Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16: Daivāsura Sampad Vibhāga Yoga
Twenty-four verses. The divine wealth that leads to release, the demonic wealth that leads to bondage, a portrait of the demonic outlook, the three gates of hell called desire, anger and greed, and the conclusion that scripture is the guiding light are here.
Tap any verse card to open its page with the word-by-word meaning. Pages are ready for every verse of this chapter.
abhayaṃ sattvasaṃśuddhirjñānayogavyavasthitiḥ|
dānaṃ damaśca yajñaśca svādhyāyastapa ārjavam || 1 ||Meaning of verse 16.1 →2ahiṃsā satyamakrodhastyāgaḥ śāntirapaiśunam|
dayā bhūteṣvaloluptvaṃ mārdavaṃ hrīracāpalam || 2 ||Meaning of verse 16.2 →3tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucamadroho nātimānitā|
bhavanti sampadaṃ daivīmabhijātasya bhārata || 3 ||Meaning of verse 16.3 →4dambho darpo’bhimānaśca krodhaḥ pāruṣyameva ca|
ajñānaṃ cābhijātasya pārtha sampadamāsurīm || 4 ||Meaning of verse 16.4 →5daivī sampadvimokṣāya nibandhāyāsurī matā|
mā śucaḥ sampadaṃ daivīmabhijāto’si pāṇḍava || 5 ||Meaning of verse 16.5 →6dvau bhūtasargau loke’smindaiva āsura eva ca|
daivo vistaraśaḥ prokta āsuraṃ pārtha me śṛṇu || 6 ||Meaning of verse 16.6 →7pravṛttiṃ ca nivṛttiṃ ca janā na vidurāsurāḥ|
na śaucaṃ nāpi cācāro na satyaṃ teṣu vidyate || 7 ||Meaning of verse 16.7 →8asatyamapratiṣṭhaṃ te jagadāhuranīśvaram|
aparasparasambhūtaṃ kimanyatkāmahaitukam || 8 ||Meaning of verse 16.8 →9etāṃ dṛṣṭimavaṣṭabhya naṣṭātmāno’lpabuddhayaḥ|
prabhavantyugrakarmāṇaḥ kṣayāya jagato’hitāḥ || 9 ||Meaning of verse 16.9 →10kāmamāśritya duṣpūraṃ dambhamānamadānvitāḥ|
mohādgṛhītvāsadgrāhānpravartante’śucivratāḥ || 10 ||Meaning of verse 16.10 →11cintāmaparimeyāṃ ca pralayāntāmupāśritāḥ|
kāmopabhogaparamā etāvaditi niścitāḥ || 11 ||Meaning of verse 16.11 →12āśāpāśaśatairbaddhāḥ kāmakrodhaparāyaṇāḥ|
īhante kāmabhogārthamanyāyenārthasañcayān || 12 ||Meaning of verse 16.12 →13idamadya mayā labdhamimaṃ prāpsye manoratham|
idamastīdamapi me bhaviṣyati punardhanam || 13 ||Meaning of verse 16.13 →14asau mayā hataḥ śatrurhaniṣye cāparānapi|
īśvaro’hamahaṃ bhogī siddho’haṃ balavānsukhī || 14 ||Meaning of verse 16.14 →15āḍhyo’bhijanavānasmi ko’nyo’sti sadṛśo mayā|
yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya ityajñānavimohitāḥ || 15 ||Meaning of verse 16.15 →16anekacittavibhrāntā mohajālasamāvṛtāḥ|
prasaktāḥ kāmabhogeṣu patanti narake’śucau || 16 ||Meaning of verse 16.16 →17ātmasambhāvitāḥ stabdhā dhanamānamadānvitāḥ|
yajante nāmayajñaiste dambhenāvidhipūrvakam || 17 ||Meaning of verse 16.17 →18ahaṅkāraṃ balaṃ darpaṃ kāmaṃ krodhaṃ ca saṃśritāḥ|
māmātmaparadeheṣu pradviṣanto’bhyasūyakāḥ || 18 ||Meaning of verse 16.18 →19tānahaṃ dviṣataḥ krūrānsaṃsāreṣu narādhamān|
kṣipāmyajasramaśubhānāsurīṣveva yoniṣu || 19 ||Meaning of verse 16.19 →20āsurīṃ yonimāpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani|
māmaprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yāntyadhamāṃ gatim || 20 ||Meaning of verse 16.20 →21trividhaṃ narakasyedaṃ dvāraṃ nāśanamātmanaḥ|
kāmaḥ krodhastathā lobhastasmādetattrayaṃ tyajet || 21 ||Meaning of verse 16.21 →22etairvimuktaḥ kaunteya tamodvāraistribhirnaraḥ|
