Message: #3 2024-01-26 
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16: The Divine And Demoniac Natures
Chapter 16, Verse 1-3
The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purification of one's existence,
cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control, performance
of sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity and simplicity;
nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger; renunciation,
tranquility, aversion to faultfinding, compassion and freedom from
covetousness; gentleness, modesty and steady determination; vigor,
forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom from envy and the passion
for honor-these transcendental qualities, O son of Bharata, belong to
godly men endowed with divine nature.
Chapter 16, Verse 4
Arrogance, pride, anger, conceit, harshness and ignorance-these
qualities belong to those of demonic nature, O son of Påthä.
Chapter 16, Verse 5
The transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation, whereas the
demonic qualities make for bondage. Do not worry, O son of Päëòu,
for you are born with the divine qualities.
Chapter 16, Verse 6
O son of Påthä, in this world there are two kinds of created beings.
One is called the divine and the other demonic. I have already
explained to you at length the divine qualities. Now hear from Me of
the demoniac.
Chapter 16, Verse 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.
Chapter 16, Verse 8
They say that this world is unreal, that there is no foundation and
that there is no God in control. It is produced of sex desire, and has
no cause other than lust.
Chapter 16, Verse 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.
Chapter 16, Verse 10
The demoniac, taking shelter of insatiable lust, pride and false
prestige, and being thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean work,
attracted by the impermanent.
Chapter 16, Verse 11-12
They believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the
prime necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their
anxiety. Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by lust and
anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.
Chapter 16, Verse 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 enemy 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.
Chapter 16, Verse 16
Thus perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network of
illusions, one becomes too strongly attached to sense enjoyment and
falls down into hell.
Chapter 16, Verse 17
Self-complacent and always impudent, deluded by wealth and false
prestige, they sometimes perform sacrifices in name only without
following any rules or regulations.
Chapter 16, Verse 18
Bewildered by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, the demon
becomes envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated
in his own body and in the bodies of others, and blasphemes against
the real religion.
Chapter 16, Verse 19
Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men,
are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into various
demoniac species of life.
Chapter 16, Verse 20
Attaining repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac life, such
persons can never approach Me. Gradually they sink down to the most
abominable type of existence.
Chapter 16, Verse 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.
Chapter 16, Verse 22
The man who has escaped these three gates of hell, O son of Kunté,
performs acts conducive to self-realization and thus gradually attains
the supreme destination.
Chapter 16, Verse 23
But he who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his
own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme
destination.
Chapter 16, Verse 24
One should 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.
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