Chapter - XVI
THE UNITIVE WAY OF DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN HIGHER AND LOWER VALUES
(Daivasure-Sampad-Vibhaga-Yoga)
This Chapter is extremely simple from explanation point of view. Therefore, we won’t be giving explanations of the verses, unless required. However, despite its apparent simplicity, the values described here are not easy to be followed in real life.
Gita explicitly lay down the values which are synonymous with the world of Devatas (divinities) and those which belong to the world of asuras (demons) and leaves it unto us whether we wish to be categorized with Devatas or asuras. Idea is to make us cognize and distinguish what is good from what is bad. In other words, to be able to discriminate between the values belonging to life.
NG is of the opinion that such values do not have difference as between one religious growth and another, and are not of the order of obligations, taboos or bans (for which see Bergson’s ‘The Two Sources of Morality and Religion’ which deals with this subject). At the same time, NG says “the tone becomes rather harsh and crude. In verses 19 and 20 we come up against a god who resembles an angry Jehovah, who will not be satisfied till he metes out strict justice. The nature of the presiding god of this Chapter sinks definitely to the side of karma (action) or necessity.
“Necessity itself, in its most imperative form, is a principle that cannot be neglected or lightly brushed aside by a philosopher who is able to penetrate into reality as such. As necessity itself is cruel and harsh, the tone of the chapter has to change correspondingly. This should not be taken to mean that the essential character of the Absolute as portrayed in the Gita as a whole is compromised or changed for the worse.”
This is unfortunate that despite the Paramatma’s tone changing when talking of those who belong to the world of asuras (demons), Paramatma explicitly saying that it is these men who are responsible for the world’s decline (verse 9), and that they will all fall into an unclean hell (verse 16) or will be hurled unceasingly into the degraded wombs of demons (verse 19) and cannot attain perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme path (verse 23), NG has maintained that the essential character of Gita is not of the order of obligations.
We find similar harsh tone is used by the Paramatma (Manifest Self) in Quran when it talks of those who commit evil acts.
Surah Al-Jasiyah (The Kneeling) verses 9-11 say:
And when he cometh to know any of Our signs he taketh it in jest; These shall have a disgracing chastisement.
Behind them is hell, and shall avail them not aught of what they did earn, nor those whom they took as guardians besides God, and for them shall be a grievous chastisement.
This (Quran) is guidance, and those who disbelieve in the signs of their lord, for them shall be the most painful chastisement.
Similarly Surah Al-Alaq (The Clot) of Quran refers to the need to praise and worship the Absolute God who created all things in the Universe, and says those who belie the truth and turn their back to Him, the Manifest Self (Paramatma) will drag such a person by the forelocks (and cast him into the fire of hell).
In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful
Read thou! (O’ Our Apostle Mohammad!) In the name of thy Lord Who created (Everything in
the Universe)
He created man from a clot!
Recite (Thou O’ Our Apostle Mohammad!) And thy Lord is the Most Honourable!
(He) Who taught (to write) with the Pen,
(He) taught man what he knew not!
Nay! Verily man is wont to rebel!
As he deemeth himself needless!
Verily unto thy Lord (alone) is the return!
Hast thou seen the man who forbiddeth?
A servant when he prayeth?
Hast thou seen if he were rightly guided?
Or enjoined piety?
Hast thou seen if he belieth the Truth and turneth (his) back?
Knowest he not that God seeth?
Nay! (let him beware!) if he desisteth not, We shall surely drag him by the forelock!
The tone itself is frightening, both in Gita and Quran. It is so because the Manifest Self has taken upon itself the task of leading mankind to the worship of God. Those who claim Gita is not obligatory, please take a look at the changing tone, for your own self.
Fact is that divine teachings have evolved with time as per the growing mental capacities of the people. From Adam onwards, Paramatma kept sending Prophets and Messengers with Its teachings, until Mohammad came as the last of the Prophet for the entire humanity, and completed the religion. Very much like a growing child who is taught the alphabets, then the words, then the sentences, and then taught complexities of literature and language. Yet at no point can you say that the alphabets that were taught in the Nursery were not essential to the teachings. Sometimes you are able to understand the teachings of higher class only because of the grammatical construction taught in the earlier class.
