Krishna Loves You: All individuals are a mix of divine and devilish qualities

It is instructive to see how little has changed between the materialistic worldview of Shri Krishna’s time and the present day.

|| जय श्री कृष्ण ||

॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 16.6॥

_द्वौ भूतसर्गौ लोकऽस्मिन्दैव आसुर एव च ।_
_दैवो विस्तरशः प्रोक्त आसुरं पार्थ में श्रृणु॥_

भावार्थ :

हे अर्जुन! इस संसार में उत्पन्न सभी मनुष्यों के स्वभाव दो प्रकार के ही होते है, एक दैवीय स्वभाव और दूसरा आसुरी स्वभाव, उनमें से दैवीय गुणों को तो विस्तार पूर्वक कह चुका हूँ, अब तू आसुरी गुणों को भी मुझसे सुन। (६)

Meaning:

In this world, two types of beings have been created, the divine and the devilish. The divine has been described elaborately. The devilish, O Paartha, listen from me now.

Explanation:

Although Shri Krishna had reassured Arjuna in the previous shloka, he knew that all individuals had a mix of divine and devilish qualities in them, including Arjuna. It was not either or. The devilish qualities within Arjuna had erupted at the start of the war in the first chapter, so there was certainly room for improvement. Knowing this, Shri Krishna proceeded to describe the devilish qualities in detail in this chapter.

From our perspective, we are always struggling between progressing on the spiritual journey versus conforming to the prevalent way of life - materialism. While there is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying whatever life has to offer, society urges us sometimes to get carried away with the pursuit of materialism, without pointing out the downside of doing so. It is instructive to see how little has changed between the materialistic worldview of Shri Krishna’s time and the present day.

So, from the next shloka to the end of this chapter, Shri Krishna paints a detailed picture of the materialistic world view that many of us have taken for granted. He describes the way they think and feel, their attitude towards people and objects, and the consequences of their materialistic viewpoint.

Chant the mantra you have faith in

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