Shri Krishna Loves You: What is the difference between a sanyaasi and a tyaagi

  

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॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 18.11॥

 

_अनिष्टमिष्टं मिश्रं च त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलम्‌ ।_

_भवत्यत्यागिनां प्रेत्य न तु सन्न्यासिनां क्वचित्॥_

 

भावार्थ :

क्योंकि शरीरधारी किसी भी मनुष्य द्वारा सम्पूर्णता से सब कर्मों का त्याग किया जाना शक्य नहीं है, इसलिए जो कर्मफल त्यागी है, वही त्यागी है- यह कहा जाता है॥११॥

 

Meaning:

 

For, it is not possible for an embodied person to completely give up actions. That is why one who has given up the reward of action is called a tyaagee.

 

Explanation:

 

This chapter began with Arjuna asking the question : what is the difference between a sanyaasi and a tyaagi. Shri Krishna used this question as an opportunity to recap the topic of karma yoga. After pointing out some popular notions on the topic, he then asserted that karma yoga refers to performance of duties while giving up attachment to their reward. This is the saattvic type of renunciation or tyaaga. He also explained the raajasic and the taamasic types of tyaaga.

 

Now, Shri Krishna adds another bit of context to the topic of karma yoga. He asserts that one who has a strong sense of identification to his body cannot completely give up action. He uses the term deha-bhrit, which is similar to the term dehi from the second chapter. As long as we identify with a sports team, for instance, we will be happy or say whenever they win or lose. As long as we think we are Mr. or Ms. so-and-so who has a job and a family and a house and so on, we have a strong sense of identification with our body. We cannot fully give up actions since the body has to act in order to live in this world.

 

With this additional context, we can now understand the definition of tyaagi. The ordinary meaning of this word refers to one who has renounced, who has given up all actions. Shri Krishna redefines it to mean someone who has given up all attachment to the reward of action, not given up action itself. If we are true karma yogis, we are tyaagis per this definition. We still need to deal with the issue of our strong identification to the body. This topic is taken up next.

Chant the mantra you have faith in

Hare Krishna

The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is composed of three Sanskrit words, which are “Hare”, “Krishna” and “Rama”. According to the scriptures “Obstruction or problem can’t come into their lives, who do chant this mantra continuously”. The Great Mantra is:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण , कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |

हरे राम हरे राम , राम राम हरे हरे ||

Shri Krishna Loves You: Analyze The Texture Or The Nature Of Our Faith

A scientist will give up innumerable opportunities to a party because he is performing an experiment in his lab in the night.

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॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 17.7॥


_आहारस्त्वपि सर्वस्य त्रिविधो भवति प्रियः ।_
_यज्ञस्तपस्तथा दानं तेषां भेदमिमं श्रृणु ॥_


भावार्थ :
हे अर्जुन! सभी मनुष्यों का भोजन भी प्रकृति के गुणों के अनुसार तीन प्रकार का प्रिय होता है, और यज्ञ, तप और दान भी तीन प्रकार के होते हैं, इनके भेदों को तू मुझ से सुन। (७)


Meaning:
Food, also, which is dear to all, is of three types, and similarly, sacrifice, penance and charity. Hear this, their distinction.

Explanation:

Shri Krishna now begins to explain the method by which we can analyze the texture or the nature of our faith. The principle here is to assess the attitude with which we perform actions. The type of attitude maintained while performing an action will reveal whether our faith is saatvic, raajasic or taamasic. Shri Krishna covers the entire spectrum of actions performed by us with just four categories: our intake of food, sacrifice, penance and charity. To better understand these categories, we need to understand the underlying symbolic meaning.

We have come across broader meaning of the term yajnya or sacrifice in karma yoga. It refers to any action or transaction with another person or object while adhering to our duty. If we are an accountant by profession, then earning a livelihood as an accountant becomes a yajyna or sacrifice. Next, tapas or penance is the means by which we conserve energy needed to perform our duties. A scientist will give up innumerable opportunities to party because he is performing an experiment in his lab in the night. This is penance. Daanam or charity refers to the donation of excess wealth accumulated while performing our duties. The act of charity helps reduce our level of lobha or greed.

