विस्तरशः प्रोक्त आसुरं पार्थ मे श्रृणु॥

dvau bhūtasargau loke'smin daiva āsura eva ca |daivo vistaraśaḥ prokta āsuraṃ pārtha me śrṛṇu ||

There are two types of beings in this world: the divine and the demoniacal. The divine has been described at length; hear from Me, O Arjuna, about the demoniacal.

No changes needed.

प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च जना न विदुरासुराः।न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते॥

pravṛttiṃ ca nivṛttiṃ ca janā na vidurāsurāḥ |na śaucaṃ nāpi cācāro na satyaṃ teṣu vidyate ||

The demoniacal do not know what to do and what to refrain from; they have neither purity, nor right conduct, nor truth.

The godless do not know how to act or renounce; they lack both purity and truth. They do not understand the right principles of conduct.

असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम्।अपरस्परसम्भूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम्॥

asatyamapratiṣṭhaṃ te jagadāhuranīśvaram |aparasparasambhūtaṃ kimanyatkāmahaitukam ||

They say, "This universe is without truth, without a moral basis, without a God, brought about by mutual union, with lust as its cause; what else?"

They say the universe is an accident with no purpose and no God. Life is created through sexual union, a product of lust and nothing else.

एतां दृष्टिमवष्टभ्य नष्टात्मानोऽल्पबुद्धयः।प्रभवन्त्युग्रकर्माणः क्षयाय जगतोऽहिताः॥

etāṃ dṛṣṭimavaṣṭabhya naṣṭātmāno'lpabuddhayaḥ |prabhavantyugrakarmāṇaḥ kṣayāya jagato'hitāḥ ||

Holding this view, these ruined souls of small intellect and fierce deeds come forth as enemies of the world, intent on its destruction.

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.

काममाश्रित्य दुष्पूरं दम्भमानमदान्विताः।मोहाद्गृहीत्वासद्ग्राहान्प्रवर्तन्तेऽशुचिव्रताः॥

kāmamāśritya duṣpūraṃ dambhamānamadānvitāḥ |mohādgṛhītvāsadgrāhānpravartante'śucivratāḥ ||

Filled with insatiable desires, full of hypocrisy, pride, and arrogance, holding evil ideas due to delusion, they work with impure intentions.

Giving themselves up to insatiable passions, hypocritically, self-sufficiently, and arrogantly, cherishing false conceptions founded on delusion, they work only to carry out their own unholy purposes.

चिन्तामपरिमेयां च प्रलयान्तामुपाश्रिताः।कामोपभोगपरमा एतावदिति निश्िचताः॥

cintāmaparimeyāṃ ca pralayāntāmupāśritāḥ |kāmopabhogaparamā etāvaditi niśिcatāḥ ||

Giving themselves over to immeasurable cares that end only with death, regarding the gratification of lust as their highest aim, and feeling sure that that is all.

Poring anxiously over evil resolutions that only end in death, seeking only the gratification of desire as the highest goal, and seeing nothing beyond—

आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः।ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान्॥

āśāpāśaśatairbaddhāḥ kāmakrodhaparāyaṇāḥ |īhante kāmabhogārthamanyāyenārthasañcayān ||

Bound by a hundred ties of hope, given over to lust and anger, they strive to obtain hoards of wealth by unlawful means for sensual enjoyment.

Caught in the toils of a hundred vain hopes, enslaved by passion and wrath, they accumulate hoards of unjust wealth, only to indulge their sensual desires.

इदमद्य मया लब्धमिमं प्राप्स्ये मनोरथम्।इदमस्तीदमपि मे भविष्यति पुनर्धनम्॥

idamadya mayā labdhamimaṃ prāpsye manoratham |idamastīdamapi me bhaviṣyati punardhanam ||

"I have gained this today; I will fulfill this desire of mine; this is mine, and this wealth will be mine in the future."

Today I have gained this; tomorrow I will fulfill another desire; this wealth is mine now, and the rest will soon be mine.

असौ मया हतः शत्रुर्हनिष्ये चापरानपि।ईश्वरोऽहमहं भोगी सिद्धोऽहं बलवान्सुखी॥

asau mayā hataḥ śatrurhaniṣye cāparānapi |īśvaro'hamahaṃ bhogī siddho'haṃ balavānsukhī ||

"I have slain that enemy, and I shall slay others too. I am the Lord; I enjoy, I am perfect, powerful, and happy."

I have slain one enemy; I will slay the others too. I am worthy of enjoying; I am the Almighty, perfect, powerful, and happy.

आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया।यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः॥

āḍhyo'bhijanavānasmi ko'nyo'sti sadṛśo mayā |yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya ityajñānavimohitāḥ ||

"I am wealthy and born into a noble family. Who is my equal? I shall perform sacrifices, give charity, and rejoice," thus deluded by ignorance.

I am wealthy, I am of noble birth; who can compare with me? I will sacrifice, I will give, I will pay—and I will enjoy. Thus blinded by ignorance,

अनेकचित्तविभ्रान्ता मोहजालसमावृताः।प्रसक्ताः कामभोगेषु पतन्ति नरकेऽशुचौ॥

anekacittavibhrāntā mohajālasamāvṛtāḥ |prasaktāḥ kāmabhogeṣu patanti narake'śucau ||

Bewildered by many fancies, entangled in the snare of delusion, addicted to the gratification of lust, they fall into a foul hell.

Perplexed by discordant thoughts, entangled in the snares of desire, infatuated by passion, they sink into the depths of hell.

आत्मसम्भाविताः स्तब्धा धनमानमदान्विताः।यजन्ते नामयज्ञैस्ते दम्भेनाविधिपूर्वकम्॥

ātmasambhāvitāḥ stabdhā dhanamānamadānvitāḥ |yajante nāmayajñaiste dambhenāvidhipūrvakam ||

Self-conceited, stubborn, filled with pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform sacrifices in name only for ostentation, contrary to scriptural ordinances.

Self-conceited, stubborn, wealthy, proud, and insolent, they make a show of their patronage, disregarding the norms of propriety.

अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः।मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः॥

ahaṅkāraṃ balaṃ darpaṃ kāmaṃ krodhaṃ ca saṃśritāḥ |māmātmaparadeheṣu pradviṣanto'bhyasūyakāḥ ||

Given over to egoism, power, haughtiness, lust, and anger, these malicious people hate Me in their own bodies and in the bodies of others.

Puffed up by power and inordinate conceit, swayed by lust and wrath, these wicked people hate Me, Who am within them as I am within all.

तानहं द्विषतः क्रूरान्संसारेषु नराधमान्।क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभानासुरीष्वेव योनिषु॥

tānahaṃ dviṣataḥ krūrānsaṃsāreṣu narādhamān |kṣipāmyajasramaśubhānāsurīṣveva yoniṣu ||

Those cruel haters, the worst among men in the world, I hurl those evil-doers into the wombs of demons only.

Those who thus hate Me, who are cruel, the dregs of mankind, I condemn them to a continuous, miserable, and godless rebirth.

असुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि।मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम्॥

asurīṃ yonimāpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani |māmaprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yāntyadhamāṃ gatim ||

Entering into demoniacal wombs and deluded, birth after birth, they do not attain Me, thus falling, O Arjuna, into a condition still lower than that.

So, reborn, they spend life after life enveloped in delusion, and they never reach Me, O Prince, but degenerate into even lower forms of life.

त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः।कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत्॥

trividhaṃ narakasyedaṃ dvāraṃ nāśanamātmanaḥ |kāmaḥ krodhastathā lobhastasmādetattrayaṃ tyajet ||

There are three gates to this hell, destructive of the self: lust, anger, and greed; therefore, one should abandon these three.

The gates of hell are three: lust, wrath, and avarice; they destroy the Self, so avoid them.

एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः।आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम्॥

etairvimuktaḥ kaunteya tamodvāraistribhirnaraḥ |ācaratyātmanaḥ śreyastato yāti parāṃ gatim ||

A person who is liberated from these three gates of darkness, O Arjuna, practices what is beneficial for them and thus goes to the Supreme Goal.

These are the gates that lead to darkness; if one avoids them, they will ensure their own welfare and eventually attain liberation.

यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः।न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम्॥

yaḥ śāstravidhimutsṛjya vartate kāmakārataḥ |na sa siddhimavāpnoti na sukhaṃ na parāṃ gatim ||

He who, having cast aside the ordinances of the scriptures, acts under the impulse of desire, does not attain perfection, nor happiness, nor the Supreme Goal.

But he who neglects the commands of the scriptures and follows the promptings of passion does not attain perfection, happiness, or the final goal.

तस्माच्छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ।ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि॥

tasmācchāstraṃ pramāṇaṃ te kāryākāryavyavasthitau |jñātvā śāstravidhānoktaṃ karma kartumihārhasi ||

Therefore, let the scripture be thy authority in determining what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. Having known what is said in the ordinance of the scriptures, thou shouldst act in this world.

Therefore, whenever there is doubt as to whether you should do something or not, let the scriptures guide your conduct. In the light of the scriptures, you should labor your whole life.