Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga
The divine and demoniac qualities in human beings are contrasted. Following divine qualities leads to liberation, while demoniac qualities bind one.
Abhayam sattva-samsuddhir jnana-yoga-vyavasthitih, danam damas cha yajnas cha svadhyayas tapa arjavam
Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and yoga, charity, self-control, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity, and straightforwardness.
Ahimsa satyam akrodhas tyagah shantir apaishunam, daya bhuteshv aloluptvam mardavam hrir achapalam
Non-violence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, tranquility, absence of slander, compassion toward all, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, and steadiness.
Tejah kshama dhritih shaucham adroho nati-manita, bhavanti sampadam daivim abhijatasya bharata
Vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of malice, and absence of pride—these qualities belong to those endowed with divine nature, O Arjuna.
Dambho darpo 'bhimānaśh cha krodhaḥ pāruṣhyam eva cha, ajñānaṁ chābhijātasya pārtha sampadam āsurīm
Hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance—these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O Partha.
Daivī sampad vimokṣhāya nibandhāyāsurī matā, mā śhuchaḥ sampadaṁ daivīm abhijāto 'si pāṇḍava
Divine qualities lead to liberation, while demoniac qualities lead to bondage. Do not grieve, O Pandava, for you are born with divine treasures.
Dvau bhuta-sargau loke 'smin daiva asura eva ca, daivo vistarashah prokta asura partha me shrinu
There are two kinds of created beings in this world — the divine and the demoniac. The divine has been described at length; now hear from Me about the demoniac, O Partha. This verse marks the transition from describing divine qualities to the demoniac, establishing that humanity is broadly divided into these two spiritual orientations.
Pravrttim ca nivrttim ca jana na vidur asurah, na shaucam napi cacaro na satyam teshu vidyate
Those of demoniac nature do not know what is to be done and what is not to be done. Neither purity, nor proper conduct, nor truthfulness is found in them. The demoniac are characterized by a fundamental ignorance of dharma — they lack the internal compass of purity, right conduct, and truthfulness that guides the divine nature.
Asatyam apratishtham te jagad ahur anishvaram, aparaspara-sambhutam kim anyat kama-haitukam
The demoniac say that the world is unreal, without a foundation, without a God in control, and produced of sex desire alone — that it has no cause other than lust. This verse describes the nihilistic and atheistic worldview of the demoniac: they deny God, deny moral order, and reduce all of creation to blind material causation and desire.
Etam drishtim avashthabhya nashtatmano 'lpa-buddhayah, prabhavanty ugra-karmanah kshayaya jagato 'hitah
Following such a view, these lost souls — of small intelligence and cruel deeds — arise as enemies of the world, bent on its destruction. Holding a godless and nihilistic worldview inevitably leads to destructive action; those who adopt such a vision become instruments of harm rather than upliftment in the world.
Kamam ashritya dushpuram dambha-mana-madanvitah, mohad grhitvasad-grahan pravartante 'shuchi-vratah
Taking shelter of insatiable lust, filled with pride, arrogance, and false prestige, the demoniac adopt impure vows under illusion and proceed with impure resolutions. Lust, pride, and delusion form a self-reinforcing cycle that drives the demoniac further from truth and deeper into impure ways of living.
Cintam aparimeyam ca pralayantam upashritah, kamopabhoga-paramah etavad iti nishcitah
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 thousands of desires and absorbed in lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.
Asha-pasha-shatair baddhah kama-krodha-parayanah, ihante kama-bhogartham anyayenArtha-sancayan
Bound by hundreds of desires and expectations, obsessed with lust and anger, they seek to accumulate wealth by unjust means for the gratification of their desires. This verse describes the entanglement of the demoniac in an ever-expanding web of desires, anger, and the relentless pursuit of wealth through unethical means.
Idam adya maya labdham imam prapsye manoratham, idam astīdam api me bhavisyati punar dhanam
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. This verse captures the inner monologue of the demoniac mind — a ceaseless internal accounting of possessions past, present, and future, revealing a heart consumed by acquisitive greed.
Asau maya hatah shatrun hanishye caparan api, ishvaro 'ham aham bhogi siddho 'ham balavan sukhi
That enemy has been slain by me, and I shall slay others too. I am the lord. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful, and happy. This internal boast of the demoniac reveals their core delusion: they mistake themselves for the supreme controller, the ultimate enjoyer, and the independent cause of their own success.
Adhyo 'bhijanavan asmi ko 'nyo 'sti sadrisho maya, yakshye dasyami modishya ity ajnana-vimohitah
I am the wealthiest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give charity, and I shall rejoice — thus they are deluded by ignorance. Even religious acts like sacrifice and charity become tainted when performed from a place of ego and pride rather than devotion and surrender.
Aneka-citta-vibhranta moha-jala-samavrtah, prasaktah kama-bhogeshu patanti narake 'shucau
Bewildered by multiple anxieties and entangled in a web of delusions, the demoniac are too deeply attached to sense pleasures and fall into a foul hell. The accumulation of delusions, anxieties, and attachments ultimately leads the demoniac downward into hellish conditions — both in this life and beyond.
Atma-sambhavitah stabdhah dhana-mana-madanvitah, yajante nama-yajnais te dambhenavidhi-purvakam
Self-complacent and always impudent, deluded by wealth and false prestige, they sometimes perform sacrifices in name only, without following any rules or regulations. Such sacrifices, performed for show rather than devotion, are devoid of spiritual merit and serve only to reinforce the performer's ego.
Ahankaram balam darpam kamam krodham ca samshritah, mam atma-para-dehashu pradvisanto 'bhyasuyakah
Bewildered by false ego, strength, pride, lust, and anger, the demoniac become envious of the Supreme Lord, who is situated in their own bodies and in the bodies of others, and blaspheme the true religion. The demoniac's hatred of God is ultimately a hatred of the divine presence within themselves and within all beings.
Tan aham dvishatah kruran samsareshu naradhaman, kshipamy ajasram ashubhan asurishv eva yonishu
Those who are envious and mischievous — the lowest among mankind — I perpetually cast into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life. Krishna declares that the demoniac who persist in hatred and cruelty are cast by divine law into ever-lower births that match the quality of their consciousness.
Asurim yonim apanna mudha janmani janmani, mam aprapyaiva kaunteya tato yanty adhamam gatim
Taking birth again and again in demoniac species of life, such foolish souls can never approach Me, O son of Kunti, and they gradually sink to the most abominable type of existence. The demoniac trajectory is one of cumulative descent — each birth further from God and deeper into degradation — until the most abominable state is reached.
Tri-vidham narakasyedam dvaram nashanam atmanah, kamah krodhas tatha lobhas tasmad etat trayam tyajet
There are three gates leading to self-destruction and hell: lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, one should abandon these three.
Etair vimuktaḥ kaunteya tamo-dvārais tribhir naraḥ, ācharaty ātmanaḥ śhreyas tato yāti parāṁ gatim
Liberated from these three gates to darkness, O son of Kunti, a person does what is best for the soul and thus attains the supreme goal.
Yah shastra-vidhim utsrjya vartate kama-karatah, na sa siddhim avapnoti na sukham na param gatim
One who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination. Acting on personal whim and desire alone — without the guidance of scripture — leads only to failure in all three goals: spiritual perfection, lasting happiness, and liberation.
Tasmac chastram pramanam te karyakarya-vyavasthitau, jnatva shastra-vidhanoktam karma kartum iharhasi
Therefore, let the scriptures be your authority in determining what should be done and what should not be done. Understanding the scriptural injunctions, you should perform your duties here.