Initially, men were exposed to the concept of One God. As the teachings progressed, they were taught the values, to distinguish between good and bad, and Devatas were introduced so as to quench the desire of men to have a physical and live example of the teachings. In Gita, teachings reached a stage where the Absolute God is given more prominence and philosophical and psychological reasoning is given to prove the points. Dos and don’ts too reach a level that it becomes explicitly clear what are we supposed or not supposed to do? Also, the rewards or punishments of all actions too has been introduced. The later day Prophets like Buddha, Moses and Jesus, further elevated the teachings and introduced laws that were obligatory in nature. Thereafter Prophet Mohammad, who explicitly said that there would be no further Prophet to be sent by God, completed the teachings. He also introduced the rest of the Ahlulbayt viz. Fatima and 12 Imams (the Adityas) as those who were to show us how to put these teachings into practice. Islam became a law for all to follow.
Proof of our claim can be understood from various examples. Chhandogya Upanishad talks of One God, the creation of the Manifest form of God, introduces the identity of Devatas in very eloquent fashion, but when it comes to specific injunctions about human conduct, it lists five things that a man is not supposed to do. These included sleeping with his guru’s wife (as if sleeping with wives of others was allowed), theft of gold (as if theft of other items was permitted), killing a Brahman (as if killing others was justified), having liquor and giving company to anybody who commits the four grievous sins. It appears the obligatory nature of teachings grew in severity as man continued to disobey and digress. Either no restriction had been put till that period regarding sleeping with wives other than those of guru’s or this was seen as a minor crime. Later, when the teachings grew, sleeping with anybody’s wife was termed as adultery and strict punishment introduced.
Likewise, we find in Puranas people had up to 50 wives or even more. An incident mentioned in Vishnu Purana mentions a sage marrying all the 50 daughters of a king. Krishna is said to have more than one lakh wives. Are we to conclude that Krishna married such a multitude of women against the teachings of the scriptures or religion? If you are of the opinion that he did so because he was a God, then you are wrong. Because only the preceding Chapter (xv) of Gita talks about the manifestations of God on earth and says clearly that “when the Lord takes a body and when He leaves it, He takes these (mind and senses) and goes even as the wind gathering scents from their retreats” (verse 8). Verse 9 further says: “Presiding over the ear, the eye and touch, taste and smell, and also the mind, this one avails himself of the values relating to the senses.” Are we to conclude that Krishna acted contrary to his own teachings in Gita? Fact is that with no rule to stop him, he had the sanction to marry as many women as he wanted.
There are some who say that Krishna was forced under circumstances to have so many wives, and they came to live with him, as they trusted him. This is an absurd argument because the very passages in Puranas that talk of a large number of wives also talk of an even greater number of children, thereby showing that they were not just wives for the namesake but Krishna was enjoying marital relationship with them.
Islam put the restriction on the number of wives to 4, that too with conditions that the second marriage is only possible upon the consent of the first wife, equal treatment to both has to be necessarily given, to an extent that man should also spend equal amount of time with each one of them, bring equal number of gifts, and look after them equally. Also, marrying the sister of the existing wife too was prohibited, unlike the sage who married the 50 daughters of a king. This shows Islam never increased the number of wives that were allowed but in fact minimized the number to bare minimum at a time when there were no explicit teachings restricting a person as regards to the number of wives.
Why four, you may ask? This is so because the rules are always made keeping the entire society in mind. Male nature is such that it looks for variety in relationship. Moreover, there are several married men who fall in love with another lady. What would you suggest to them in such a situation? Even if you ask them to restrain, chances are that they may end up having illicit relationship, thus destroying the entire social fabric of the society. How would you ensure that a Boney Kapoor, Dharmendra or Azharuddin keep safe distance from their respective loves? Since rules were being framed for the entire society, Islam had to inevitably address this subject as well but created such situations that the adherents, in most cases, restrict themselves to only one wife.