ācaratyātmanaḥ śreyastato yāti parāṃ gatim || 22 ||Meaning of verse 16.22 →23yaḥ śāstravidhimutsṛjya vartate kāmakārataḥ|
na sa siddhimavāpnoti na sukhaṃ na parāṃ gatim || 23 ||Meaning of verse 16.23 →24tasmācchāstraṃ pramāṇaṃ te kāryākāryavyavasthitau|
jñātvā śāstravidhānoktaṃ karma kartumihārhasi || 24 ||Meaning of verse 16.24 →
oṃ tatsaditi śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṃ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṃvāde daivāsurasampadvibhāgayogo nāma ṣoḍaśo’dhyāyaḥ ||
About Daivāsura Sampad Vibhāga Yoga
The previous chapter ended by saying that one who knows the Purushottama has done all that is to be done. This chapter tells who is fit for that knowledge and what stands in its way. It calls the two directions of human nature ‘wealth’: the divine wealth and the demonic wealth.
The list of divine qualities begins with fearlessness and ends with freedom from excessive pride. The chapter portrays the mind of the demonic in their own words: ‘this I gained today, I am the lord, who is my equal.’ Finally it reduces everything to the three gates of desire, anger and greed, and shows scripture as the guiding light.
How the chapter moves
- Verses 1 to 3: The twenty-six qualities of the divine wealth.
- Verses 4 to 6: The demonic qualities, the divine wealth for release and the demonic for bondage, and ‘do not grieve, you are born to the divine wealth.’
- Verses 7 to 12: The demonic outlook, and the desire, worry and unjust gain born of it.
- Verses 13 to 18: Their dream kingdom, their hypocritical sacrifices, and their hatred of the Lord who dwells in all.
- Verses 19 and 20: The fruit of that path, the lower course.
- Verses 21 to 24: The three gates of hell, freedom from them, and scripture as the authority.
The core of the demonic nature: the acharyas’ views
Shankara unfolds the divine qualities in the language of dealings, shows fine distinctions such as that between forgiveness and freedom from anger, and calls ego the root of all faults. Ramanuja finds the core of the demonic nature in the attitude ‘everything is by my own ability, not by the divine’, and calls the divine wealth following the Lord’s command. Madhva says the truth, foundation and Lord of the world are all Vishnu, and calls the denial of this the demonic outlook. Sridhara Swami likens the demonic outlook to the materialism of the Lokayatas.
These pages do not decide between the readings. Wherever the acharyas part, each position is recorded in its own terms.
About these pages
The text is that of the Gita Press edition. These pages hope the lists of this chapter will be read not to stick labels on others, but to see which of the two we are growing within ourselves. The page for 16.19 carries a caution that these verses must not be used to judge anyone’s birth, illness, disability or poverty as a ‘punishment’.
In this chapter the ‘For life today’ box links the qualities to everyday experience: speech that is true and kind, taunting and mockery, worry and anxiety, the whirlpool of debt, anger and alcohol, and the mistake of stopping medicines on one’s own. The health notes are for general understanding only, and for personal problems a doctor’s advice is what counts.
Sources: several.
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