Stories of the Great Bharata - A Retelling

Arc 2 - Bhagavad Gītā Parva - Chapter 21 - The Yoga of the Divine and Demoniac Natures (BG XVI)

Daivāsura Sampad Vibhāga Yoga

Vaiśampāyana said

Then Śrī Bhagavān, seeing Arjuna’s heart now stilled after beholding the Universal Form, began to teach him about the divine and demoniac dispositions—the forces that raise or ruin the soul.

The Divine Qualities

Śrī Bhagavān said

“Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and in the discipline of Yoga, generosity, self-restraint, sacrifice, study of the sacred texts, austerity, uprightness, non-injury, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, tranquillity, aversion to fault-finding, compassion for all beings, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of fickleness, vigour, forgiveness, firmness, cleanliness, absence of malice, and freedom from pride—these, O son of Bharata, are the qualities of those born with divine endowment (daivī-sampad).

The divine qualities lead to liberation; the demoniac lead to bondage. Grieve not, O son of Pāṇḍu, for thou art born to divine wealth.”

“Fearless, pure, serene of soul,

Compassionate, with self-control;

Firm in faith, by truth made strong—

To such the gods of heaven belong.”

The Demoniac Nature

“Hypocrisy, arrogance, self-conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance—these, O son of Prithā, belong to those born to the demoniac nature.

Men of demoniac disposition know not what to do nor what to refrain from. Neither purity, nor good conduct, nor truth is found in them.

They say, ‘This universe is without order, without truth, without a Lord. It is born of desire, of the union of male and female, and has no moral foundation.’

Holding such a view, these lost souls, of little understanding and fierce deeds, arise as the destroyers of the world. Engrossed in insatiable desire, filled with hypocrisy and arrogance, they embrace delusion, and engage in impure acts.

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Bound by countless cords of hope, enslaved by lust and wrath, they cry—‘Today I have gained this, tomorrow I shall gain more! This foe I have slain—others shall I slay! I am lord, I am the enjoyer, I am powerful, I am happy!’

Such men, deluded by ignorance, tossed by numerous thoughts, and caught in the net of craving, sink into hell.”

“Bound by lust and blinded greed,

They boast of might and scorn the creed;

Lost in pride and false delight,

They sink in self-created night.”

The Fate of the Demoniac

“Proud, obstinate, deluded by the intoxication of wealth, performing sacrifices in name alone, without regard to scriptural law, they hate Me in their own bodies and in others.

These cruel haters, vilest among men, I hurl perpetually into demoniac wombs. Birth after birth, they sink deeper into delusion, unable to reach Me, and at last fall into the lowest state.”

“Hating Me within each form,

They reap the fruit of their own storm;

Down they fall through birth and death—

Till darkness takes their final breath.”

The Three Gates to Hell

“Three are the gates of hell—lust, wrath, and greed. These three destroy the soul. Therefore, one should renounce them.

Freed from these gates of darkness, O son of Kuntī, one works out his own welfare and reaches the Supreme Goal.

But he who, casting aside the authority of the scriptures, acts under the impulse of desire, attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the Supreme Goal.

Therefore, let the scriptures be thy standard in determining what should be done and what should not. Having known what is enjoined therein, act accordingly.”

“Lust, wrath, and greed—these three are hell,

The triple path where ruin dwell;

Who shuns their fire and follows Law,

Shall see the Face no shadow saw.”

Vaiśampāyana said to Janamejaya

Thus did Śrī Bhagavān speak of the two streams of nature flowing through the hearts of men. The divine current lifts the soul toward liberation; the demoniac drags it into darkness.

He who abandons lust, anger, and greed—the triple gate of hell—and acts by the light of the scriptures, walks the path of the gods and attains the peace of the Eternal.

Thus ends the Sixteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā,

entitled Daivāsura Sampad Vibhāga Yoga – The Yoga of the Division between the Divine and the Demoniac.

It teaches that man’s destiny is shaped not by birth but by disposition—

and that the divine spirit, free from lust and wrath, guided by dharma and knowledge,

leads the soul to liberation in Śrī Bhagavān Himself.