Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 17

yaatayaamam gatarasam pooti paryushitam cha yat |
ucchishtamapi chaamedhyam bhoojanam taamasapriyam || 10 ||
 
That which is stale, without essence, putrid and is left over, also that which is pre-tasted and impure, such food is dear to the taamasic.
 
yaatayaamam : stale
gatarasam : without essence
pooti : putrid
paryushitam : leftover
cha : and
yat : that which
ucchishtam : pre-tasted
api : also
cha : and
amedhyam : impure
bhoojanam : food
taamasapriyam : dear to taamasic
 
Having covered the characteristics of food dear to saatvic and raajasic people, Shri Krishna now describes the nature of food dear to taamasic people. The first quality he describes is "yaata yaamam". A "yaama" is equal to three hours. So any food that was cooked more than three hours ago is considered "yaata yaamam" or stale. "Gata rasam" refers to food that has lost its essence, its nutritional value, its "rasa". Any junk food or processed food comes under this classification, as does food that has not been fully cooked.
 
It may surprise us to see Shri Krishna explicitly mention putrid or rotten food in this shloka, since we may think no one would ever eat such food. But there are people in this world who prefer eating food that has an odour to it. He also adds to the list leftover food and food that has already been tasted by someone else. The last item in the list is "amedhyam", which is food that cannot be offered to the deity for worship. He expects us to have the understanding to know what we can offer to the deity and what we should not.
 
So, having gone through the various characteristics of food in these three shlokas, what is the practical implication for us? The first step towards making our antaha karana saatvic, our intellect, our mind our thoughts saatvic, is to watch what we eat. If we are habituated to eating extremely spicy food, we will not have the stability of mind needed to make other parts of of life saatvic. By slowly adopting food that is predominantly saatvic, we lay the foundation for improving the texture of our entire personality.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 9, Chapter 17

katvamlalavanaatyushnateekshnarukshavidaahinaha |
aahaaraa raajasasyeshtaa duhkhashokaamayapradaahaa || 9 ||
 
Food that is bitter, sour, salty, excessively hot, pungent, dry and burning, are dear to the raajasic person, causing pain, sorrow and disease.
 
katu : bitter
amla : sour
lavana : salty
ati : excessively
ushna : hot
teekshna : pungent
ruksha : dry
vidaahinaha : burning
aahaaraahaa : food
raajasasya : raajasic person
ishtaahaa : dear
duhkhashokaamayapradaahaa : causing pain, sorrow and disease
 
We now examine the characteristics of food that is loved by one whose faith is raajasic. Shri Krishna says that food which has sharp flavours, any food that is excessively bitter, sour, salty, spicy, pungent, dry or causes a burning sensation in the tongue and stomach, all this comes under the category of raajasic food. Now this does not mean all such food is to be avoided. We need to exercise caution when the proportion of these characteristics is "ati" or excessive.
 
It is quite easy to assess the impact of such food in our system. Consumption of such food causes duhkha or pain, which begins with the mouth and hurts the entire digestive system for a long time. Such food can also have a long term impact on the body in the form of "aamaya" or disease. Since the person has raajasic faith, he will have a strong preference for such type of food, and will feel sorrow if he is unable to obtain such food. In today’s age, food that is high in sodium, sugar and oil also comes in this category.
 
Food, in its broader sense, also refers to the intake of information through the eyes and ears as well. Watching a lot of violent movies and TV, for instance, inflicts pain upon the mind. Many people get addicted to the internet and television, and experience sorrow if they are unable to log on or watch TV, even for a short while. It is no different than a bodily disease. In other words, the kind of television or internet content we consume can also reveal a lot about the texture of our faith.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 17

aayuhsattvabalaarogyasukhapreetivivirdhanaahaa |
rasyaaha snigdhaaha sthiraa hridyaa aahaaraaha saattvikapriyaahaa || 8 ||
 
Food that enhances longevity, mind, strength, health, happiness and joy, that which is juicy, oily, stable and pleasant, is dear to one who is saatvic.
 
aayuhu : longevity
sattva : mind
balaha : strength
aarogyaha : health
sukhaha : happiness
preetihi : joy
vivirdhanaahaa : enhances
rasyaaha : juicy
snigdhaaha : oily
sthiraaha: stable
hridyaa : pleasant
aahaaraaha : food
saattvikapriyaahaa : dear to one who is saatvic
 
The Chhandogya Upanishad describes the impact of food on our personality. It says that the food we eat is divided into three parts. Majority of what we eat is rejected by the body. The second part is used to build the bones, muscles, skin, organs and so on. The third part, the most subtle part goes into the antaha karana, comprising of the emotional mind, the intellectual mind, memory and senses. In other words, the food we eat impacts our personality in a multitude of ways.
 
Shri Krishna says that the type of food we eat can point to the texture of our faith. He lists the characteristics of food that is consumed by a saatvic person. Saatvic food promotes aayu or longevity. It improves the quality of thoughts in our mind. It improves our strength and our health, since it provides essential nutrition to the body. We have happiness while we are eating it, and joy after we have eaten it. It does not cause any regrets while eating it, or after eating it.
 
What does such saatvic food taste like? It is juicy, like a succulent fruit. It is not dry, it has just the right amount of fat and oil, like almonds. It is stable, it provides long term benefits to the body, long after having consumed it. It is hridyaa which means pleasant. One does not have to cultivate a special taste for it since it is agreeable to all. Another meaning of hridyaa is medicinal. Such food can be digested easily when our power of digestion is low, and can also help in the healing process.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 17

aahaararastvapi sarvasya trividho bhavati priyaha |
yajnyastapastathaa daanam teshaam bhedamimam shrunu || 7 ||
 
Food, also, which is dear to all, is of three types, and similarly, sacrifice, penance and charity. Hear this, their distinction.
 
aahaaraha : food
tu : and
api : also
sarvasya : all
trividhaha : three types
bhavati : is
priyaha : dear
yajnyaha : sacrifice
tapaha : penance
tathaa : similarly
daanam : charity
teshaam : these
bhedam : distinction
imam : this
shrunu : hear
 
Shri Krishna now begins to explain the method by which we can analyze the texture or the nature of our faith. The principle here is to assess the attitude with which we perform actions. The type of attitude maintained while performing an action will reveal whether our faith is saatvic, raajasic or taamasic. Shri Krishna covers the entire spectrum of actions performed by us with just four categories: our intake of food, sacrifice, penance and charity. To better understand these categories, we need to understand the underlying symbolic meaning.
 
We have come across broader meaning of the term yajnya or sacrifice in karma yoga. It refers to any action or transaction with another person or object while adhering to our duty. If we are an accountant by profession, then earning a livelihood as an accountant becomes a yajyna or sacrifice. Next, tapas or penance is the means by which we conserve energy needed to perform our duties. A scientist will give up innumerable opportunities to party because he is performing an experiment in his lab in the night. This is penance. Daanam or charity refers to the donation of excess wealth accumulated while performing our duties. The act of charity helps reduce our level of lobha or greed.
 