The intake of food or aahaara is given its own category. It is different than sacrifice, penance or austerity for a couple of reasons. Any action performed towards feeding the body gives its phala, its result, immediately. But any other type of action gives its result much later. Furthermore, the result of feeding our body is restricted to the body, not to anything or anyone else. That is why people who are very diligent in their duties can become lax in their dietary habits. Food is analyzed in great detail in the next three shlokas.

Chant the mantra you have faith in

Hare Krishna

The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is composed of three Sanskrit words, which are “Hare”, “Krishna” and “Rama”. According to the scriptures “Obstruction or problem can’t come into their lives, who do chant this mantra continuously”. The Great Mantra is:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण , कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |

हरे राम हरे राम , राम राम हरे हरे ||

Shri Krishna Loves You: Do Not Harm Your Body

A similar state is found in some people who practice terrible austerities in the name of worship. Shri Krishna explains their fate here.

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॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 17.6॥

 

_कर्शयन्तः शरीरस्थं भूतग्राममचेतसः ।_
_मां चैवान्तःशरीरस्थं तान्विद्ध्‌यासुरनिश्चयान् ॥_

 

भावार्थ : 

ऎसे भ्रमित बुद्धि वाले मनुष्य शरीर के अन्दर स्थित जीवों के समूह और हृदय में स्थित मुझ परमात्मा को भी कष्ट देने वाले होते हैं, उन सभी अज्ञानियों को तू निश्चित रूप से असुर ही समझ। (६)

 

Meaning:

The collection of elements situated in the body, as well as me who dwells in the body, are weakened by ignorant people. Know them to be of devilish resolves.

 

Explanation:

Let's say it is the first day of the New Year, and we make a resolution to lose some weight. The very next day, we join a gym for the very first time, and spend one hour running on the treadmill. This will not be a good idea. Instead of helping our body, we may harm it. Weight loss, like any other system, requires a combination of knowledge and action. Unless we understand the techniques involved in weight loss, we should avoid starting an exercise regimen.

 

A similar state is found in some people who practice terrible austerities in the name of worship. Shri Krishna explains their fate here. He says that those who torture the body and mind in the name of austerity are doing nothing but weakening the elements, meaning the organs, in their body. Nowhere in the scriptures does it ask us to harm our body. He goes one step further by asserting that such people are also hurting Ishvara himself. As we saw in the ninth chapter, Ishvara dwells in all of us as the saakshi, the witness of our thoughts and actions.

 

Shri Krishna calls such people achetesaaha which means ignorant, or even unconscious. They chose to ignore Ishvara's teaching in the form of scriptures. They do not have faith in any ideal except their own preservation. They are driven only by egoism and desire. It is no wonder that their plans, their resolves, will be aasuric or devilish, as explained in the prior chapter. So the warning to us is clear. As we are conducting the analysis of our faith, we should in no way emulate these people. We should stay away from them.

 

Chant the mantra you have faith in

Hare Krishna

The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is composed of three Sanskrit words, which are “Hare”, “Krishna” and “Rama”. According to the scriptures “Obstruction or problem can’t come into their lives, who do chant this mantra continuously”. The Great Mantra is:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण , कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |

हरे राम हरे राम , राम राम हरे हरे ||

Shri Krishna Loves You: Why Would Someone Perform Painful Austerities?

 Any time we see people abuse and torture themselves or others in the name of devotion, physically or mentally, we need to stay away from such people

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॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 17.5॥

 

_अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जनाः ।_

_दम्भाहङ्‍कारसंयुक्ताः कामरागबलान्विताः ॥_

 

भावार्थ :

जो मनुष्य शास्त्रों के विधान के विरुद्ध अपनी कल्पना द्वारा व्रत धारण करके कठोर तपस्या करतें हैं, ऎसे घमण्डी मनुष्य कामनाओं, आसक्ति और बल के अहंकार से प्रेरित होते हैं। (५)

 

Meaning:

Those people who perform horrible austerities that are shunned by laws of scripture, entrenched in ostentation and pride, possessed with the force of desire and attachment.