Islam never saw sex as a taboo, as was made out to be by Muslims based on similar views present in other sections of the society. Whereas Islam has allowed certain flexibility as regards to the number of permissible marriages, it has also given strictest of punishments for adultery. Because once flexibility is given, it has only been given so that you do not overstep it. In societies which mandatorily restrict people to one marriage, we see countless examples of extra-marital relationships that are increasingly becoming part of our corporate culture, and other sections including the neo-rich who can afford it, page-3 segment and the lower middle class, thus proving that even today it is man’s nature that he wishes to have variety in sex. And in several other cases, it is either social taboos or limited money at disposal which restricts men from such indulgence. Otherwise, where there is no dearth of money or money is not an issue at all, as in the case of lower middle and poor classes, morality is often being sacrificed at the altar of one’s physical urges.
As regards to Gita, we are of the opinion that even Gita’s teachings are obligatory in nature, though we agree that obligations were more profoundly told in the case of latter day messengers and particularly in case of Islam. Those who vote Gita contains nothing that is obligatory should be ready to accept at least one scripture after Gita that gives complete teachings of dos and don’ts that a man is supposed to observe.
[1-3]
Sribhagavan said:
Fearlessness, transparency to truth, proper affiliation to unitive wisdom, attitude of generous sharing, self-restraint and sacrifice, private perusal of sacred books, discipline and rectitude,
non-hurting, truth, non-anger, relinquishment, calmness, self-integrity, compassion to beings, non-interest in sense-values, gentleness, modesty, non-fickleness,
alertness, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, absence of malice, absence of excessive respectability: these make up the divine (higher) values of anyone, O Bharata (Arjuna), born for them.
ACBSP has translated these verses as follows:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Fearlessness; purification of one’s existence; cultivation of spiritual knowledge; charity; self-control; performance of sacrifice; study of the Vedas; austerity; simplicity; nonviolence; truthfulness; freedom from anger; renunciation; tranquility; aversion to faultfinding; compassion for all living entities; freedom from covetousness; gentleness; modesty; steady determination; vigor; forgiveness; fortitude; cleanliness; and freedom from envy and from the passion for honour – these transcendental qualities, O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.
Those who have been unable to understand the essence of Gita say there are certain contradictory values mentioned here. For instance fearlessness has been mentioned with calmness, fortitude and alertness with non-anger, non-hurting and non-interest in sense-values. All this is being told in the background of Krishna asking Arjuna to fight and saying that Drona, Bhishma and the rest are already dead in the eyes of God and now it is his turn to rise up to the occasion and act.
Fact is that all these Divine values are characteristics of the higher self, and anybody who has reached a stage of becoming one with the God is sure to show these tendencies. He will pursue knowledge, perform charity and sacrifices, will show self-control, gentleness and non-violence, austerity, simplicity, renunciation, tranquillity, modesty, forgiveness, cleanliness and various other values will be evident in his personality. However, the trait also mentions truthfulness, and when he will find truth being trampled by forces of injustice and evil, he will speak against them with fearlessness and fortitude. When he will see human rights of certain people being crushed, his inherent quality of showing ‘compassion for all living entities’ will force him with ‘steady determination’ and ‘vigour’, he will take the side of ‘righteousness’ and ‘truthfulness’ and see to it that the downtrodden are given their dues. In the process, if he has to give ‘charity’ for the purpose of their upliftment or perform ‘sacrifices’ of his time, money, energy or even life, he won’t refrain from doing so. Such are men of divine virtues.
Says NG: “These verses enumerate certain personal virtues or values characterizing a man belonging to a higher order of good men as understood in the Gita.” If these are the divine values for anyone, they are sure to be present in the personality of the Divine Creations like Indra and the rest. And to note that Indra is today perceived in such a wrong manner, courtesy the Puranas, we can well understand why Krishna had to fight the battle with the army of Drona and Bhishma, otherwise seen as revered saints of the time.
[4]
Pretentiousness, arrogance and a sense of self-importance, anger, and harshness also and ignorance: these, O Partha (Arjuna), make up the demonic (lower) values of anyone born for them.
ACBSP’s translation is this:
Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance – these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Prtha.