The intake of food or aahaara is given its own category. It different than sacrifice, penance or austerity for a couple of reasons. Any action performed towards feeding the body gives its phala, its result, immediately. But any other type of action gives its result much later. Furthermore, the result of feeding our body is restricted to the body, not to anything or anyone else. That is why people who are very diligent in their duties can become lax in their dietary habits. Food is analyzed in great detail in the next three shlokas.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 17

karshayantaha shareerastham bhootagraamamachetasaha |
maam chaivaantahashareerastham taanviddhyaasuranishchayaan || 6 ||
 
The collection of elements situated in the body, as well as me who dwells in the body, are weakened by ignorant people. Know them to be of devilish resolves.
 
karshayantaha : weakened
shareerastham : situated in body
bhootagraamam : collection of elements
achetasaha : ignorant people
maam : me
cha : and
eva : also
antahashareerastham : dwells in the body
taan : them
viddhi : know
aasuranishchayaan : devilish resolves
 
Let's say it is the first day of the new year, and we make a resolution to lose some weight. The very next day, we join a gym for the very first time, and spend one hour running on the treadmill. This will not be a good idea. Instead of helping our body, we may harm it. Weight loss, like any other system, requires a combination of knowledge and action. Unless we understand the techniques involved in weight loss, we should avoid starting an exercise regimen.
 
A similar state is found in some people who practice terrible austerities in the name of worship. Shri Krishna explains their fate here. He says that those who torture the body and mind in the name of austerity are doing nothing but weakening the elements, meaning the organs, in their body. Nowhere in the scriptures does it ask us to harm our body. He goes one step further by asserting that such people are also hurting Ishvara himself. As we saw in the ninth chapter, Ishvara dwells in all of us as the saakshi, the witness of our thoughts and actions.
 
Shri Krishna calls such people achetesaaha which means ignorant, or even unconscious. They chose to ignore Ishvara's teaching in the form of scriptures. They do not have faith in any ideal except their own preservation. They are driven only by egoism and desire. It is no wonder that their plans, their resolves, will be aasuric or devilish, as explained in the prior chapter. So the warning to us is clear. As we are conducting the analysis of our faith, we should in no way emulate these people. We should stay away from them.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 17

ashaastravihitam ghoram tapyante ye tapo janaahaa |
dambhaahankaarasamyuktaahaa kaamaraagabalaanvitaahaa || 5 ||
 
Those people who perform horrible austerities that are shunned by laws of scripture, entrenched in ostentation and pride, possessed with the force of desire and attachment.
 
ashaastravihitam : shunned by laws of scripture
ghoram : horrible
tapyante : perform
ye : those who
tapaha : austerities
janaahaa : people
dambhaha : ostentation
ahankaaraha : pride
samyuktaahaa : entrenched
kaamaha : desire
raagaha : attachment
balaanvitaahaa : possessed with force
 
Let us imagine that you are attending a class on basic electronic circuits. It is your first day in the electronics lab. If you have a good teacher, chances are that they will not start day one of the class with the topic of electronics itself. They will probably talk about the dos and donts of handling electronics equipment. This is because they have your safety and the safety of other students in mind. Shri Krishna, teacher extraordinaire, uses this shloka and next to give us a warning before delving into the topic of analyzing the texture of our faith.
 
This warning is very simple. Any time we see people abuse and torture themselves or others in the name of devotion, physically or mentally, we need to stay away from such people. Or, in the rare chance that we have been misguided by someone to do such things, we should immediately stop. Such torture could be something as basic as denying oneself food and water to the detriment of one’s health, or could be as terrible as poking and prodding oneself with pins and needles. None of this is sanctioned by any scripture.
 
So why would someone perform such painful austerities? Shri Krishna says many of these people have some misguided pride about some body-oriented feat such as walking on hot charcoals. They want to put on a show so that they can satisfy the urge of ostentation, to show off their feats. Some others become so attached a worldly goal that they take on vows of incessant fasting without taking their health into consideration. Broadly speaking, such people do not gain their result, and end up harming themselves and others around them.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 17

yajante saattvikaa devaanyaksharakshaamsi raajasaahaa |
pretaanbhootaganaamshchaanye yajante taamasaa janaahaa || 4 ||
 
Saatvic individuals worship deities, raajasic individuals worship the yakshas and the raakshasas, others, taamasic individuals, the pretas and band of bhootas.
 
yajante : worship
saattvikaa : saatvic individuals
devaan : deities
yaksharakshaamsi : yakshas and raakshasas
raajasaahaa : raajasic individuals
pretaan : pretas
bhootaganaam : band of bhootas
cha : and
anye : others
yajante : worship
taamasaa : taamasic
janaahaa : individuals
 
Shri Krishna says that people who have faith can be placed in three categories. Those that worship deities such as Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva and so on are saatvic. Those that worship materialistic spirits or yakshas such as Kubera the lord of wealth are raajasic. Those that worship ghosts and demons are taamasic. Hearing this, we may say that we only worship deities. We never worship anything else. Therefore, we may conclude that we are highly saatvic individuals.
 
But as we have seen in karma yoga, the attitude with which we perform an action is equally important as the action itself. Imagine that three people visit the same temple at the same time and pray to the same deity. One person may pray because he wants his daughter to get married. One may pray to knock off his business competitor. Another may pray so that he attains liberation in this life. Outwardly, they may seem to be doing the same action, but there is a world of difference in their attitude. This difference in attitude is symbolically conveyed in the shloka using terms such as ghosts and demons.
 
So, analyzing our actions is not as easy as observing what we do. We also need to note our attitude behind our actions. As we saw earlier, our nature or svabhaava determines our attitude and our actions. To uncover the texture of our faith, we first need to uncover our attitudes and motivations, which requires a high degree of awareness. To get better and doing so, Shri Krishna covers a gamut of actions in this chapter so that we can practice observing our attitude as well as our actions, observe what we do and why we do it.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 17

sattvaanuroopaa sarvasya shraddhaa bhavati bhaarata |
shraddhaamayoyam purusho yo yacchraddhaha sa eva saha || 3 ||
 
The faith of each is according to his nature, O Bhaarata. This human being is comprised of faith. As his faith, so is he.
 
sattvaanuroopaa : according to nature
sarvasya : of each
shraddhaa : faith
bhavati : is
bhaarata : O Bhaarata
shraddhaamayaha : comprised of faith
ayam : this
purushaha : human being
yaha : he who
yacchraddhaha : as his faith
saha : so
eva : only
saha : he
 
Shri Krishna emphasized the point made in the earlier shloka. The human being is nothing but a bundle of faiths, also known as beliefs, prejudices, customs, culture, tradition, basically everything that is ingrained into us as samskaaraas or impressions. But where do these impressions come from? Some of these impressions come from external factors, and some of these are present in us right from our birth.
 
When we see a child prodigy perform a complicated symphony, we may say that she got this skill from non stop practice since her birth, or we may say that she got it from her practice in a previous life. In any case, her actions are a product of the samskaaraas or impressions formed through countless hours of practice.
 