 

Explanation:

Let us imagine that you are attending a class on basic electronic circuits. It is your first day in the electronics lab. If you have a good teacher, chances are that they will not start day one of the class with the topic of electronics itself. They will probably talk about the dos and don'ts of handling electronics equipment. This is because they have your safety and the safety of other students in mind. Shri Krishna, teacher extraordinaire, uses this shloka and next to give us a warning before delving into the topic of analyzing the texture of our faith.

This warning is very simple. Any time we see people abuse and torture themselves or others in the name of devotion, physically or mentally, we need to stay away from such people. Or, in the rare chance that we have been misguided by someone to do such things, we should immediately stop. Such torture could be something as basic as denying oneself food and water to the detriment of one’s health, or could be as terrible as poking and prodding oneself with pins and needles. None of this is sanctioned by any scripture.

So why would someone perform such painful austerities? Shri Krishna says many of these people have some misguided pride about some body-oriented feat such as walking on hot charcoals. They want to put on a show so that they can satisfy the urge of ostentation, to show off their feats. Some others become so attached a worldly goal that they take on vows of incessant fasting without taking their health into consideration. Broadly speaking, such people do not gain their result, and end up harming themselves and others around them.

Chant the mantra you have faith in

Hare Krishna

The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is composed of three Sanskrit words, which are “Hare”, “Krishna” and “Rama”. According to the scriptures “Obstruction or problem can’t come into their lives, who do chant this mantra continuously”. The Great Mantra is:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण , कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |

हरे राम हरे राम , राम राम हरे हरे ||

Shri Krishna Loves You: Uncover The Texture Of Your Faith

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॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 17.4॥

_यजन्ते सात्त्विका देवान्यक्षरक्षांसि राजसाः ।_
_प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये जयन्ते तामसा जनाः ॥_

भावार्थ :
सात्त्विक गुणों से युक्त मनुष्य अन्य देवी-देवताओं को पूजते हैं, राजसी गुणों से युक्त मनुष्य यक्ष और राक्षसों को पूजते हैं और अन्य तामसी गुणों से युक्त मनुष्य भूत-प्रेत आदि को पूजते हैं। (४)

Meaning:
Saatvic individuals worship deities, raajasic individuals worship the yakshas and the raakshasas, others, taamasic individuals, the pretas and band of bhootas.

Explanation:

Shri Krishna says that people who have faith can be placed in three categories. Those that worship deities such as Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva and so on are saatvic. Those that worship materialistic spirits or yakshas such as Kubera the lord of wealth are raajasic. Those that worship ghosts and demons are taamasic. Hearing this, we may say that we only worship deities. We never worship anything else. Therefore, we may conclude that we are highly saatvic individuals.

But as we have seen in karma yoga, the attitude with which we perform an action is equally important as the action itself. Imagine that three people visit the same temple at the same time and pray to the same deity. One person may pray because he wants his daughter to get married. One may pray to knock off his business competitor. Another may pray so that he attains liberation in this life. Outwardly, they may seem to be doing the same action, but there is a world of difference in their attitude. This difference in attitude is symbolically conveyed in the shloka using terms such as ghosts and demons.

So, analyzing our actions is not as easy as observing what we do. We also need to note our attitude behind our actions. As we saw earlier, our nature or svabhaava determines our attitude and our actions. To uncover the texture of our faith, we first need to uncover our attitudes and motivations, which requires a high degree of awareness. To get better and doing so, Shri Krishna covers a gamut of actions in this chapter so that we can practice observing our attitude as well as our actions, observe what we do and why we do it.