These values are the consequence when the person allows his lower self to have sway. We invite you to ponder whether pretentiousness, arrogance and a sense of self-importance, anger, harshness and also ignorance are found in your own personality. You yourself are to be judge. In case they exist, you will know that these are demonic values. If you try to curb them down or efface them altogether, it will be only good for your future well-being.
[5]
The divine (higher) values are deemed to be for emancipation and the demonic (lower) for bondage (to necessity): do not regret, O Pandava (Arjuna); you are born for the divine (higher) values.
ACBSP’s translation:
The transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation, whereas the demoniac qualities make for bondage. Do not worry, O son of Pandu, for you are born with the divine qualities.
Writes NG: “Bondage and liberation are the lowest and the highest points within whose limits any spiritual progress is to be accomplished. The spiritual progress of any individual must depend upon his appreciation of or affiliation to spiritual values, such as those enumerated in this Chapter. The two sets described are summarily distinguished here as those helping to emancipate and those tending towards necessity and bondage. Arjuna is assured that he is not gravitating towards bondage, because he belongs to a contemplative type capable of appreciating those negative, individualistic, non-social and personal values which have been listed as “divine”. This is to reassure him and save him from his tendency to regret.
A non-sublimated or a non-contemplative kshattriya (fighter) could be one of demoniac endowment, like Duryodhana who was not affiliated to Absolute wisdom and regarded the deviated form of religion as true. God here has shed the notion that only brahmins can be admitted to the group of persons endowed with the higher series of virtues. Anybody who lives and dies, who follows the direction laid down by Gita is to reach salvation, referred to here by the term liberation as against the one who is unable to free himself from the bondage of repeated cycle of birth.”
Juxtapose ‘liberation’ with ‘nijaat’ used by Mohammad and you will find both have the same meaning.
One more thing! Devatas were sent in human form only to show how these values can be put to practice even in the most adverse or favourable of situations. It has been explicitly stated that these higher values alone are responsible for emancipation. Also, it is stated that we have been created for higher values. That is why we maintain that the ultimate aim of the self is to gain salvation. But remember the pull of the lower demonic values too is always present. Zulmat is working overtime. Satan is just one of its many agents, in whom you can see these demonic values personified. Come, we invite you! Let us try to achieve what we have been created for!
[6]
There are two (orders of) created beings in this world, the divine and the demonic; the divine have been described at length; hear from Me, O Partha (Arjuna), of the demonic.
ACBSP translates as follows:
O son of Partha, in this world there are two kinds of created beings. One is called divine and the other demoniac. I have already explained to you at length the divine qualities. Now hear from Me of the demoniac.
NG writes: “In this verse the values distinguished in the previous verses are applied to the whole world of created beings without particular reference to human types. The object here is to examine the repercussions of these two types on what constitutes human environment and life in general rather than what refers to the subjective human spirit only.
Bad men become a nuisance to society, as stated in verse 9 later, and involve others in distress. A rather detailed description of bad men continues throughout the rest of the Chapter. It seems to suggest strongly that the world has need of elimination of the evil resulting from bad natures and that God himself is not indifferent to such a necessity as stated in verses 19 and 20. There his role resembles that of a jailor or policeman or at least a magistrate, the only difference being that the punishment is in terms of degradation in the scale of contemplative values. The offenders get caught more and more in necessity.”
NG says God wants such bad men to be eliminated from this world. There his role resembles that of a jailor or policemen or at least a magistrate. Yet he has not made it clear how they will be eliminated. Once they have died, they have themselves been eliminated physically. Then God again puts their souls in demoniac wombs, so that they are born again to commit the bad acts that are so much abhorred by the God. Is this elimination or recycling of the bad?
Truth is that Noor and Zulmat have been created as two opposing forces. God’s purpose is not to remove the bad from the world; he could have done so if He so wished. He has created a test for humans. He has ordained that those with divine values will continue to resist the bad, with demoniac qualities. His cherished and beloved people will continue to stand up fearlessly and with fortitude against men who represent evil, injustice, corruption, disharmony and all other negative values, all the time depicting the positive virtues of forgiveness, transparency to truth, self-restraint, discipline, non-hurting, truth, non-anger, calmness, compassion, non-interest in sense-values, gentleness, modesty, non-fickleness, absence of malice and the like, and won’t desist even if they have to give sacrifices. Even the rich, the strong and the honourable won’t be spared if they are on the wrong; that is meant by ‘absence of excessive respectability’.