Shri Krishna says that faith is according to one’s sattva. Here, sattva is not used in its traditional meaning as a guna like rajas and tamas. Sattva refers to our svaabhaava, our nature, the bundle of impressions that are stored in our inner instrument, our antaha karana, which is comprised of our mind, intellect, memory and senses. This sattva, this bundle of impressions, makes us choose our actions throughout our lives. Although we think of ourselves as rational individuals, we use logic and reason to justify and rationalize our faith, in a roundabout way.
 
Now we come back to the question posed in the previous shloka. How can we assess the texture of our faith, our beliefs and our prejudices? We need to examine our actions. Our faith, our beliefs and our prejudices guide our actions. Therefore, by examining the texture of our actions, we can determine the texture of our faith. Our faith could be saatvic, raajasic or taamasic. Shri Krishna now takes each aspect of our actions and gives us guidelines on how to determine their texture.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 17

Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
trividhaa bhavati shraddhaa dehinaam saa svabhaavajaa |
saatvikee raajasee chaiva taamasee cheti taam shrunu || 2 ||
 
Shree Bhagavaan said:
Threefold is the faith that comes from the nature of the embodied ones, saatvic, raajasic and taamasic. Listen about that from me.
 
trividhaa : three fold
bhavati : is
shraddhaa : faith
dehinaam : embodied ones
saa : they
svabhaavajaa : come from nature
saatvikee : saatvic
raajasee : raajasic
cha : and
eva : also
taamasee : taamasic
cha : and
iti : in this manner
taam : about that
shrunu : listen
 
Arjuna began this chapter by posing the following question. If one does not have access to the scriptures but uses their faith to guide their lives, what kind of a position is that? Shri Krishna does not answer that question directly. The entire chapter, in fact, is the answer to that question.
 
It is not an easy question to answer because faith differs from person to person. We can say that we trust our faith, our conscience, to guide us towards performing right actions. But the faith of a terrorist is different than faith of a saint. If we do not have guru to guide us, we cannot assess our faith objectively. So how should we tackle this issue?
 
Shri Krishna gives us a starting point to help us. We first need to understand what he means when he says that faith comes from svabhaava or nature. What exactly is meant by nature here? Nature refers to the collection of samskaaraas or impressions that are present in a person, a “dehin” or embodied one, from birth until death. Whenever we perform an action and get its result, both the action and result are ingrained in our mind in the form of an impression. This impression is called as samskaara. Whenever we repeat the action and get the same result, the impression is further ingrained and strengthened. If we repeat it often enough, it becomes a habit. It could be a good habit such as respecting our elders, or a bad habit such as smoking.
 
So this nature, this collection of samskaaraas or impressions, is where our faith comes from. Now let’s go back to Arjuna’s question. In the absence of scriptures, in the absence of a rational, logical means to check our actions, what will happen if we use our faith instead? If someone swears loudly at us in the middle of the street, we will respond instinctively at that point rather than using logic or reason. We may punch the person who yelled at us, or we may ignore him. It depends on the makeup of our nature.
 
Now, based on the makeup of our nature, we can classify our faith into three types: saatvic, raajasic and taamasic. But it is difficult to do so directly. We will have to infer the nature of faith through something else. Shri Krishna tells Arjuna to listen, since he will explain how to do this.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 17

Arjuna uvaacha:
ye shaastravidhimutrisrijya yajante shraddhayaanvitaahaa |
teshaam nishthaa tu kaa krishna sattvamoho rajastamaha || 1 ||
 
Arjuna said:
Those who, setting aside laws of scripture, perform worship endowed with faith, O Krishna, what is their position? Is it of sattva, rajas or tamas?
 
ye : those who
shaastravidhim : laws of scripture
utrisrijya : setting aside
yajante : perform worship
shraddhayaa : faith
anvitaahaa : endowed with
teshaam : their
nishthaa : position
tu : then
kaa : what
krishna : O Krishna
sattvam : sattva
aaho : or
rajas : rajas
tamaha : tamas
 
In order to prevent the prompting of actions by selfish desire, we should use the scriptures as a guide to decide what to do or what not to do. This was the concluding message of the previous chapter. Hearing this, the word “shaastra” or scripture stuck in Arjuna’s mind. Perhaps he foresaw that over the course of time, most people will not have access to scriptures. They will not be able to receive the guidance of a real guru who truly cares about their spiritual growth versus extracting money from them. He wanted to know, like all of us do, how to use our judgement without access to scriptural laws.
 
Let us now investigate what category of people Arjuna is speaking about. There are those who may have access to the scriptures, may even understand the scriptures, but have no inclination of following them. Such people were covered in the last chapter under the category of devilish qualities. Conversely, there are people who understand the scriptures and also conduct their life according to scriptures. These people were covered under the category of divine qualities. This chapter covers those people who do not have access to the scriptures, but yet try to lead their lives through faith, sincerity and honesty.
 
So then, Arjuna asks this extremely practical question on behalf of common people who have faith in some higher principle. Some may be devotees of Shri Krishna, some of Lord Shiva, some of Lord Ganesha. Some may not have faith in a deity but may have faith in a spiritual text such as the Gita. Some may have not have faith in any of these but may have faith in a friend, spouse or relative who has faith in a deity or a spiritual text. Some may have faith in their nation or in a higher cause such as improving the state of the nation’s education system.
 
Regardless of what their faith is, such people would like to set themselves on a path that gains them happiness in the material world, and also enables them to pursue the supreme goal of self realization or liberation. In the absence of scripture as the authority, faith determines the course of action for such people. How can they determine whether their faith is saattvic, rajasic or tamasic? How can they ensure that their faith is leading them in the right direction?

Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16

The theme of the sixteenth chapter is the analysis of divine and devilish qualities that are present in every human being. Shri Krishna beings by listing all of the divine qualities such as fearlessness and purity of mind. He then provides a similar but brief list of devilish qualities such as ostentation and arrogance. He underscores the point that the divine qualities are a stepping stone towards self realization and liberation, but the devilish qualities are a slippery slope towards never-ending bondage and sorrow
 
Next, the philosophy of materialists is analyzed in great detail, because extreme materialism is considered no different than devilish nature. At its core, materialists do not believe in any overarching humanitarian laws or values, since they see the world as nothing but a combination of elements. Material gain is the sole aim of their lives. Anyone or anything that comes in their aim is a target for annihilation.
 
Shri Krishna says that such people are steeped in delusion and ignorance. Instead of bringing happiness, their infinite desires only bring them infinite worries. These infinite desires bind them and prod them to illegal and unethical means of accumulating wealth. What should I acquire next, whom should I harm next, this becomes their thinking. They develop extreme arrogance and pride towards their family, their wealth and their actions. They totally sever any association with whatever little values and conscience in them.
 
Such people never realize that by hating everyone they hate Ishvara who dwells in everyone and everything, who is the support of this creation. Although such people think that they are above all laws, they are not above the law of karma. They get the results of their actions in this life and several others to come. Caring only for themselves, they have begun behaving like animals even when they are human. Therefore they are cast into an endless cycle of births and deaths as animals, insects and other creatures.
 