Chant the mantra you have faith in

Hare Krishna

The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is composed of three Sanskrit words, which are “Hare”, “Krishna” and “Rama”. According to the scriptures “Obstruction or problem can’t come into their lives, who do chant this mantra continuously”. The Great Mantra is:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण , कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |

हरे राम हरे राम , राम राम हरे हरे ||

Shri Krishna Loves You: Human Being Is Nothing But A Bundle Of Faiths

Hare Krishna! Our faith could be saatvic, raajasic or taamasic. Shri Krishna now takes each aspect of our actions and gives us guidelines on how to determine their texture.

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WhatsApp number in the Comment Section. It's a free service!

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॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 17.3॥

_सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत ।_

_श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः ॥_

भावार्थ :

हे भरतवंशी! सभी मनुष्यों की श्रद्धा स्वभाव से उत्पन्न अर्जित गुणों के अनुसार विकसित होती है, यह मनुष्य श्रद्धा से युक्त है, जो जैसी श्रद्धा वाला होता है वह स्वयं वैसा ही होता है। (३)

Meaning:

The faith of each is according to his nature, O Bhaarata. This human being is comprised of faith. As his faith, so is he.

Explanation:

Shri Krishna emphasized the point made in the earlier shloka. The human being is nothing but a bundle of faiths, also known as beliefs, prejudices, customs, culture, tradition, basically everything that is ingrained into us as samskaaraas or impressions. But where do these impressions come from? Some of these impressions come from external factors, and some of these are present in us right from our birth.

When we see a child prodigy perform a complicated symphony, we may say that she got this skill from non stop practice since her birth, or we may say that she got it from her practice in a previous life. In any case, her actions are a product of the samskaaraas or impressions formed through countless hours of practice.

Shri Krishna says that faith is according to one’s sattva. Here, sattva is not used in its traditional meaning as a guna like rajas and tamas. Sattva refers to our svaabhaava, our nature, the bundle of impressions that are stored in our inner instrument, our antaha karana, which is comprised of our mind, intellect, memory and senses. This sattva, this bundle of impressions, makes us choose our actions throughout our lives. Although we think of ourselves as rational individuals, we use logic and reason to justify and rationalize our faith, in a roundabout way.

Now we come back to the question posed in the previous shloka. How can we assess the texture of our faith, our beliefs and our prejudices? We need to examine our actions. Our faith, our beliefs and our prejudices guide our actions. Therefore, by examining the texture of our actions, we can determine the texture of our faith. Our faith could be saatvic, raajasic or taamasic. Shri Krishna now takes each aspect of our actions and gives us guidelines on how to determine their texture.

Chant the mantra you have faith in

Hare Krishna

The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is composed of three Sanskrit words, which are “Hare”, “Krishna” and “Rama”. According to the scriptures “Obstruction or problem can’t come into their lives, who do chant this mantra continuously”. The Great Mantra is:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण , कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |

हरे राम हरे राम , राम राम हरे हरे ||

Shri Krishna Loves You: Faith Differs From Person To Person

Hare Krishna! Shri Krishna gives us a starting point to help us. We first need to understand what he means when he says that faith comes from svabhaava or nature.

Hare Krishna! If you want "Shri Krishna Loves You" daily post
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॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 17.2॥

_श्रीभगवानुवाच_

_त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा ।_
_सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां श्रृणु ॥_

भावार्थ :

श्री भगवान्‌ ने कहा - शरीर धारण करने वाले सभी मनुष्यों की श्रद्धा प्रकृति गुणों के अनुसार सात्विक, राजसी और तामसी तीन प्रकार की ही होती है, अब इसके विषय में मुझसे सुन। (२)

Meaning:

Shree Bhagavaan said:

Threefold is the faith that comes from the nature of the embodied ones, saatvic, raajasic and taamasic. Listen about that from me.