God eventually pulls the self that has reached the nadir out from this world. This is the self which has lost the test. But at the same time, it also pulls the self that has passed the test. This is the self that has reached the level of salvation. If God would have allowed the selfs at the level of salvation to remain in the world, it would have meant that He wants this place to be full of good. He isn’t doing that! Instead those who pass the test and also those who fail the test, both are being pulled out. This means to say the test is more important for each of us. Those who failed or passed are not here to tell their story. We are here because we are yet to pass or yet to fail completely. The time is short! There might not be too many chances given to our selfs. This is the time to do it!
[7]
The demonic men do not know the way of positive action nor the way of negative withdrawal; in them is found neither cleanliness, nor propriety in conduct, nor veracity.
ACBSP translates in these words:
Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behaviour nor truth is found in them.
The kafirs, as per Islam, are those who hide the truth about God, or those who hide the truth after knowing the truth. And God has reserved very high punishment for them. The very fact that Krishna fought with the so-called religious scholars like Drona and Bhishma and Karna, who despite knowing that Krishna’s teachings were right never wanted to let go the lavish lifestyles that they had got used to, shows that they too were kafirs, as per Islamic definition. And Krishna is repeatedly asking Arjuna to fight them.
[8]
They say that the world is without true existence, without a basis, without a presiding principle, not resulting from reciprocal factors (lying beyond immediate vision, as if asking) what else is there other than caused by lust?
Translates ACBSP:
They say that this world is unreal, with no foundation, no God in control. They say it is produced of sex desire and has no cause other than lust.
From this verse onwards begins a transfer of interest from the person himself to the possible harm the evil man might do to the world. ACBSP has given a good explanation of this verse, a part of which is presented for you. “The demonic conclude that the world is phantasmagoria. There is no cause and effect, no controller, no purpose: everything is unreal. They say that this cosmic manifestation arises due to chance material actions and reactions. They do not think that God created the world for a certain purpose. They have their own theory: that the world has come about in its own way and that there is no reason to believe there is a God behind it. For them there is no difference between spirit and matter, and they do not accept the Supreme Spirit. Everything is matter only, and the whole cosmos is supposed to be a mass of ignorance. According to them, everything is void, and whatever manifestation exists is due to our ignorance in perception. They take it for granted that all manifestation of diversity is a display of ignorance, just as in a dream we may create so many things, which actually have no existence. Then when we are awake we see that everything is simply a dream. But factually, although the demons say that life is a dream, they are very expert in enjoying this dream. And so, instead of acquiring knowledge, they become more and more implicated in their dreamland. They conclude that as a child is simply the result of sexual intercourse between man and woman, this world is born without any soul. For them it is only a combination of matter that has produced the living entities, and there is no question of the existence of the soul.”
[9]
Wilfully holding to this view, these (men) of lost souls, of little understanding, of harsh deeds, emerge as non-beneficial, effecting the world’s decline.
ACBSP’s translation is as follows:
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.
Just as it has been said that a man gains immortality through leading the right way of life, it is being said here that the demonic qualities are responsible for the world’s decline. Thus, it is evident that if there are more righteous men in the world, the world will prosper as much and slower will be the world’s decline. It is this reason why Gita not only asks its followers to ceaselessly endeavour to continue moving on the right path, it also gives an injunction that all righteous, God-loving people will also have to strive to eliminate evil and injustice from the face of this world. This is so because God has created this world not with the intention of destroying it, and if only He will be forced to take this extreme step, it will be only when anarchy and lawlessness, evil and injustice prevail. Come, let us all strive and work to make this world a better place to live and to prolong its existence, and simultaneously of our own and our succeeding generations, by removing all kinds of evil, injustice, inhumanity, corruption, crime from the face of this world. May it be that no innocent person has to ever shed tears, none has to sleep hungry, no child remains illiterate, no one dies for want of medical treatment, no person has to sleep without a roof over his head, nobody ever feels that his rights have been trampled, or he has met with injustice, let justice be paramount and for all and foremost of all, none of the souls in living beings ever get hurt. This is what the God wants His world to be and it is this that we all should strive for.