Shri Krishna ends this chapter with an extremely practical message. He gives us a simple formula that will give us peace and happiness in this world, and also put us on a fast track to liberation. All we need to do is to avoid the three gates of hell which are desire, anger and greed. We do so by making scripture become the motivator and the prompter of our actions and not selfish desire.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 16

tasmaachhaastraam pramaanam te karyaakaaryavyavasthitau |
jnyaatvaa shaastravidhaanoktam karmam kartumihaarhasi || 24 ||
 
Therefore, the scripture is the authority to guide you towards what is to be not and what is not. Knowing this, you should perform actions according to scripture here.
 
tasmaat : therefore
shaastraam : scripture
pramaanam : authority
te : you
karyaakaaryavyavasthitau : guide to what is to be done and what not
jnyaatvaa : knowing this
shaastravidhaanoktam : according to scripture
karmam : actions
kartum : perform
iha : here
arhasi : should
 
Shri Krishna concludes the sixteenth chapter with this shloka. He says that ultimately it is the prompter of our actions, our motivation, that determine whether we are behaving as divine entities or as devilish ones. If the prompter of our actions is selfish desire, we are heading in the wrong direction. If the prompter is scripture, we are heading in the right direction. Therefore, when in doubt, we should refer to the guidelines in the scriptures on the performance of actions.
 
A case in point is Arjuna’s fundamental question: is it right to harm another individual? A soldier of the army defending his country and a gangster shooting at a crowd are performing the same action - killing people. But the difference is the prompter of both those actions. The soldier is prompted by duty to his country, whereas the gangster is prompted by greed. Where did the soldier’s duty come from? We could say that it came from the army’s code of conduct. We could say that it come from the constitution of his country. We could say that it came from the values cultivated by his parents.
 
In all these cases, the soldier’s sense of duty came from a set of guidelines that were founded on something that was much larger than the narrow viewpoint of one individual, that kept the bigger picture in mind. This is what Shri Krishna refers to as scripture. Using the word "here" in the shloka, he reminds Arjuna that such intelligent living is only possible in a human birth, not in any other birth. Now, we come to an interesting question? Which authority, which scripture should one follow? In this day and age, how can one practically lead an intelligent life that follows a selfless set of guidelines, that follows a scripture? This intriguing question is tackled in the next chapter.
 
om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade daivaasurasampadvibhaagayogo naama shodashodhyaayaha || 14 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 16

yaha shaastravidhimutsrijya vartate kaamakaarataha |
na sa siddhimavaapnoti na sukham na paraam gatim || 23 ||
 
He who dismisses the laws of scripture and conducts himself according to impulses of desire, he neither attains success, nor happiness, nor the supreme goal.
 
yaha : he who
shaastravidhim : laws of scripture
utsrijya : dismisses
vartate : conducts
kaamakaarataha : impulse of desire
na : not
saha : he
siddhim : success
avaapnoti : attain
na : not
sukham : happiness
na : not
paraam : supreme
gatim : goal
 
Imagine that we have to assemble a complex piece of furniture. Most people will follow the instructions given in the manual that comes in the box. But, for some reason, lets say we ignore the manual and build what we want based on a whim. What will be the outcome? We will be unsuccessful in building a functional piece of furniture. Consequently, we will not be happy with this outcome. Without following the manual, we neither gain success nor attain happiness.
 
Shri Krishna says that if we live our lives based solely on our desires, we will neither attain success in any worldly endeavour, nor will we attain worldly happiness. The supreme goal of self realization then is totally out of the question. Unfortunately, whenever we feel disillusioned, we usually seek guidance from the latest self help book, or try to emulate the lives of those who have had significant material prosperity. Such guidance may get us temporary happiness in a small part of our life, but will never solve our predicament holistically.
 
So then, what is the solution? Shri Krishna points us to the Vedas, the scriptures, as a guide towards checking our selfish desire-oriented life. He is in no way advocating a dogmatic, ideological or blind faith oriented lifestyle that imposes restrictions upon society. The Gita, in fact, presents the very principles of the Vedas in a format that is meant for practical individuals. The notion of svadharma, of following a career path that is in line with our interests and our qualifications, is a perfect example of guidance from the scriptures.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 16

etairvimuktaha kaunteya tamodvaaraistribhirnaraha |
aacharatyaatmanaha shreyastato yaati paraam gatim || 22 ||
 
One who is free from these, the three gates of darkness, does good to himself, O Kaunteya, and with that, attains the supreme goal.
 
etaihi : these
vimuktaha : free
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
tamodvaaraihi : gates of darkness
tribhihi : three
naraha : one who
aacharati : does
aatmanaha : himself
shreyaha : good
tataha : with that
yaati : attains
paraam : supreme
gatim : goal
 
Shri Krishna describes the fate of one who has successfully conquered desire, anger and greed, the three gates of tamas or darkness. He says that such a person, from a practical standpoint, puts his life on the right track, he does good to himself. From an absolute standpoint, such a person attains the supreme goal of self realization, of oneness with Ishvara, instead of entrapment in the never ending cycle of birth and death.
 
With this shloka, the message of the entire sixteenth chapter is summarized and concluded. Most of us, given the materialistic nature of the world, are on the path of preyas, the pleasant, the path of continuous satisfaction of selfish desires. Shri Krishna urges us to slowly tune down the three devilish qualities of desire, anger and greed, so that we can start walking on the path of shreyas or the auspicious, the path of the divine qualities. Only then do we become qualified to attain the supreme goal of self realization.
 
Having heard this, we probably have a question that arises in our minds. Every second of our lives, we are bombarded with a ton of desires. If our awareness level is high, we can regulate them some of the time, but not all of the time. Furthermore, anger can erupt and take over our mind within a microsecond. How can we, on our own, control desire, anger and greed? It is not easy. Anticipating this question, Shri Krishna answers it in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 16

trividham narakasyedam dvaaram naashanamaatmanaha |
kaamaha krodhastathaa lobhastasmaadetattrayam tyajet || 21 ||
 
Three gates of hell cause one's destruction, desire, anger and greed. Therefore, give up these three.
 
trividham : three
narakasya : hell
idam : these
dvaaram : gates
naashanam : destructive
aatmanaha : oneself
kaamaha : desire
krodhaha : anger
tathaa : and
lobhaha : greed
tasmaat : therefore
etat : these
trayam : three
tyajet : give up
 
Like a good teacher, Shri Krishna summarizes the entire chapter comprising the rather lengthy list of devilish qualities into three main ones: desire, anger and greed. He says that we always need to watch out for these three qualities in our daily lives, and minimize them as much as possible. He calls them gateways into hell, because they lead to the path of destruction rather than the path of liberation. Even the order of these three is important, because both anger and greed follow desire.
 
The second chapter explained how kaama or desire comes into our lives. Dhyavato vishayaan, by constantly thinking of an object (or a person or a situation), we develop an association with it. If carried on for long, this association results in a desire to procure that object. If anyone or anything comes between us and the object, we develop anger. And once we have the object, once our desire is fulfilled, we want more of the object. This results in greed.
 
