Bg 16.18
ahaṅkāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ ca saṁśritāḥ
mām ātma-para-deheṣu pradviṣanto ’bhyasūyakāḥ
Bg 16.19
tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān saṁsāreṣu narādhamān
kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān āsurīṣv eva yoniṣu
Bg 16.20
āsurīṁ yonim āpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani
mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yānty adhamāṁ gatim
Translation
18. Given to egoism, power, haughtiness, lust and anger, these malicious people hate Me in their own bodies, and in those of others.
19. These cruel haters, worst among men in the world, I hurl these evil-doers forever into the wombs of the demons only.
20. Entering into demoniacal wombs, and deluded, not attaining to Me, birth after birth, they thus fall, O Kaunteya, into a condition still lower than that.
Commentary
Once egoism takes possession of an individual, he steadily sinks to the ugliest depths of animalism. Drunk with passions, he abdicates from all the dignity of a cultured man and behaves as an ineffectual beast, strutting about precariously on its hind legs! Such a biological freak, who is physiologically a man but temperamentally an animal, is the type that is now being discussed as the 'Diabolically Fallen' (Asura).
Enumerating the inner contents of such an individual, Lord Krishna says that he is "FULL OF EGOISM, BRUTE STRENGTH, ARROGANCE, PASSION AND ANGER." Any one of these is sufficient to pull one down to the depths of depravity, but the Lord characterises the Asura type of man as having all these qualities, all at once. Not only does he have these qualities --- and who does not have? --- but, unlike an evolver, the Asuric man comes to pin his faith on these qualities, and he struggles to discover his fulfilment only in the expression of these tendencies.
What is the harm if an individual lives these values? This is a question that is often asked by an indulgent youth, when he is advised by his elders not to live yielding readily to his low urges and ugly temptations. The Geetacharya here explains that the consequence of disrespecting all cultural values, and living an uncultured ego-centric existence of passions and desires would be nothing short of total destruction of life.
Persons who are entertaining the above-mentioned attitudes, would ignore the sanctity of life, and without any compunction whatsoever, desecrate it. They will grow malignant, and in order to satisfy the low urges of egoism, would come to "HATE ME IN THEIR OWN BODIES AND IN THOSE OF OTHERS." The Sacred Life, the Paramatman, does not come out to express Its full play when blanketed by the low sensuous urges. Ethical values are disciplines of the thought-life, whereby a mind so tuned up becomes the right instrument to serve faithfully the seeker of the Self. Unethical values and immoral intentions choke the great Melody of Life and reduce it to a discordant, purposeless noise, shattering peace and contentment within one's own and in another's bosom.
THE FALL IN EVOLUTION SUFFERED BY SUCH THOUGHTLESS MATERIALISTS AS A RESULT OF THEIR OWN FALSE VALUES AND FOUL ACTIONS IS BEING TRACED IN THE FOLLOWING STANZAS:
Specimens of the 'Diabolically Fallen' type of men are characterised here, in a spirit of loving despair by the Lord, "AS THE MOST DEGRADED OF MEN IN THIS WORLD. THEY ARE MALICIOUS AND CRUEL" --- malicious against the dignity of themselves, and cruel to the living beings around. They are, says the Lord, "THROWN BY ME PERPETUALLY INTO THE WOMBS OF DEMONS." Here Krishna is identifying Himself with the 'Law' of Action and Reaction --- wrong action leaves wrong tendencies behind, and, propelled by such negative tendencies, the personality in an individual, after his death in this physical structure, demands an appropriate field of existence. An Asuric individual should necessarily discover his fulfilment only in an Asuric environment. Therefore the 'Law' of Action and Reaction orders that such cruel men, again and again, reach similar wombs until the sheer horror of their experiences brings home to them a sudden realisation of the follies and futilities in following such a low tempo of life. The idea of reincarnation suggested herein has already been exhaustively discussed earlier in our discourses (VIII-6).
CONTINUING:
Tracing the line of fall of an Asura type of man, Krishna says that an individual having repeatedly reached, as a result of his previous life, the same Asuric environment, life after life, fails to realise the Infinite joys of the Self. They never climb the heights of cultural beauty but slowly sink lower and lower to reach the bottom grades of beings.
So far we had a vivid review of two types of men: the 'DIVINELY GOOD' and the 'DIABOLICALLY FALLEN.' A majority of us, in varying degrees, belong to the latter class. As a spiritual seeker is never satisfied merely with the theoretical explanations and descriptions, Krishna now advises the entire mankind, through Arjuna, on how even he who has fallen so hopelessly to the Asura level, can learn to climb up and steadily progress in his spiritual evolution. None is eternally condemned, nor does anyone deserve a perpetual hell --- such a view is illogical, unphilosophic, and stupid.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
ahaṅkāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ ca saṁśritāḥ
mām ātma-para-deheṣu pradviṣanto ’bhyasūyakāḥ
Bg 16.19
tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān saṁsāreṣu narādhamān
kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān āsurīṣv eva yoniṣu
Bg 16.20
āsurīṁ yonim āpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani
mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yānty adhamāṁ gatim
Translation
18. Given to egoism, power, haughtiness, lust and anger, these malicious people hate Me in their own bodies, and in those of others.