Even if you are not able to change the world even slightly, question won’t be asked from you whether you brought about the change or not, but the question that will be surely asked is whether you endeavoured with sincerity, keeping the remembrance of thy Lord in your heart.
[10]
Holding to insatiable desires, accompanied by pretentiousness, arrogance and madness, fondly grasping false values deludedly, they act with unclean resolves.
Now see ACBSP’s translation:
Taking shelter of insatiable lust and absorbed in the conceit of pride and false prestige, the demoniac, thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean work, attracted by the impermanent.
By referring to values in this Chapter as divine or higher and as demonic or lower, it is intended to indicate the two factors by contrast rather than comparison, so that the strong ambivalence as expressed in the world of values can stand out clearly in the mind of the reader. The greater portion of humanity does not come under these extreme types, which are purposely magnified here for the sake of clarifying the theory. While there are few who are of divine nature and certain others of demoniac nature, the majority of the remaining shows a mixture of good and bad qualities. Moreover, a person on the right path can deviate during the next moment. Likewise, the greatest of sinners can come to the fold of righteous living in a matter of moments. Since it is not possible to divide humanity into good and bad, we have refrained from commenting in the previous verses that men of demoniac qualities should be physically eliminated. That is something that cannot be done without the permission of true representatives from God. Instead it is the duty of each one of us to raise a voice of dissent against evil, and support for the oppressed, with fearlessness and fortitude, while being prepared to give certain sacrifices, even if we do not have to fight a physical war.
Yes, while it is not possible for normal human beings to distinguish between good and bad people, we must remain prepared even to fight physically if the Kalki Avatar decides to wage a war, when he comes. This is so because the Avatar will only be sent by God when bad will prevail over good, and as an emergency measure to elongate the life of this world for some more time. Those who refrain to assist him will surely be on the wrong.
[11-12]
Engrossed with infinite cares lasting till doomsday, for whom desire and enjoyment is the supreme end, cocksure that such is the way,
bound by a hundred cords (consisting) of expectations, given to lust and anger, they strive unfairly to hoard wealth for sensual enjoyment.
ACBSP has translated these two verses in these words:
They believe that to gratify the senses is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus until the end of life their anxiety is immeasurable. Bound by a network of hundreds of thousands of desires and absorbed in lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.
It is time to introspect, as the values that have been mentioned as demoniac here are now considered positive by a section of our society. The term kamopabhogaparamah (those for whom desire and enjoyment is the supreme end) and anyayena (by unfair means) need not be explained. However, a section of our society has started seeing them positively, not knowing that God sees these values as demoniac. People who have become rich, implying wrongful means, paying bribes or theft – be it the theft of taxes – are seen in positive light. There are people who advise you how to save taxes while there are others who specialize in bribery in the name of liaison. The richest, irrespective of the source of their money, are looked upon with esteem. Those who have hoarded money and continue to do so are revered. Vishnu Purana mentions these very characteristics as part of its description of the time when the Kalki Avatar (or the 12th Imam) will arrive. Imam Ali too has mentioned these characteristics in detail while describing the time when Mahdi will arrive. We have shown in the BOOK that the two are one and the same.
Everybody talks of the poor, the oppressed, the downtrodden, but nobody does anything for them. Even those who are oppressed remain quiet thinking perhaps it is the sins of the previous birth because of which they are undergoing suffering in this birth. While those who see this injustice being committed look the other way with hope that God will descend down to remove this injustice. We all are shirking our duties and that is why evil is on the rise.
We, the privileged ones, who have access to knowledge and wealth, have cut ourselves totally from the poor, the oppressed, the weak, and the underprivileged. You will say this is not the case. But we invite you to introspect and think of one person who has no regular source of income and there may be a chance that nothing will be cooked in his house next evening. There is a great chance that you won’t be able to think of a person, leave aside doing something for him. Is this what Krishna wants to happen in the vibrant society that he was endeavouring to make?