So then, how do we tackle these three gates of hell? Let us first look at kaama or desire. If desire develops through contemplation of objects, we can reduce desire to a certain extent by keeping a watch on what we expose our mind to. For example, we can go to the mall with a shopping list rather than wander around shops that we don’t need anything from. But the root of desire is the labelling of objects as desirable by our mind. This labelling or superimposition is known as “shobhana adhyaasa”. It is why the same dress looks desirable to one person and irrelevant to another, since objects by themselves are not desirable. Controlling and convincing the mind through study of scriptures and meditation helps to reduce this labelling.
 
Desire is somewhat easy to control, but once we are in the grip of anger, it becomes somewhat difficult to do so. At least we do not publicly display our desires, but we do not hesitate to show our anger publicly. We require tremendous control over our mind in order to release ourselves from the grip of anger. It is therefore better to focus on rooting out unnecessary desires than to confront anger directly.
 
Lastly, lobha or greed can be kept in check through charity. Anytime we start feeling pride over our wealth or possessions, we should immediately donate a portion of our wealth or possessions. How exactly we should do so is covered in the next chapter.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 16

aasureem yonimaapannaa moodhaa janmani janmani |
maamapraapyaiva kaunteya tato yaantyadhamaam gatim || 20 ||
 
Entering into devilish wombs, the deluded individuals, from birth after birth, do not attain me, O Kaunteya. They attain destinations even lower than that (state).
 
aasureem : devilish
yonim : wombs
aapannaahaa : entering
moodhaa : deluded individuals
janmani : birth
janmani : birth
maam : me
apraapyaiva : do not attain
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
tataha : than that
yaanti : go
adhamaam : even lower
gatim : destinations
 
Here, Shri Krishna expresses his regret about a lost opportunity. Anyone who has attained a human birth has a chance to achieve self realization and liberation. But those individuals who engage in destruction of others instead of improving their state give up this golden opportunity. Such people enter a never ending descent into lower and lower realms of existence. An example given in most commentaries is that of kumbhipaaka, where individuals spend their time in a pot of boiling oil.
 
Such is the rare and special nature of a human birth, that most spiritual masters have mentioned it in their texts. Shankaraachaarya begins the Vivekachoodamani text with this proclamation : "For beings a human birth is hard to win, then manhood and holiness, then excellence in the path of wise law; hardest of all to win is wisdom. Discernment between Self and not-Self, true judgment, nearness to the Self of the Eternal and Freedom are not gained without a myriad of right acts in a hundred births".
 
The practical implication of this shloka is the importance of free will. Only a human has the ability to shape his or her destiny. Plants, animals and birds cannot do so. All they can do is follow their instincts and their sense organs. If we also start ignoring our intellect and empowering our sense organs, there remains no difference between us and animals. We lose all traces of sattva, and only exist through rajas and tamas.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 16

taanaham dvishataha krooraansamsaareshu naraadhamaan |
kshipaamyajastramashubhaanaasureeshveva yonishu || 19 ||
 
Those who are hateful, cruel, they are wretched in this world. Definitely, I cast such inauspicious people into devilish wombs, repeatedly.
 
taan : those
aham : aham
dvishataha : hateful people
krooraan : cruel people
samsaareshu : in this world
naraadhamaan : wretched people
kshipaami : I cast
ajastram : repeatedly
ashubhaan : inauspicious people
aasureeshu : devilish
eva : definitely
yonishu : wombs
 
What happens to people who, through their devilish behaviour, cause trouble to everyone and everything around them? Shri Krishna says that through their behaviour, such people become naraadhamaan, the lowest of the humans, the most wretched category of people in this world. They mistakenly think that they are above the law. But they are not above the law of karma. Ishvara ensures that such people get the punishment that they deserve, which is rebirth into devilish wombs such as those of animals and insects.
 
Let us first examine the symbolic meaning of this shloka. As we have seen in earlier chapters, we are at our best when the intellect has supremacy over our senses and our mind. But in people with devilish attributes, this picture becomes topsy turvy. The senses rule over the intellect. Logic, reason, duty, all such characteristics of the intellect are suppressed. Only sensual consumption takes precedence.
 
Now lets look at the shloka. Each time someone gives precedence to their senses as opposed to their intellect, their ego, their sense of I, ties yet another know, makes yet another association with the senses. Symbolically, each time this happens, they take birth in a devilish womb. This situation cannot carry on for a while. History is full of tyrants and dictators who let their greed get the better of them, made one miscalculation, and died horrible deaths at the hands of their subjects or their enemies.
 
Literally, this shloka asserts the working of the law of karma. Out of nowhere, we find that we experience unexpected professional success, monetary and personal gains. Similarly, we find that unexpectedly, we have to go through a rough, painful patch. Good or bad actions that we have performed in our present life, or perhaps in a previous life, always bring their consequences back to us. In fact, whenever we are going through a rough patch, we should be glad that the consequences of our bad actions are getting exhausted.
 
Similarly, people who commit devilish actions also get their payback. But their payback is harsher than what most of us go through. Shri Krishna says that such people take birth into species such as animals and insects. In such species, there is no scope for using the intellect to gain self realization and liberation. Only humans have this ability. Any state where we cannot access the intellect, whether we are in a human form or not, is the worst punishment possible.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 16

ahankaaram balam darpam kaamam krodham cha samshritaahaa |
maamaatmaparadeheshu pradvishantobhyasooyakaahaa || 18 ||
 
Taking refuge in egotism, power, arrogance, desire and anger, these resentful people hate me, who dwells in one’s own and in other’s bodies.
 
ahankaaram : egotism
balam : power
darpam : arrogance
kaamam : desire
krodham : anger
cha : and
samshritaahaa : taking refuge
maam : me
aatmaparadeheshu : dwelling in own and other’s bodies
pradvishantaha : hate
abhyasooyakaahaa : resentful people
 
Shri Krishna starts to summarize the list of aasuri sampatti or devilish qualities by highlighting the primary ones. The foremost devilish quality is egotism. Considering anything other than the eternal essence as the I is egotism. For most of us, the I is our body and mind. This incorrect understanding comes from avidyaa or ignorance of our true nature. In the Mahabhaarata, ignorance is symbolically represented by the blind king Dhritarashtra, and egotism by his first child Duryodhana, the cause of the Mahabhaarata war.
 
When egotism or the I notion is strong, one tends to impose one’s will on others. This is balam or power. One tends to disregard one’s duties, rules and norms, lose all sense of right and wrong, due to the strength of egotism. This is darpam or arrogance. Their primary aim of life becomes kaama or selfish desire, resulting in krodha or anger when these desires are not fulfilled. Other devilish tendencies such as hypocrisy, pride and ostentation are variations of these primary qualities. We should always be on the lookout for the rise of such qualities in us.
 
