Commentary on the Bhagavadgita : 38- Swami Krishnananda.

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Saturday, June 04, 2022. 21:00.

Discourse 45: The Sixteenth Chapter Concludes – "What is Proper and What is Improper in Our Life : 

POST-38.

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anekacittavibhrāntā mohajālasamāvṛtāḥ

prasaktāḥ kāmabhogeṣu patanti narake'śucau (16.16)

ātmasaṁbhāvitāḥ stabdhā dhanamānamadānvitāḥ

yajante nāmayajñais te dambhenāvidhipūrvakam (16.17)

ahaṅkāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ ca saṁśritāḥ

mām ātmaparadeheṣu pradviṣanto'bhyasūyakāḥ (16.18)

tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krurān saṁsāreṣu narādhamān

kṣipāmyajasram aśubhān āsurīṣveva yoniṣu (16.19)

āsurīṁ yonim āpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani

mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yāntyadhamāṁ gatim (16.20)

trividhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśanam ātmanaḥ

kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād tat trayaṁ tyajet (16.21)

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In the context of the description of the divine and undivine qualities characterise human beings, a lot has been said by the Lord about these tendencies in people which, on the one hand, enable them to gravitate towards the centre of the universe and, on the other hand, deflect their attention in the direction of the periphery of the universe. The undivine elements are those forces in nature, as well as in individuals, which tend towards externals, and go to the extreme of involvement in space, time and objects. The other category of persons differ entirely from the first mentioned, in the sense that they tend inward into the very centre or the Selfhood of the universe, which is the opposite of the objects which attract demoniacal natures.

While there is joy in entering into one's own Self in the case of those who are qualified with divine characters, there is sorrow in an inward contemplation in the case of people who wish to run about in an external direction towards more and more contact with sense objects. On account of intense egoism, ahamkaram, balam, darpam, etc.—with egoism, with pride, with vanity, with anger, with insatiable desire for indulgence of senses—they consider themselves as all-in-all in the power that they appear to be wielding, and are despotic in their conduct and cruel in their attitude towards other people. Such ones are endangering not only the lives of other people, but the lives of themselves also.

Those who are trying to harm others are inadvertently trying to harm themselves also—a harm that may come upon them today or tomorrow. This is because as we mete out to others, we will be meted out in the same way. The world is an organic involvement of perfection and a balance of forces, so that any kind of interference of one part with another part, or rather, the interference of one part with the whole to which it belongs, would set up such a reaction that the interference will be paid in its own coin.

Many a time, evil appears to survive and thrive more gloriously than goodness in this world, but when the mills of God begin to grind powerfully, the evil forces will receive their due—though slowly, but very finely. So the indication as to the consequences that follow from utter egoism and evil-doing is here in these slokas.

Such persons who are dangerous to themselves as well as to others, and are injurious in their attitude towards things, go to lower regions. They take birth in inferior species of living entities, which, on the one hand, obliterates the consciousness which human beings are supposed to be endowed with and, on the other hand, they suffer like insects, like reptiles, like animals who have only body consciousness, and there is no consciousness of Self. Subhuman creatures do not have the prerogative of inferring the existence of that which is above humanity, above themselves. The animal can think only its own region, its own realm, its own body, its own instincts. It does not have the capacity to infer, to consider the pros and cons and draw conclusions. It is human reason that has the capacity not only to understand what is happening now, but also to draw conclusions by inference from the occurrences and the experiences at present. These prerogatives of humanity will be wiped out due to the preponderance of rajasic and tamasic qualities, which people sometimes adopt due to intense egoism in their nature—behaving arrogantly, tyrannically, selfishly, which will lead them to lower yonis, or species of births. They may even go to hell, which is the lowest of regions.

To be continued ...

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