[13-16]
This today has been gained by me; this (particular) end I will get; this wealth is mine, and that wealth also will be mine;
that enemy has been killed by me; and others I will also kill; I am the lord; I am the enjoyer; I have satisfied my ambitions; I am powerful and happy;
I am rich and well-born; who else is like me? I will sacrifice; I will give; I will rejoice; - thus deluded by ignorance,
maddened by many thoughts, caught within the snare of confusing values, addicted to lustful gratifications, they fall into an unclean hell.
Now see ACBSP’s translation:
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 enemies 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.
Thus perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network of illusions, they become too strongly attached to sense enjoyment and fall down into hell.
The description in these verses gives the picture of a man who is engrossed in his own self and thinks only of the happiness of the moment. He sees anybody who comes opposite him in competition as his enemy. Acquiring the wealth or material benefits through harming or killing others do not matter. He thinks himself to be the lord of the situation, forgetting that it takes seconds for his breath to cease. He is not bothered about others, his friends, relatives, countrymen and the humanity on the whole, and only looks forward to satisfying his ambitions. He is proud and haughty and feels that a few sacrifices or acts of charities will do him good. He is on the wrong. Gita says he is ignorant. This is so because he does not know that Gita talks of leading the entire life as per the will of God, and condones those who are satisfied at spending a few moments of religiosity.
Such a man may appear to be successful in life (as per prevalent notions), yet Gita says that he is ‘maddened by many thoughts, caught within the snare of confusing values’, and knows no peace. Upon death, there is a certain hell waiting for such a person.
[17]
Self-righteous, perversely immobile, filled with pride and intoxification of wealth, they perform sacrifices ostentatiously, which are (only) nominal sacrifices, not conforming to scriptural rules.
Translates ACBSP:
Self-complacent and always impudent, deluded by wealth and false prestige, they sometimes proudly perform sacrifices in name only, without following any rules or regulations.
Writes NG: “The namayajnah (nominal sacrifices) here are those made in the spirit of those Pharisees of Bible who prayed in public to gain social status and not from truly spiritual motives (see also xvii, 12). The emphasis on scripture is the very note on which this Chapter ends.”
[18]
Resorting to egoism, force, insolence, lust and anger, these envious ones hate Me in their own and others’ bodies.
Men of demoniac nature consider God to be their enemy and do not want the teachings of God to reach them or to humanity on the whole. This is so because they are so engrossed in this worldly life that they even hate the God who speaks of righteous living. They are the enemies of God and resort to egoism, force, insolence, lust and anger at the mention of God and upon seeing men close to Him. NG writes: “The torture implied in the case of the Paramount Person can refer at best to a global sense of suffering rather than any items of specific suffering.”
[19-20]
These cruel haters in the world, worst of men, I hurl unceasingly even into the degraded wombs of demons;
Attaining a demonic womb, deluded birth after birth, not reaching Me, O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), they go to the lowest state.
ACBSP translates as follows:Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, I perpetually cast into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life.
Attaining repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac life, O son of Kunti, such persons can never approach Me. Gradually they sink down to the most abominable type of existence.
At another place in Gita it has been said whatever the person thinks of at the time of death, God sends him there itself. Therefore, those who think of God while dying get united with the Paramatma. Those who think of the Devatas go to them. And those who die thinking of materialistic desires are worst of men who even hate God and His worshippers. These men of demonic nature are hurled in the wombs of demons. Such men are never able to attain salvation, and go to the lowest and most ignoble of wombs.
[21]
Triple is the infernal gate, destructive of the Self; lust, hate and greed; therefore these three should be avoided.
ACBSP translates:
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.
The lowest vices to be avoided in order to be saved from utter degradation in the scale of spiritual values are mentioned here as consisting mainly of three. The same items of utmost evil are again seen mentioned in the concluding remarks of Gita (in xviii, 53). It is these three – lust, anger and greed – that destroys the atma (self) and leads a man to destruction.