Shri Krishna goes on to say that such people hate Ishvara who dwells in everyone, including the very people who are harbouring these devilish qualities. They never listen to Ishvara who, as the voice of conscience, pleads them to not fall prey to these qualities. They do not follow the instructions of Ishvara as laid down in the scriptures. Instead, they resent him and hate him, as well as those who follow his path by cultivating divine qualities.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 16

aatmasambhaavitaahaa stabdhaa dhanamaanamadaanvitaahaa |
yajante naamayajnaiste dambhenaavidhipoorvakam || 17 ||
 
Self praising, stubborn, filled with intoxication of wealth and fame, they, arrogantly and unsystematically, conduct sacrifices for name only.
 
aatmasambhaavitaahaa : self praising
stabdhaa : stubborn
dhanamaanamadaanvitaahaa : filled with intoxication of wealth and fame
yajante : conduct
naamayajnaihi : sacrifices for name only
te : they
dambhena : arrogantly
avidhipoorvakam : unsystematically
 
When one is overly materialistic, one is always engaged in a constant game of one-upmanship with one’s rivals. Such people put in a lot of effort to create the impression that they are always one step ahead with regards to wealth, power and achievements as compared to their rivals. Shri Krishna paints a picture of this game of one upmanship in this shloka. He examines how such people perform sacrificial rituals. Let us look at the broader meaning of the term sacrifice, which means any activity undertaken for the greater good of society, commonly termed social service.
 
For instance, imagine that an extremely materialistic individual, one who has devilish qualities, announces that he will build a school in an impoverished village. First of all, whether the individual is qualified to build a school or not does not matter. He will praise himself and claim that he is qualified. He will probably not take advice from others, given his stubborn nature. He will make a big announcement in the media, but the emphasis will be on the charitable qualities of the founder than of the school he is building.
 
When in year or so, the hype of the media has died down, and students start attending the school, all kinds of irregularities are discovered. The building construction is faulty. There is no proper budget for hiring good teachers. The money raised for this effort has been funnelled into questionable channels. In a nutshell, the entire effort has been conducted unsystematically, only for the temporary image enhancement of the founder in the media. As with the other scenarios we have seen in this chapter, the root of all this is the intoxication of wealth and fame.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 16

anekachittavibhraantaa mohajaalasamaavritaahaa |
prasaktaahaa kaamabhogeshu patanti narakeshuchau || 16 ||
 
Bewildered by innumerable fancies, trapped in the web of delusion, addicted to desires and enjoyments, they descend into a foul hell.
 
anekaha : innumerable
vibhraantaaha : bewildered
chitta : fancies
mohajaala : web of delusion
samaavritaahaa : trapped
prasaktaahaa : addicted
kaamabhogeshu : desires and enjoyments
patanti : they descend
narake : into hell
ashuchau : foul
 
Over 9 percent of the population in western countries is addicted to drugs. Drug addiction begins when a person has some problem, discomfort or sorrow, such as a teenager finding it difficult to fit it or an adult losing his job. Using drugs or alcohol appears to solve the problem, so he uses them repeatedly. At this point, his body gets habituated to the drugs or alcohol and consequently shuts down all logic and reason. The person has become an addict. His sole aim in life is to do whatever it takes to satisfy his cravings.
 
Shri Krishna summarizes the lifecycle of a person with devilish tendencies, which looks worryingly similar to that of a drug addict. The person in question has an underlying sense of incompleteness or sorrow. Fulfilling a selfish desire, no matter how insignificant, gives him a temporary burst of joy. He wants to repeat this sensation, he wants more of it, and thus becomes addicted to desires and enjoyments. The more he does so, the more power he gives to his emotional mind, and takes power from his reasoning and intellect. He is trapped in the web of delusion. All he can think about now is more and more desires to fulfill, and the means to fulfill them.
 
Whether or not a drug addict or a highly materialistic person literally falls into hell is a different story. But a life of addiction, a life where inert substances make us dance to their tune, a life where there is no higher aim or goal, and most importantly, a life where the intellect has taken a backseat, is no different than any hell with fire and brimstone in it.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 16

aadhyobhijanavaanasmi konyosti sadrisho mayaa |
yakshye daasyaami modishya ityajnyaanavimohitaahaa || 15 ||
 
I am wealthy, I am from a good family, who else is equal to me? I will conduct sacrifice, I will enjoy. In this manner, he is deluded by ignorance.
 
aadhaha : I am wealthy
abhijanavaan : good family
asmi : I am
kaha : who
anya : else
asti : is
sadrishaha : equal to
mayaa : me
yakshye : I will conduct sacrifice
daasyaami : I will conduct charity
modishya : I will enjoy
iti : in this manner
ajnyaanavimohitaahaa : deluded by ignorance
 
In the last shloka, we saw the mindset of those who derive pride from their power. Here Shri Krishna describes the mindset of people who derive pride from other things such as wealth and family. An excess of wealth, especially for those who did not come from wealthy families, is the most common source of pride. Such people boast about their latest expensive toy, their net worth, their membership in elite clubs and so on. They are only interested in consumption and enjoyment.
 
Others derive pride from their ancestry and their lineage. For some, this pride comes from the fact that their ancestors were kings or landowners. For some, this pride comes from the fact that everyone in their family has always been a doctor or a lawyer. Some others even boast about the number of sacrifices they have conducted and amount of charity they have donated. Instead of charity and sacrifice leading to purification of one’s mind, such grandiose spectacles have gaining publicity and favours as their goal.
 
If we were to summarize the attitude in these three shlokas, it is this - no one is equal to me. I am superior to everyone else. So the net result is the strengthening, the hardening of the I notion, the ego, the aham. Each step taken towards the ego is one step taken away from self realization. There is no scope for detachment or renunciation. Attachment grows by leaps and bounds in such people. The root cause of all this is ignorance of one's true nature.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 16

asau mayaa hataha shatrurhanishye chaaparaanapi |
eeshvarohamaham bhogee siddhoham balavaansukhee || 14 ||
 
That enemy was destroyed by me, others will also be destroyed. I am the lord, I am the enjoyer, I have accomplished everything. I am mighty and happy.
 
asau : he
mayaa : by me
hataha : destroyed
shatruhu : enemy
hanishye : will destroy
cha : and
aparaan : others
api : also
eeshvaraha : lord
aham : I am
aham : I am
bhogee : enjoyer
siddhaha : accomplished one
aham : I am
balavaan : mighty
sukhee : happy
 
If someone harbours an endless list of desires, it is impossible for all of them to be fulfilled. So then, any person who becomes an obstacle to the fulfillment of a desire automatically becomes an enemy. For instance, if another business becomes a competitor to our business, we begin to treat them as enemies instead of improving our products. That leads to all kinds of unethical and illegal ways of getting rid of our competitors, all the way upto physical harm.
 
Now, many people rise to political power by knocking off their competitors. They begin to think they are above the law. And since they do not believe in god, they think that they themselves are gods, and that only they can control the fate of people. They can take the law into their own hands, because they believe they are the lawmakers. Pleasure and enjoyment is their only goal. Such is the thinking of gangsters, military dictators and criminals. In the Raamaayana, Ravaana began to think like this, leading to his downfall.
 