19. These cruel haters, worst among men in the world, I hurl these evil-doers forever into the wombs of the demons only.
20. Entering into demoniacal wombs, and deluded, not attaining to Me, birth after birth, they thus fall, O Kaunteya, into a condition still lower than that.
Commentary
Once egoism takes possession of an individual, he steadily sinks to the ugliest depths of animalism. Drunk with passions, he abdicates from all the dignity of a cultured man and behaves as an ineffectual beast, strutting about precariously on its hind legs! Such a biological freak, who is physiologically a man but temperamentally an animal, is the type that is now being discussed as the 'Diabolically Fallen' (Asura).
Enumerating the inner contents of such an individual, Lord Krishna says that he is "FULL OF EGOISM, BRUTE STRENGTH, ARROGANCE, PASSION AND ANGER." Any one of these is sufficient to pull one down to the depths of depravity, but the Lord characterises the Asura type of man as having all these qualities, all at once. Not only does he have these qualities --- and who does not have? --- but, unlike an evolver, the Asuric man comes to pin his faith on these qualities, and he struggles to discover his fulfilment only in the expression of these tendencies.
What is the harm if an individual lives these values? This is a question that is often asked by an indulgent youth, when he is advised by his elders not to live yielding readily to his low urges and ugly temptations. The Geetacharya here explains that the consequence of disrespecting all cultural values, and living an uncultured ego-centric existence of passions and desires would be nothing short of total destruction of life.
Persons who are entertaining the above-mentioned attitudes, would ignore the sanctity of life, and without any compunction whatsoever, desecrate it. They will grow malignant, and in order to satisfy the low urges of egoism, would come to "HATE ME IN THEIR OWN BODIES AND IN THOSE OF OTHERS." The Sacred Life, the Paramatman, does not come out to express Its full play when blanketed by the low sensuous urges. Ethical values are disciplines of the thought-life, whereby a mind so tuned up becomes the right instrument to serve faithfully the seeker of the Self. Unethical values and immoral intentions choke the great Melody of Life and reduce it to a discordant, purposeless noise, shattering peace and contentment within one's own and in another's bosom.
THE FALL IN EVOLUTION SUFFERED BY SUCH THOUGHTLESS MATERIALISTS AS A RESULT OF THEIR OWN FALSE VALUES AND FOUL ACTIONS IS BEING TRACED IN THE FOLLOWING STANZAS:
Specimens of the 'Diabolically Fallen' type of men are characterised here, in a spirit of loving despair by the Lord, "AS THE MOST DEGRADED OF MEN IN THIS WORLD. THEY ARE MALICIOUS AND CRUEL" --- malicious against the dignity of themselves, and cruel to the living beings around. They are, says the Lord, "THROWN BY ME PERPETUALLY INTO THE WOMBS OF DEMONS." Here Krishna is identifying Himself with the 'Law' of Action and Reaction --- wrong action leaves wrong tendencies behind, and, propelled by such negative tendencies, the personality in an individual, after his death in this physical structure, demands an appropriate field of existence. An Asuric individual should necessarily discover his fulfilment only in an Asuric environment. Therefore the 'Law' of Action and Reaction orders that such cruel men, again and again, reach similar wombs until the sheer horror of their experiences brings home to them a sudden realisation of the follies and futilities in following such a low tempo of life. The idea of reincarnation suggested herein has already been exhaustively discussed earlier in our discourses (VIII-6).
CONTINUING:
Tracing the line of fall of an Asura type of man, Krishna says that an individual having repeatedly reached, as a result of his previous life, the same Asuric environment, life after life, fails to realise the Infinite joys of the Self. They never climb the heights of cultural beauty but slowly sink lower and lower to reach the bottom grades of beings.
So far we had a vivid review of two types of men: the 'DIVINELY GOOD' and the 'DIABOLICALLY FALLEN.' A majority of us, in varying degrees, belong to the latter class. As a spiritual seeker is never satisfied merely with the theoretical explanations and descriptions, Krishna now advises the entire mankind, through Arjuna, on how even he who has fallen so hopelessly to the Asura level, can learn to climb up and steadily progress in his spiritual evolution. None is eternally condemned, nor does anyone deserve a perpetual hell --- such a view is illogical, unphilosophic, and stupid.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
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