[22]
A man who has abandoned these three gates of darkness, O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), observes what conduces to his progress, and thereafter attains to the supreme path.
ACBSP translates:
The man who has escaped these three gates of hell, O son of Kunti, performs acts conducive to self-realization and thus gradually attains the supreme destination.
The Chapter that began with fearlessness as the foremost virtue comes to conclusion with ignorance as the chief demoniac quality. If any further doubts remain, it is essential that the person resort to the shastras, to show the way.
This verse makes it amply clear that self-realization is not possible with lust, anger and greed as inherent negative values in a personality. Once a person is able to remove these vices, then only realization will dawn and he will be able to remove the rest of the demoniac traits mentioned in this Chapter and progress on the spiritual journey to attain the virtues mentioned of divine spirits.
Agrees NG: “The triple infernal gate (lust, hate and greed) refer to negative values that are to be avoided… To be saved from lust, hate and greed mentioned in verse 21 is very important for the spiritual progress envisaged in Gita. Hence it is that as a last resort the Gita decides in favour of a general reliance on the shastras in the next two final verses.”
[23-24]
He who having abandoned the guiding principles of scripture, acts under the promptings of desire; he cannot attain perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme path.
Therefore the scripture is your authority in deciding what should and should not be done. Understanding what is indicated for guidance in scripture, it is right you should work here.
ACBSP’s translation is this:
He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.
One should therefore 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.
Writes NG: “These last verses here make a final appeal to the canonical writings called the shastras to give Arjuna any directions in matters which lie beyond the scope of contemplative values. Whether it is the Vedas or the Dharma Shastras (codified scriptural injunctions) or even the Upanishads that are meant by the reference to shastras (canonical scientific treatises) is not important for us to decide. All scriptures, whether in or outside India, tend to draw people away from such factors as the three items of lust, hate and greed of verse 21. In fact no scripture would be even worth the name without this basic qualification.”
NG, however, concludes that whatever be the scripture, be it the one of irreligious people or atheists, is acceptable as long as “such writings contribute to the abandonment of the three vices mentioned, and help a man to decide what should and should not be done (as in verse 24), such guidance must be acceptable to whatever regional, religious or traditional background they might belong. Conformity to scripture as recommended in these two verses should be understood in this larger and more general sense.”
We don’t agree with NG here, as scriptures ought to be from God and none else. Abandonment of just the three vices is not enough and there are a whole set of dos and don’ts that one has to observe. Moreover, salvation cannot be achieved without identifying the divinely appointed gurus and guides. We have also argued previously that owing to the incomplete knowledge of man about his own body (the knowledge keeps changing with emerging discoveries), it is essential that the rules should be framed by someone who knows the human body in and out, and who is the creator of all beings.
As Sri-Ramachandran has mentioned in Muktikopanishad, while replying to a query by Maruti (Hanuman):
The efforts of man are stated to be of two kinds, those that transcend scriptures and those that are according to scriptures. Those that transcend scriptures tend to harm while those that are according to scriptures tend to Reality.
It is evident that by the word ‘scriptures’ those books are meant that are supposed to be revealed by God.
Paramatma too knew this dilemma that the mankind would face in future. Therefore, right from the earliest times, he made an arrangement to introduce those personalities who will be the carriers of Its teachings to the utmost, and who will show us the way, when our reasoning gets confounded. Let us resort to them, and to Gita and Vedas and other scriptures, even if they are in possession of other religions - like the sacred books of the Buddhists, Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Man who leaves the rules laid down in scriptures, acts under the promptings of desire and can never attain perfection, neither happiness nor the Supreme path. This is the conclusion of resorting to the scriptures. Since book of the atheists cannot show the Supreme path, we are right in concurring that such books are not to be included in the list of scriptures and only revealed books from God are to be included.
What is duty and what is not duty can only be understood by the knowledge given in the Scriptures from God. One should act only after knowing such rules and regulations, so that he may gradually be elevated.
Thus ends in the Upanishads of the Songs of God, in the Science of the Wisdom of the Absolute, in the Dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna the Sixteenth Chapter entitled the Unitive Way of Discriminating between Higher and Lower Values.
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