Other materialistic people may not necessarily become dictators, but try to project their power and arrogance wherever possible. They say things like they can pick up the phone and call the president of the country. They have accomplished everything there is to accomplish. There is no one mightier than them. They mistake this sense of power for happiness, because they have not experienced what real happiness is. Even a simple act of name dropping indicates a deeper obsession with materialism and power.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 16

idamadya maya labdhamimam praapsye manoratham |
idamasteedamapi me bhavishyati punardhanam || 13 ||
 
This has been gained by me now, these wishes I shall fulfill. This is mine, and this wealth shall be mine later.
 
idam : this
adya : now
maya : I
labdham : gained
imam : these
praapsye : fulfill
manoratham : wishes
idam : this
asti : is
idam : this
api : also
me : mine
bhavishyati : will be
punaha : later
dhanam : wealth
 
In India, when a young boy gets the news that he has gained admission in the engineering college of his choice, a desire automatically pops up in his mind. Once I get through my gruelling 4 year engineering course, I will be happy. As the 4 years come to a close, another desire comes in. I need to get into a good masters program in the US. When that happens, he feels that he will he happy when he gets a US visa. Once he arrives in the US, he wants a green card. Then he wants a wife, a big house, car and so on. Each time he thinks he will be happy, another desire is waiting in line to be fulfilled.
 
Shri Krishna wants us to examine our own outlook and find out the level of materialism in it. So in this shloka and the following two shlokas, he uses the first person to drive this point home. Here, he wants us to inquire into what we think is our ultimate goal, our destination, our objective in life. Most of us will come to a similar conclusion that it is accumulation of wealth so that we can take care of our material desires as well as those of our family.
 
But this line of thinking has a flaw in it. Desires are bahushaakha, they multiply infinitely, as we have seen in earlier chapters. Each desire contains the seed of several other desires. If any of those desires is unfulfilled, we invite stress, tension and anxiety into our lives. Now it does not mean that we should not harbour any desires. It just means that we need to apply some system, some framework to ensure that desires are managed and do not get out of hand.
 
The four stage aashrama system (brahmachaari, grihastha, vaanaprastha and sanyaasi) prescribes the duties of an individual based on their stage in life. When duties are given importance, desires automatically manage themselves. For instance, if one is a householder, then one focuses on what is the essential set of desires for fulfilling one’s duties, rather than deriving joy out of adding more and more desires. And even if some desires are unfulfilled, they do not agitate the mind because the goal is the duty, not the desire.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 16

aashaapaashashatairbaddhaahaa kaamakrodhaparaayanaahaa |
eehante kaamabhogaarthamanyaayenaarthasanchayaan || 12 ||
 
Bound by hundred ropes of desires, oriented towards desire and anger, they strive to accumulate wealth by unjust means for sensual consumption.
 
aashaapaashaha : ropes of desires
shataihi : hundreds
baddhaahaa : boumd
kaama : desire
krodha : anger
paraayanaahaa : oriented
eehante : strive
kaamabhogaartham : sensual consumption
anyaayena : unjust
arthasanchayaan : accumulation of wealth
 
Every selfish desire carries a seed of anxiety within it, as we have seen. Shri Krishna says that such desires harm us in another manner. We develop attachment towards the desire, we are bound. It is as if a paasha, a lasso, a rope is tied around us on one end, and the desire on the other. Just like a cowboy puts a lasso around a horse and makes it obey his instructions, each desire makes us into a slave, makes us dance to its tune.
 
If this is our plight, what to talk of highly materialistic individuals.They have not one but hundreds of such ropes to bind them. If one desire is fulfilled, they have several others waiting in line. If a desire does not get fulfilled, it generates anger and agitation, causing them to inflict harm and pain upon themselves and upon others. They fall into a vicious cycle of desire, anger and greed which, given that they subscribe only to a materialistic viewpoint, is almost impossible to get out of.
 
So if one is continually plagued by hundreds of desires, and has a narrow outlook towards the world, what is his solution? It is money, it is accumulation of wealth, artha sanchaayan. But, in order to fulfill the infinite desires that are pulling him in several directions, there arises a need to generate wealth beyond what is legally and ethically possible. Therefore, he resorts to making money using any means necessary, legal or illegal.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 16

chintaamaparimeyaam cha pralayaantaamupaashritaahaa |
kaamopabhogaparamaa etaavaditi nishchitaahaa || 11 ||
 
Occupied with infinite worries that end only with death, they treat desire and consumption as the highest, assured that that is all.
 
chintaam : worries
aparimeyaam : infinite
cha : and
pralayaantaam : ending with death
upaashritaahaa : occupied
kaamopabhogaparamaahaa : those who treat desire and consumption as the highest
etaavat : that is all
iti : in this manner
nishchitaahaa : assured
 
So far we saw how highly materialistic people inflict harm upon society. Now, Shri Krishna shows how they cause harm to themselves as well. He says that those devilish individuals, those with aasuri sampatti do not have even a single moment of peace. Their mind is always agitated with an infinite number of anxieties and worries. This state of affairs, this constant state of tension never ends, it goes on all the way till the end of their life.
 
Every selfish desire comes pre-packaged with the seed of anxiety. Why is this so? In anyone’s life, there will always be one desire or another that remains unfulfilled. It is quite normal. But when we give the utmost importance to desire and consumption, when we make it the ultimate goal of life, our mind is in a constant state of agitation until each desire is fulfilled. And even if we have all the wealth and power in the world, there will always be something that we are missing, which will in turn generate anxiety.
 
But if our worldview incorporates something higher, if we seek a higher goal than goes beyond materialism, we expand our sense of self, our sense of I. Instead of only thinking about our own well being, we start caring about our family, our parents, our city, our nation and so on. Now it does not matter if we have to undergo any suffering, because we care about something that is higher than us. The culmination of this expansion of self happens when we begin to have faith in the highest self, Ishvara, the faith that he will ensure our well being. Consequently, our anxiety about our well being begins to diminish.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 16

kaamamaashritya dushpooram dambhamaanamadaanvitaahaa |
mohaad griheetvaasadgraahaanpravartanteshuchivrataahaa || 10 ||
 
Filled with insatiable desires, with pretentiousness, pride and arrogance, holding untrue views in delusion, they work with impure resolve.
 
kaamam : desires
aashritya : filled
dushpooram : insatiable
dambhaha : pretentiousness
maanaha : pride
madaanvitaahaa : with arrogance
mohaad : in delusion
griheetvaa : holding
asadgraahaan : untrue views
pravartante : work
ashuchihi : impure
vrataahaa : resolve
 
A major aspect of the materialistic world view is greed. Shri Krishna refers to this greed using the phrase duspooram kaamam, meaning selfish desires that can never be satisfied or fulfilled. People who follow the materialistic world view believe that one who is without selfish desires is as good as dead. They do not believe that selfless action, work that benefits someone other than themselves, is worth anything.
 
This greed propels them to dambhaha or pretentiousness. They do not see the harm in putting on a show in order to gain favours or get what they want. As they accumulate more wealth and power, they feed their superiority complex, resulting in maanaha or excessive pride. When their pride reaches greater and greater heights, they become drunk with their ill-gotten accomplishments and possessions. This is mada, intoxication.
 
