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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 Verse 8 (16.8)

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 Verse 8 (16.8)

असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् । अपरस्परसम्भूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् | | १६-८ | |

asatyamapratiṣhṭhaṁ te jagadāhuranīśhvaram aparasparasambhūtaṁ kimanyatkāmahaitukam

Word-by-word guide:
Line 1:
  • असत्यम् (asatyam) — असत्य(untruthful)
  • अप्रतिष्ठम् (apratishtham) — आधारहीन(without foundation)
  • ते (te) — तुम्हें(they)
  • जगत् (jagat) — जगत(the universe)
  • आहुः (ahuh) — कहते हैं(say)
  • अनीश्वरम् (anishvaram) — ईश्वर रहित(without a God/ruler)
Line 2:
  • अपरस्परसम्भूतम् (aparaspara-sambhutam) — परस्पर संयोग से उत्पन्न(born of physical union)
  • किम् (kim) — और क्या(what else)
  • अन्यत् (anyat) — और क्या(what else)
  • कामहैतुकम् (kama-haitukam) — कामना से प्रेरित(caused by lust/desire alone)

English: They say the universe is an accident with no purpose and no God. Life is created by sexual union, a product of uncontrolled desire and nothing else.

💡 Commentary Note

They say the universe has no truth, no moral foundation, and no ruler. They believe it is born only of desire, with no purpose other than sensory gratification.

Learnings from Shloka 8:
  • Nihilistic View:: Viewing the world as purposeless and purely material leads to selfish and reckless behavior.
  • Chasing Pleasure:: Restricting life's goal to physical pleasure (lust) reduces human potential to animal levels.

Gita/Sanskrit Language Quiz

Practice this shloka vocabulary

Match Sanskrit words from shloka 16.8 with their Hindi and English meanings.

Practice vocabulary