Chapter 16 —

The Yoga of the Division between the Divine and Demoniac Natures

Divine and Demoniac Qualities

16.1–16.3

The Supreme Lord said: O scion of Bharata, those of divine nature possess

Fearlessness, purity of mind, and steadfastness in spiritual progress.

Charity, control of the senses, sacrifice, and study of sacred teaching,

Austerity, straightforwardness, and non-violence in conduct and feeling.

Truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, tranquillity, and compassion,

Freedom from fault-finding and greed, with gentleness in disposition.

Modesty, steadiness, vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, and purity,

Freedom from hostility and vanity — these comprise divine qualities.

16.4

O Partha, hypocrisy, arrogance, pride, anger, and conceit,

Harshness and ignorance make the demoniac nature complete.

16.5

Divine qualities lead the soul toward liberation,

While demoniac qualities become the cause of bondage and limitation.

O Arjuna, therefore, neither worry nor grieve,

For you are born with divine qualities — in this truth believe.

16.6

Two kinds of natures exist in this world — the divine and the demoniac kind;

I have described the divine in detail; now hear of the demoniac mind.

16.7

Those possessing a demoniac nature cannot discern what should or should not be done;

They fail to distinguish proper action from what should rightly be shunned.

Neither purity nor proper conduct can in them be found,

Nor does truthfulness in their character and actions abound.

16.8

They say that this world is without absolute truth or foundation,

Without God, without order, and without divine causation.

They claim it arises merely from the union of the sexes in creation,

And has no cause beyond desire and sensual gratification.

16.9

Holding such views, these misguided souls of little understanding,

Engage in cruel and harmful deeds, ever destructive and demanding.

As enemies of the world, their actions bring devastation,

And their fierce tendencies become a cause of destruction.

16.10

Clinging to insatiable desires, filled with hypocrisy and pride,

Those of demoniac nature let arrogance become their guide.

Deluded, they cling to false beliefs and impure resolution,

Remaining attached to fleeting pleasures through ignorance and illusion.

16.11

Obsessed with endless anxieties that persist until death,

They pursue worldly pleasures until their final breath.

They remain convinced that gratification is life’s highest aim,

And accumulation of wealth becomes their consuming claim.

16.12

Bound by hundreds of desires and expectations without end,

Driven by lust and anger, toward sensual pleasures they descend.

For satisfying their desires, they struggle wealth to gain,

Accumulating it through unjust means again and again.

16.13–16.15

The demoniac person thinks: “Today, so much wealth have I gained;

Tomorrow I shall acquire still more, and my desires shall be attained.

All this belongs to me, and greater wealth shall yet be mine;

I destroyed one enemy, and the others too shall decline.

I am the lord and the enjoyer, successful, powerful, and strong;

I am wealthy and well-connected — who else can compare all along?

I shall perform sacrifices, give charity, and pleasures enjoy.”

Thus, deluded by ignorance, worldly indulgence they employ.

16.16

Bewildered by countless thoughts and caught in illusion’s net,

Attached to sensual pleasures, their wisdom they forget.

Absorbed in gratification and desires that endlessly swell,

They ultimately descend into a foul and miserable hell.

16.17

Self-conceited and stubborn, intoxicated by wealth and pride,

Such people let arrogance and vanity become their guide.

They perform sacrifices merely in name, with ostentation on display,

Disregarding scriptural injunctions and the prescribed way.

16.18

Blinded by ego, power, arrogance, desire, and anger’s flame,

They become envious of the Supreme and disregard His name.

They hate Me dwelling within their own and others’ frame,

And through ignorance and malice, they reject and blaspheme.

16.19–16.20

Those hateful, cruel, and vicious persons among humankind,

I repeatedly cast into births corresponding to the demoniac mind.

Taking birth again and again in demoniac existence,

They fail to reach Me through their ignorance and resistance.

O Arjuna, thus repeatedly caught in this degraded state,

They gradually descend toward an increasingly lower fate.

16.21

Three gates lead the soul toward darkness and self-destruction’s goal:

Lust, anger, and greed — therefore, one should abandon them all.

16.22

Those who free themselves from these three gates of darkness and despair

Act for their highest welfare with wisdom, discipline, and care.

Following what is beneficial, they advance upon the spiritual way,

And ultimately attain the supreme destination one day.

16.23

Those who act under the impulse of desire and disregard scriptural direction

Attain neither perfection nor happiness through such rejection.

Nor can they reach life’s highest and supreme destination;

Scriptural wisdom therefore provides guidance for right action.

16.24

Therefore, let the scriptures be your authority and guide

In determining what should be done and what should be set aside.

Understand the scriptural teachings and injunctions with care;

Then perform your duties in this world with wisdom and awareness.