We keep coming back to the theme of ignorance and delusion, of moha, when we analyze the materialistic world view. When one cannot tell right from wrong, one begins to develop views that are not based on truth or rationality, termed in the shloka as moha-asat. It is no surprise that the activities or undertakings of such people are impure, lawless, without any consideration of duty or the big picture. Defrauding others or destroying others property are illegal in the eyes of the law, but perfectly legal from their standpoint.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 9, Chapter 16

etaam dristhimavashthaabya nashtotmaanolpabuddhayaha |
prabhavantyugrakarmaanaha kshayaaya jagatohitaahaa || 9 ||
 
Holding this view, these narrow minded, lost souls who engage in acts of terror, rise as enemies of the world for its annihilation.
 
etaam : this
dristhim : view
avashthaabya : holding
nashtotmaanaha : lost souls
alpabuddhayaha : narrow minded
prabhavanti : rise
ugrakarmaanaha : those that engage in acts of terror
kshayaaya : annihilation
jagataha : world
ahitaahaa : enemies
 
If we examine the life of any tyrant, gangster, terrorist or despot, a common theme arises. There was one moment in their life where they realized that using physical force on another person gave them power and joy. In other words, they did not have any regard for the consequences of their actions, especially when it came to harming others. Such people are the embodiment of the aasuric or the devilish tendencies.
 
Shri Krishna now begins to describe such people in great detail. First, he says that such people hold a petty, narrow minded view of the world. If I win, someone has to lose, this is their outlook. They have no sense of connectedness, nothing in common with anyone else. They are nashthaatmaanaha, they are lost souls. They have no concept that there is something beyond the physical body, whether it is god, soul, humanity, nationality, nothing at all.
 
Now when such people don’t have any connection with other human beings, with the rest of the world, they have no qualms in engaging in acts of terror. We nowadays come across people who create and deploy computer viruses, bombs, chemical weapons and so on. It all begins with a seemingly simple notion - that the body is the only truth in this world, and that everything is justified in preserving one’s body at the expense of someone else’s.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 16

asatyamapratishtham te jagadaahuraneeshvaram |
aparasparasambhootam kimanyatkaamahaitukam || 8 ||
 
They say that this world is unreal, without a basis, without a god. It is born of mutual union, desire is its only cause, what else.
 
asatyam : unreal
apratishtham : without basis
te : they
jagat : world
aahuhu : say
aneeshvaram : without a god
aparasparasambhootam : born of mutual union
kim : what
anyat : else
kaamahaitukam : desire is the only cause
 
Any philosophy, any world view has to answer some fundamental questions - who am I, what is the nature of this world, where did it come from, is there a god, and what is the relationship between the I, the world and god. In the fifteenth chapter, Shri Krishna described his worldview by answering all these questions. Here, he proceeds to describe the materialistic worldview, the worldview of the asuras, those with devilish qualities.
 
At its core, the materialistic viewpoint views everything as comprised of the five elements, or in today’s times, atoms and molecules. So then, the answer to the questions, who am I, and what is the cause of this world, is the same. I am nothing but a combination of the five elements, and the world is also nothing but a combination of the five elements. Both are caused by the union of elements, either through chemical or biological reactions that happen due to forces of attraction, forces of desire.
 
Now, if the world is comprised of nothing but inert matter, one will concluded that there is no truth to it, no basis to it, nothing higher to it. A divide starts to arise between the I and the world. If the world is an inert, unreal entity, why should I treat it with care? Anything, including lying, cheating and murder, is then justified. Materialists go one step further and assert that there is no governing principle in this world, no god. So I can get away with whatever I want, because there is no law.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 16

pravrittim cha nivrittim cha janaa na viduraasuraahaa |
na shaucham naapi chaachaaro na satyam teshu vidyate || 7 ||
 
Whether to engage or to disengage from action, those people with devilish tendencies do not know. Neither purity nor proper conduct nor truth exists in them.
 
pravrittim : engaging in action
cha : and
nivrittim : disengaging from action
cha : and
janaahaa : people
na : not
viduhu : know
aasuraahaa : those with devilish tendencies
na : not
shaucham : purity
na : not
api : also
cha : and
achaaraha : proper conduct
na : not
satyam : truth
teshu : in them
vidyate : exists
 
Shri Krishna begins his explanation of the materialistic viewpoint by examining its value system. He says that those people who come from a purely materialistic viewpoint have a shaky value system. In other words, they do not know what to do and what not to do, when to engage in something and when not to. They focus only on artha or wealth and kaama or desire. They forget that there are two other goals in life, dharma or duty and moksha or liberation, and that each goal is to be picked up and left off at a certain stage in life.
 
Now, since such people are unclear about the pros and cons of everything, they are bound to do things in a haphazard and messy way. Shri Krishna says that such people do not have shaucha, they do not have purity. He refers not just to external purity but also internal. When someone does not have a systematic way of thinking through things, there is a strong chance that they will lead messy lives. Furthermore, their conduct towards others, their aacharana, will also be messy and haphazard. They will lack good manners, courtesy and politeness.
 
It also follows that when someone does not know the pros and cons of anything, they will not place a lot of importance on satyam, truth, doing things the right way. So if they do not get the result they want, they have no qualms in getting their results by lying, cheating and deceit. They do not want to wait for the result, because waiting takes time. If there is a shortcut, they will go for it. Such is the value system of the aasuri, the devilish, the materialistic viewpoint.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 16

dvau bhootasargau lokesmindaiva aasura eva cha |
daivo vishtarashaha prokta aasuram paartha me shrunu || 6 ||
 
In this world, two types of beings have been created, the divine and the devilish. The divine has been described elaborately. The devilish, O Paartha, listen from me now.
 
dvau : two
bhootasargau : beings have been created
loke : in world
asmin : this
daivaha : divine
aasuraha : devilish
eva : also
cha : and
daivaha : divine
vishtarashaha : elaborately
proktaha : described
aasuram : devilish
paartha : O Paartha
me : from me
shrunu : listen now
 
Although Shri Krishna had reassured Arjuna in the previous shloka, he knew that all individuals had a mix of divine and devilish qualities in them, including Arjuna. It was not either or. The devilish qualities within Arjuna had erupted at the start of the war in the first chapter, so there was certainly room for improvement. Knowing this, Shri Krishna proceeded to describe the devilish qualities in detail in this chapter.
 
From our perspective, we are always struggling between progressing on the spiritual journey versus conforming to the prevalent way of life - materialism. While there is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying whatever life has to offer, society urges us sometimes to get carried away with the pursuit of materialism, without pointing out the downside of doing so. It is instructive to see how little has changed between the materialistic worldview of Shri Krishna’s time and the present day.
 
So, from the next shloka to the end of this chapter, Shri Krishna paints a detailed picture of the materialistic world view that many of us have taken for granted. He describes the way they think and feel, their attitude towards people and objects, and the consequences of their materialistic viewpoint.