Explanation:

Arjuna began this chapter by posing the following question. If one does not have access to the scriptures but uses their faith to guide their lives, what kind of a position is that? Shri Krishna does not answer that question directly. The entire chapter, in fact, is the answer to that question.



It is not an easy question to answer because faith differs from person to person. We can say that we trust our faith, our conscience, to guide us towards performing the right actions. But the faith of a terrorist is different than the faith of a saint. If we do not have a guru to guide us, we cannot assess our faith objectively. So how should we tackle this issue?



Shri Krishna gives us a starting point to help us. We first need to understand what he means when he says that faith comes from svabhaava or nature. What exactly is meant by nature here? Nature refers to the collection of samskaaraas or impressions that are present in a person, a “dehin” or embodied one, from birth until death. Whenever we perform an action and get its result, both the action and result are ingrained in our mind in the form of an impression. This impression is called as samskaara. Whenever we repeat the action and get the same result, the impression is further ingrained and strengthened. If we repeat it often enough, it becomes a habit. It could be a good habit such as respecting our elders, or a bad habit such as smoking.



So this nature, this collection of samskaaraas or impressions, is where our faith comes from. Now let’s go back to Arjuna’s question. In the absence of scriptures, in the absence of a rational, logical means to check our actions, what will happen if we use our faith instead? If someone swears loudly at us in the middle of the street, we will respond instinctively at that point rather than using logic or reason. We may punch the person who yelled at us, or we may ignore him. It depends on the makeup of our nature.



Now, based on the makeup of our nature, we can classify our faith into three types: saatvic, raajasic and taamasic. But it is difficult to do so directly. We will have to infer the nature of faith through something else. Shri Krishna tells Arjuna to listen, since he will explain how to do this.

Chant the mantra you have faith in

Hare Krishna

The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is composed of three Sanskrit words, which are “Hare”, “Krishna” and “Rama”. According to the scriptures “Obstruction or problem can’t come into their lives, who do chant this mantra continuously”. The Great Mantra is:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण , कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |

हरे राम हरे राम , राम राम हरे हरे ||

Shri Krishna Loves You: What Arjuna Asks On Behalf Of Common People

Hare Krishan! Arjuna asks this extremely practical question on behalf of common people who have faith in some higher principle

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॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 17.1॥

_अर्जुन उवाच
_ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विताः ।_
_तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वमाहो रजस्तमः ॥_

भावार्थ :

अर्जुन ने कहा - हे कृष्ण! जो मनुष्य शास्त्रों के विधान को त्यागकर पूर्ण श्रद्धा से युक्त होकर पूजा करते हैं, उनकी श्रद्धा सतोगुणी, रजोगुणी, तमोगुणी या अन्य किसी प्रकार की होती है? (१)

Meaning:

Arjuna said:

Those who, setting aside laws of scripture, perform worship endowed with faith, O Krishna, what is their position? Is it of sattva, rajas or tamas?

Explanation:

In order to prevent the prompting of actions by selfish desire, we should use the scriptures as a guide to decide what to do or what not to do. This was the concluding message of the previous chapter. Hearing this, the word “shaastra” or scripture stuck in Arjuna’s mind. Perhaps he foresaw that over the course of time, most people will not have access to scriptures. They will not be able to receive the guidance of a real guru who truly cares about their spiritual growth versus extracting money from them. He wanted to know, like all of us do, how to use our judgement without access to scriptural laws.

Let us now investigate what category of people Arjuna is speaking about. There are those who may have access to the scriptures, may even understand the scriptures, but have no inclination of following them. Such people were covered in the last chapter under the category of devilish qualities. Conversely, there are people who understand the scriptures and also conduct their life according to scriptures. These people were covered under the category of divine qualities. This chapter covers those people who do not have access to the scriptures, but yet try to lead their lives through faith, sincerity and honesty.

