Srimad Bhagavad-Gitan : Chapter-16, Daiva-asura-sampad-vibhaga-yogam, Slokam-21.

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Tuesday, June 15, 2021. 9 : 44. AM.
Srimad Bhagavad-Gita
Chapter-16.  Daiva-asura-sampad-vibhaga-yogam.
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Slokam-21 :

"Tri-vidham narakasyedam dvaram nashanam atmanah

kamah krodhas tatha lobhas tasmad etat trayam tyajet."

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Translation :

tri-vidham—three types of; 

narakasya—to the hell; 

idam—this; dvāram—gates; 

nāśhanam—

ātmanaḥ—self; 

kāmaḥ—lust; 

krodhaḥ—anger; 

tathā—and; 

lobhaḥ—greed; 

tasmāt—therefore; 

etat—these; 

trayam—three; 

tyajet—should abandon.

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kamah  krodhah  tatha  lobhah  idam  =  lust,  anger,  as  well  as  greed,  this  way;

narakasya  tri-vidham  dvaram  =    three  doors  to  hell  are  there;

atmanah  nasanam  =  cause  destruction  to  Self;

tasmad  etat  trayam  =  therefore  these  three ( lust, anger and greed );

tyajet  =  ( one  )  must give up.

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TATVAM (Essence) :

BG 16.21: "There are three gates leading to the hell of self-destruction for the soul—lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, all should abandon these three."

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Commentary :

Shree Krishna now describes the origin of the demoniac disposition, and pinpoints lust, anger, and greed as the three causes for it. Previously, in verse 3.36, Arjun had asked him why people are impelled to commit sin, even unwillingly, as if by force. Shree Krishna had answered that it is lust, which later transforms into anger, and is the all-devouring enemy of the world. Greed is also a transformation of lust, as explained in detail in the commentary of verse 2.62. Together, lust, anger, and greed are the foundations from which the demoniac vices develop. They fester in the mind and make it a suitable ground for all other vices to take root. Consequently, Shree Krishna labels them as gateways to hell, and strongly advices to shun them to avoid self-destruction. Those desirous of welfare should learn to dread these three and carefully avoid their presence in their own personality.

The beginning of demoniac life is described herein. One tries to satisfy his lust, and when he cannot, anger and greed arise. A sane man who does not want to glide down to the species of demoniac life must try to give up these three enemies which can kill the self to such an extent that there will be no possibility of liberation from this material entanglement.

Lord Krishna has now ended descriptions of the basic details of the nature and characteristics of the demoniac. Now He strongly advises by any means to avoid the triple threat of lust, greed and anger which is the underlying root cause of all demoniac vices and evils. As soon as lust, greed and anger are abandoned all other vices and evils dissolve and dissapate. 

Birth in hellish existences has three doors in the form of the door of lust, the door of greed and the door of anger. As soon as anyone enters into any one of these three doors they become void of discrimination and their mind becomes apprehended and controlled by the senses. This causes complete chaos and utter ruin to any human being, blocking access to their higher nature and totally obscuring the consciousness of the atma or immortal soul which leads to moksa or liberation from material existence. 

The three doorways of lust, greed and anger causes one to perform such sinful and abominable activities that damnation is the only result and leads a human being directly to hell to suffer immensely for their sinful inequities. Hence one should be extremely vigilant to avoid these three doors and keep them far away at a safe distance.

Lord Krishna confirms that the demoniac nature is in itself a hellish condition of life perpetuating more and more degraded hellish existences. The three portals to hellish existence are lust, greed and anger which completely destroy and ruin all opportunities for advancing in spiritual consciousness. Lust, greed and anger are the foundations for all the other vices and sinfulness described previously which run rampant among the demoniac. 

The word dvaram means portal and gate inferring the cause. The words nasanam atmanah means destructive or even suicidal denoting how utterly negative lust, greed and anger are in evolving the consciousness to commune with the immortal soul. Therefore Lord Krishna emphasizes that lust, greed and anger must be permanently abandoned, fully relinquished and completely neutralised since these three voracious vices comprise the cause that leads a jiva or embodied being directly to dreaded naraka or the hellish planets.

Lord Krishna concisely enunciates that lust, greed and anger are the three gates leading straight to hell. All the demoniac vices and characteristics iterated previously are the symptoms of lust, greed and anger which are the root cause and basis of all the others. 

These three are very destructive and degenerative for a human being completely obscuring discrimination and the consciousness of the atma or immortal soul and hence to be shunned and avoided by all means, for their influence propels one directly into lower, debased life forms and reincarnations in hellish existences. So lust, greed and anger must be renounced, abandoned and rejected if one wants to avoid residing in hell.

To be continued  ...

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