Bhagavad Gita Chapters 16 & 17
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16
Daivasur-Sampad-Vibhag Yog – The Yog of the Distinction between the Divine and Devilish Endowments
Shree Bhagavan Krishna said:
1. Fearlessness, purity of being, perseverance in the yog of knowledge, charity, self-restraint, sacrifice, study of sacred texts or introspection, austerity and uprightness;
2. Nonviolence, truth, absence of anger, relinquishment, serenity, aversion to fault-finding, compassion to living beings, freedom from covetousness, gentleness, modesty and absence of fickleness;
3. Vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom from malice and excessive pride; O Bharat Arjun, these are the endowments of those who are born with a divine nature.
4. Pompousness, arrogance, vanity, anger, harshness and ignorance are the traits of those born with devilish nature, O Parth Arjun.
5. It is thought that the divine endowments lead to deliverance and the devilish to bondage. O Pandav Arjun, do not grieve. You are born with divine endowments.
6. There are two types of created being in this world, the divine and the devilish. The divine has been explained at length. Now hear from me O Parth Arjun, about the devilish.
7. The devilish people do not know about the method of engagement in action nor about the way of withdrawal from it. Neither cleanliness, nor proper conduct nor truth is found in them.
8. They declare that the world is unreal, without a basis and without a God, not created in regular causal sequence. How else? But by the union of sexes caused by desire and nothing else.
9. Holding this view, these people of lost souls, weak intelligence, and vile and cruel action come into existence as enemies bent on the destruction of the world.
10. Taking refuge in insatiable desires, filled with hypocrisy, pride and arrogance, and holding false notions due to their delusion, they act with unclean intentions.
11. Clinging to immeasurable worries that would only end with their death, and firmly convinced that the gratification of desires is the highest goal;
12. Bound by a hundred snares of hope, given over to lust and anger, they seek to amass wealth by unjust means for gratification of their desires.
13. This has been acquired by me today. I shall attain this wish. It is mine and this wealth also shall be mine.
14. This enemy has been slain by me and others too I shall slay. I am the lord; I am the enjoyer. I am successful, mighty and happy.
15. I am wealthy and high-born. Who else is equal to me? I shall perform a sacrifice. I shall give charity and I shall rejoice. Thus, they are deluded by ignorance.
16. Confused by numerous thoughts, enveloped in a net of delusion, and addicted to the gratification of desires, they fall down into a filthy hell.
17. Self-conceited, stubborn, filled with pride and arrogance of wealth, they perform sacrifices only in name with ostentation and without regard to rules.
18. Given to egotism, force, pride, desire and anger, these malicious people despise me in their own as well as in others’ bodies.
19. I constantly hurl these cruel haters, the worst of human beings, into demonic wombs in the vicious cycle of rebirth.
20. Fallen into the demonical wombs in birth after birth, these deluded beings do not attain me, O Kaunteya Arjun. From there they sink further down to lower state.
21. Desire, anger and greed are the three gates leading to this hell. They are destructive to the self and hence one should abandon these three.
22. O Kaunteya Arjun, those who are released from these three gates to darkness and do what is the best for their self, attain the supreme goal.
23. The one who acts under the impulse of desire, casting aside the injunction of the scripture, does not attain accomplishment, nor happiness nor the supreme goal.
24. Therefore, let the scripture be your authority for determining what is to be done and what is not to be done. Knowing the prescribed scriptural injunction, you should perform your prescribed duty here in this world.
Thus ends the sixteenth chapter, entitled Daivasur-Sampad-Vibhag Yog – The Yog of the Distinction between the Divine and Devilish Endowments containing the discourse between Shree Krishna and Arjun in the Upanishad called the Bhagavad Gita, the science of Brahm, the scripture of Yog.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17
Shraddha-Tray-Vibhag Yog – The Yog of the Distinction of the Three Kinds of Faith
Arjun said:
1. O Krishna, what is the position of those who forsake the injunctions of scriptures but perform sacrifices with faith? Is it sattva, rajas, or tamas?
