श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
The Supreme Lord begins enumerating the divine qualities by listing fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in the yoga of knowledge, charity, self-control, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity, and straightforwardness as the first set of traits belonging to those born with a divine nature.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Krishna continues the catalogue of divine qualities: non-violence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of slander, compassion toward all beings, freedom from covetousness, gentleness, modesty, and absence of fickleness.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Krishna completes the list of divine qualities: vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, absence of malice, and freedom from excessive pride — these belong to one born with the divine nature, O Arjuna.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Krishna now lists the demonic qualities: hypocrisy, arrogance, excessive pride, anger, harshness, and ignorance — these belong to one born with a demonic nature, O Arjuna.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
The divine nature leads to liberation, and the demonic nature leads to bondage. But do not grieve, O Arjuna — you are born with the divine nature.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Krishna declares that there are two types of created beings in this world — the divine and the demonic. The divine has been described at length; now hear from Me about the demonic, O Arjuna.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Those of demonic nature do not know what action should be taken and what should be refrained from. Neither cleanliness, nor proper conduct, nor truthfulness is found in them.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
They say the world is without truth, without foundation, without a God governing it. They claim it is produced by mutual union alone, caused by nothing other than desire — what else?
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Holding fast to this view, these ruined souls of small intellect and cruel deeds come forth as enemies of the world, working toward its destruction.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Taking refuge in insatiable desire, full of hypocrisy, pride, and arrogance, holding wrong notions through delusion, they act with impure resolves.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Beset by immeasurable anxieties that end only at death, regarding the gratification of desires as the highest aim, convinced that this is all there is to life.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Bound by hundreds of ties of desire, given over to lust and anger, they strive to amass wealth by unjust means for the gratification of their desires.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
They think: 'This I have gained today; this desire I shall fulfill; this wealth is mine, and that also shall be mine in the future.'
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
They think: 'I have destroyed this enemy and I shall destroy others too. I am the lord, I am the enjoyer, I am perfect, powerful, and happy.'
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
They think: 'I am wealthy, I am of noble birth — who is equal to me? I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give in charity, I shall rejoice.' Thus deluded by ignorance.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Bewildered by many fancies, entangled in a web of delusion, addicted to the gratification of desires, they fall into a foul hell.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Self-important and obstinate, intoxicated by wealth and pride, they perform sacrifices in name only, with ostentation and without following proper rules.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Given over to egoism, brute force, arrogance, lust, and anger, these malicious people despise Me dwelling in their own bodies and in the bodies of others.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Those who are hateful, cruel, the lowest among men, and inauspicious — I repeatedly cast them into demonic wombs in the cycles of birth and death.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Entering into demonic wombs birth after birth, these deluded beings, without ever reaching Me, O Arjuna, sink to the lowest state.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Lust, anger, and greed — these are the three gates of hell that lead to the destruction of the soul. Therefore, one should abandon all three.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
One who is freed from these three gates of darkness, O Arjuna, practices what is good for the soul and thus attains the supreme goal.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
One who discards the injunctions of scripture and acts according to the impulses of desire attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme goal.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
Therefore, let scripture be your authority in determining what should be done and what should not be done. Knowing what is declared by scriptural injunctions, you should act in this world accordingly.