The Bhagavadgita
Chapter XVI: The Yoga of Division between the Divine and the Demoniacal Properties
1 Sri Bhagavan said: Fearlessness, absolute purity of heart, constant absorption of mind in meditation for Self-Realization and the Sattvic form of charity, control of the senses, worship (of God as well as celestial beings and superiors) and the performance of Agnihotra (pouring oblations into the sacred fire) and other auspicious acts, study of the Vedas and other sacred texts, chanting of Divine Names and glories, bearing of hardships for the sake of one’s own Dharma and straightness of mind, including straightness of the body and senses, -
2 Non-violence in thought, word and deed, truthfulness and geniality of speech, absence of anger even on provocation, renunciation of the idea of doership in action, tranquility of mind, refraining from malicious gossip, kindness to all creatures, absence of attachment to the objects of senses even during their contact with the senses, mildness, sense of shame in doing things not sanctioned by the scriptures or usage, abstaining from idle pursuits, -
3 Sublimity, forgiveness, fortitude, external purity, absence of malice, absence of the feeling of self-importance: these are the marks of one who is naturally endowed with divine virtues, O descendant of Bharata.
4 Hypocrisy, arrogance, pride, anger, harshness and ignorance: these, Arjuna, are the marks of one who is born with demoniacal properties.
5 Divine virtues are regarded as conducive to liberation and demoniacal properties as conducive to bondage. Grieve not, Arjuna, for you are born with divine virtues.
6 Arjuna, in this world there are two types of men – divine and demoniacal. The divine type has been described at length; hear from Me the demoniacal also.
7 Men belonging to the demoniac group know not what is right activity and what is right cessation of activity. Hence they possess neither purity (international or external), nor good conduct nor truth.
8 They say: “The world is without any foundation and altogether false, godless and brought about by mutual union (of man and woman); what else?”
9 Embracing this view, these lost souls with little understanding, ill-disposed and devoted to cruel actions, are born for the destruction of the world.
10 Possessed of hypocrisy, conceit and arrogance and given to insatiable passion, and adopting false doctrines due to delusion, they take to action with impure vows.
11 Giving themselves over to endless cares terminating only with death, and given to the enjoyment of sensuous pleasures, they believe the highest limit of joy to consist only in this.
12 Held in bondage by a hundred ties of expectation, given over to passion and anger, they strive to obtain by unlawful means hoards of money for the enjoyment of sensuous pleasure.
13 “This has been won by me today; that ambition I shall realize now; this wealth is mine already; that will be mine again.
14 “This enemy has been already disposed of by me, and I shall make short work of others also. I am the Lord, I am the enjoyer; I am perfect, powerful and happy.
15 “I am wealthy, and high-born. Who else is like unto me? I shall perform sacrifices, give alms and rejoice.” Thus deluded by ignorance, -
16 bewildered by numerous thoughts, enmeshed in the web of delusion and addicted to the enjoyment of sensuous pleasures, men of demoniacal nature fall into the foulest hell.
17 Self-important, unbending, filled with the intoxication of wealth and honour, performing nominal sacrifices for show and contrary to scriptural ordinance,
18 Given over to egoism, violence, insolence, passion and anger, these malicious persons hate Me that dwell in the bodies of others as well as in their own.
19 These haters, evil, cruel and vilest among men, I repeatedly throw into demoniacal wombs in this world.
20 Arjuna, cast into demoniacal wombs, birth after birth, these fools, attaining not to Me, sink into still lower depths.
21 Passion, anger and greed, these constitute the triple gate to hell leading to the damnation of the soul. Therefore, one should shake off all these three.
22 A man released from these three gates to hell, Arjuna, works his own salvation and thereby reaches the highest goal (i.e.; Myself).
23 He, who, having cast aside the injunctions of the scriptures, acts according to his own sweet will, attains not perfection, nor the highest goal, nor even happiness.
24 Therefore, let the scripture be your authority in determining what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. Knowing this, you should do here only such action as is sanctioned by scriptural ordinance.
Thus, in the Upanisad sung by the Lord, the science of Brahma, the scripture on Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krsna and Arjuna, ends the sixteenth chapter entitled “The Yoga of Division between the Divine and the Demoniacal Properties.”
