Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 Verse 20 (16.20)
Reflective Prompt:
Among the three gates to self-destruction—lust (desire), anger, and greed—which one is most difficult for you to guard against?
- ▪ Option 1: Desire and lust—the urge to seek constant pleasure and excitement.
- ▪ Option 2: Anger—the irritation and rage when things do not go my way.
- ▪ Option 3: Greed—the constant hunger to accumulate more wealth and praise.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 Verse 20 (16.20)
आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि । मामाप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् | | १६-२० | |
āsurīṁ yonimāpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani māmaprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yāntyadhamāṁ gatim
Word-by-word guide:
Line 1:
- आसुरीम्
(asurim)— आसुरी(demoniac) - योनिम्
(yonim)— योनि(womb) - आपन्नाः
(apannah)— प्राप्त हुए(entering) - मूढाः
(mudhah)— मूढ़(the deluded) - जन्मनि
(janmani)— जन्म में(birth after birth) - जन्मनि
(janmani)— जन्म में(birth after birth)
Line 2:
- माम्
(mam)— मुझे(Me) - अप्राप्य
(aprapya)— प्राप्त किए बिना(without ever reaching) -
ivajoined in māmaprāpyaiva - कौन्तेय
(Kaunteya)— हे कौन्तेय अर्जुन(Arjuna) - ततः
(tatah)— तब(thereby) - यान्ति
(yanti)— जाते हैं(they go) - अधमाम्
(adhamam)— निम्नतम(to the lowest) - गतिम्
(gatim)— गति(state/destination)
English: So reborn, they spend life after life, enveloped in confusion. And they never reach Me, Arjuna, but degenerate into still lower forms of life.
Learnings from Shloka 20:
- The Godless Mindset:: Those with demoniac tendencies do not recognize truth or purity. They believe the world is just an accident without any divine purpose or ruler.
- Driven by Ego and Greed:: They are consumed by insatiable greed, arrogance, and anger, constantly thinking: "I have this, I will get that, I am perfect, I have defeated my enemies."
- Self-Destruction:: Bound by endless desires and using unfair means to gather wealth, they are trapped in anxiety and fall into deeper confusion and lower rebirths.
Gita Knowledge Quiz
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Entering demoniacal wombs, deluded in birth after birth, they do not reach the Supreme, but sink to lower and lower depths of degradation.
### Shlokas 21-24 **Instruction on renouncing conduct opposed to scripture and exhortation to follow scripture.**