Chapter 16The Divine and the Demoniac Natures DefinedVerse 4

Chapters

Sanskrit Vocal

Transliteration

Anvaya

Translation



Audio
Hindi
Bengali
English
Dutch
German
Greek
Chinese
Japanese
French
Spanish
Italian
Portuguese
Hebrew
Arabic
Serbian
Russian


Commentaries of the Four Authorized Vaisnava Sampradayas

as confirmed in the Garga Samhita Canto 10, Chapter 61, Verses 23, 24, 25, 26
Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Visnuswami

Sridhara Swami's Commentary

Now the six properties of the demoniac nature are concisely given here by Lord Krishna. Dambha is ostentation which arises from belief in the sanctimony of perverting religion. Darpha is pride due to erroneous conceptions of what is privileged birth. Abhimanah is arrogance which is conceit and vanity due to material delusions of education, position and wealth. Parusyam is harshness and cruelty devoid of mercy. Krodha is anger exemplified by total lack of control of the mind due to frustrated greed and lust. Ajnanam is ignorance and the absence of knowledge in discriminating what is eternal and what is temporary, what is righteous and what is unrighteous. All the demoniac properties are accompanied by fiendishness which is also a component of the demoniac and exists in those born in the demoniac nature.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Madhvacarya

Madhvacarya's Commentary

Lord Krishna gives the six demerits that are part of the demoniac nature and are formidable obstacles obstructing all progress in spiritual advancement. The word damah or ostentatious denotes hypocrisy, mendacity and lack of religiosity. Darpah is pride erroneously exuding from intoxication of position, wealth and power. The word krodah means anger resulting from frustration causing animosity and the impetus to injure and harm others by parusyam or cruelty and harshness without any mercy. This is a defect especially found in sovereigns and rulers due to abhimanh or extreme egotism in the illusion that they are the most powerful and worshipable instead of the Supreme Lord. Thus their mentality being deluded is ajnanam or ignorance, void of actual knowledge and destitute in discrimination of what is eternal and what is temporary.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Ramanuja

Ramanuja's Commentary

Now Lord Krishna discloses the six properties predominating the demoniac nature.

dambah is ostentation or a charade of pretentious actions perverting religion.

darpa is pride or the unnatural proclivity for excess experiencing sense objects.

abhimanah is arrogance or egotism concerning ones self interest and importance

krodah is anger which arises when greed and lust is impeded and frustrated.

parusyam is belligerence or spurious indignation towards what is righteous.

ajananam is ignorance and lack of discrimination of the eternal and the temporal.

Those born in the demoniac nature act contrary to all that is righteous and fiendishly oppose the ordinances and injunctions of the Vedic scriptures beneficial for all creation.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Nimbaditya

Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary

Having revealed the divine qualities the Supreme Lord Krishna discloses the six demoniac properties which are to be rejected and abandoned in all situations. Dambah is ostentation or hypocrisy by pretentiously parodying righteousness. Darpah is pride caused by exaggerated egotism due to one's birth. Abhinamah is arrogance due to education, position and wealth. Krodah is anger resulting from frustration of greed and lust and causes one to give the burning pain one feels to others. Parusyam is harshness, lack of kindness and merciless opposition to that which is righteous. Ajnanam is ignorance in determining what is eternal and what is temporal and subsequently the inability to discriminate between what is righteous and beneficial and what is unrighteous and harmful to one's own existence. The copulative ca meaning and, includes the vices such as fiendishness, perversion, lust, greed, etc.

Thus the demoniac oppose even the injunctions and prohibitions of the eternal Vedic scriptures while concocting, hypothecating and engaging in heinous activities that erode the eternal values of righteousness for all living beings in their fiendish attempt to degrade and degenerate all creation.

Thus ends commentaries of chapter 16, verse 4 of the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita.

Verse 4


Copyright © Bhagavad-Gita Trust 1998-2015