So then, Arjuna asks this extremely practical question on behalf of common people who have faith in some higher principle. Some may be devotees of Shri Krishna, some of Lord Shiva, some of Lord Ganesha. Some may not have faith in a deity but may have faith in a spiritual text such as the Gita. Some may have not have faith in any of these but may have faith in a friend, spouse or relative who has faith in a deity or a spiritual text. Some may have faith in their nation or in a higher cause such as improving the state of the nation’s education system.

Regardless of what their faith is, such people would like to set themselves on a path that gains them happiness in the material world, and also enables them to pursue the supreme goal of self realization or liberation. In the absence of scripture as the authority, faith determines the course of action for such people. How can they determine whether their faith is saattvic, rajasic or tamasic? How can they ensure that their faith is leading them in the right direction?

Chant the mantra you have faith in

Hare Krishna

The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is composed of three Sanskrit words, which are “Hare”, “Krishna” and “Rama”. According to the scriptures “Obstruction or problem can’t come into their lives, who do chant this mantra continuously”. The Great Mantra is:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण , कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |

हरे राम हरे राम , राम राम हरे हरे ||

Krishna Loves You: Divine qualities are a stepping stone towards self-realization and liberation

Hare Krishna! Shri Krishna says that such people are steeped in delusion and ignorance. Instead of bringing happiness, their infinite desires only bring them infinite worries.

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|| जय श्री कृष्ण ||

॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ अध्याय: १६ सारांश॥

ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्नीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुन दैवासुरसम्पद्विभागयोगो नाम षोडशोऽध्यायः॥

भावार्थ :

इस प्रकार उपनिषद, ब्रह्मविद्या तथा योगशास्त्र रूप श्रीमद् भगवद् गीता के श्रीकृष्ण-अर्जुन संवाद में दैवासुर संपद्विभाग-योग नाम का सोलहवाँ अध्याय संपूर्ण हुआ ॥

॥ हरि: ॐ तत् सत् ॥

Summary of Bhagvad Gita Chapter 16:

The theme of the sixteenth chapter is the analysis of divine and devilish qualities that are present in every human being. Shri Krishna brings by listing all of the divine qualities such as fearlessness and purity of mind. He then provides a similar but brief list of devilish qualities such as ostentation and arrogance. He underscores the point that the divine qualities are a stepping stone towards self-realization and liberation, but the devilish qualities are a slippery slope towards never-ending bondage and sorrow

Next, the philosophy of materialists is analyzed in great detail, because extreme materialism is considered no different than devilish nature. At its core, materialists do not believe in any overarching humanitarian laws or values, since they see the world as nothing but a combination of elements. Material gain is the sole aim of their lives. Anyone or anything that comes in their aim is a target for annihilation.

Shri Krishna says that such people are steeped in delusion and ignorance. Instead of bringing happiness, their infinite desires only bring them infinite worries. These infinite desires bind them and prod them to illegal and unethical means of accumulating wealth. What should I acquire next, whom should I harm next, this becomes their thinking. They develop extreme arrogance and pride towards their family, their wealth and their actions. They totally sever any association with whatever little values and conscience in them.

Such people never realize that by hating everyone they hate Ishvara who dwells in everyone and everything, who is the support of this creation. Although such people think that they are above all laws, they are not above the law of karma. They get the results of their actions in this life and several others to come. Caring only for themselves, they have begun behaving like animals even when they are human. Therefore they are cast into an endless cycle of births and deaths as animals, insects and other creatures.

Shri Krishna ends this chapter with an extremely practical message. He gives us a simple formula that will give us peace and happiness in this world, and also put us on a fast track to liberation. All we need to do is to avoid the three gates of hell which are desire, anger and greed. We do so by making scripture become the motivator and the prompter of our actions and not selfish desire.

Chant the mantra you have faith in

Hare Krishna

The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is composed of three Sanskrit words, which are “Hare”, “Krishna” and “Rama”. According to the scriptures “Obstruction or problem can’t come into their lives, who do chant this mantra continuously”. The Great Mantra is:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण , कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |

हरे राम हरे राम , राम राम हरे हरे ||