Shree Bhagavan Krishna said:
2. The faith of embodied beings is of three kinds, known as sattviki, rajasi and tamasi, all born of their inherent nature. Now hear about them.
3. O Bharat Arjun, faith of all humans takes the form of their essential nature. Humans are made of their faith. What their faith is, that verily they are.
4. The sattvik people worship the gods and the rajasi ones venerate yakshas and demons. The tamasi people worship ghosts and other hordes of nature spirits.
5. Those who are filled with deceit and arrogance, and impelled by the force of desire and passion, perform atrocious austerities, which are not prescribed by the scriptures.
6. They mindlessly torture a host of elements within their body and also me residing in the body. Know these to be demoniac in their resolve.
7. Even the food which is dear to all is of three kinds. So are the sacrifices, austerities and gifts. Hear now the distinction between them.
8. The foods that promote life, virtue, strength, health, happiness and satiety, and which are juicy, smooth, nourishing and agreeable are dear to the sattvik people.
9. The foods that are bitter, sour, salty, excessively hot, pungent, harsh and burning are desired by the rajasi people. Such foods cause pain, grief and disease.
10. The foods, which are stale, tasteless, putrid and left over, rejected and not fit for offering in sacrifice, are dear to the tamasi people.
11. The sacrifice, which is performed according to the prescribed procedure by those who do not desire any reward from it and believe it to be their duty, is sattvik.
12. But the sacrifice that is performed with an expectation of reward or for the purpose of ostentation, O Baharat-shrestha Arjun, know that to be rajasi.
13. The sacrifice which is not in conformity with the prescribed procedure, in which food is not distributed, sacred hymns are not chanted, fees to presiding priests are not paid and which is devoid of faith, is regarded as tamasi.
14. Worship of the gods, the twice-born, teachers and the wise; cleanliness, uprightness, continence and non-violence, these are called austerities of the body.
15. The utterance of words that do not cause distress, which is truthful, pleasant and beneficial, and practice in the recitation of sacred texts, these are called austerities of speech.
16. Peace of mind, gentleness, silence, self-restraint, purity of being, these are called austerities of the mind.
17. This threefold austerity practiced with the utmost faith by steadfast people without any expectation of reward is regarded as sattvik.
18. Austerity which is practiced with arrogance in order to gain honour, respect and reverence is declared to be rajasi in this world. It is unstable and transient.
19. Austerity which is practiced with foolish obsession by means of self-torture or with the aim of causing injury to others is declared to be tamasi.
20. The gift which is given as a matter of duty to a worthy person who has not performed a prior favour, and at the proper place and time, is held to be sattvik.
21. The gift which is given grudgingly with the aim of receiving a favour in return or with the expectation of future gain, is remembered as rajasi.
22. The gift which is given at the wrong place and time, to an unworthy person without paying respect or with contempt is declared to be tamasi.
23. “Om Tat Sat” this is considered to be the threefold designation of Brahm. By this the Brahmins, the Veds and the sacrifices were ordained in ancient times.
24. Therefore, the exponents of Brahm always start the acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity by uttering the syllable ‘Om’ in the beginning as prescribed in the scriptures.
25. Those who desire liberation, perform various kinds of sacrifice, austerity and acts of giving without desiring fruits of their action with the utterance of syllable ‘Tat’.
26. The term ‘Sat’ is employed in the sense of reality and goodness. O Parth Arjun, the word ‘Sat’ is also used for praiseworthy action.
27. Steadfastness in sacrifice, austerity and giving charity is also called ‘Sat’, and actions relating to these are likewise proclaimed as ‘Sat’.
28. Whatever oblation is offered, whatever austerity is performed, whatever rite is observed, O Parth Arjun, without faith, is called ‘Asat’. It counts for nothing in the hereafter or here in this world.
Thus ends the seventeenth chapter, entitled Shraddha-Tray-Vibhag Yog – The Yog of the Distinction of the Three Kinds of Faith containing the discourse between Shree Krishna and Arjun in the Upanishad called the Bhagavad Gita, the science of Brahm, the scripture of Yog.
—Awadhesh Sharma
www.hinduguru.com.au
