Chapter 16The Divine and the Demoniac Natures DefinedVerse 17

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Anvaya

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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

As Lord Krishna has explained previously the demoniac also deceptively imitate the righteous by performing ostentatious rituals so as to look pious in the eyes of society. The demoniac are never motivated by pure intentions in sattva guna the mode of goodness. They are praised only by those of duplicitous mentalities like themselves but they are never acknowledged by devotees of the Supreme Lord no matter how opulent or pompous their sacrifices may be conducted. The demoniac are belligerent, haughty, vain, impertinent, pompous and arrogant all due to their possessing great wealth and exercising the power and control that great wealth can manipulate. The perverted rituals the demoniac execute are always performed in opposition to all that is righteous totally disregarding the ordinances and injunctions prescribed Vedic procedures and devoid of any recognition to the Supreme Lord. The ostentatious rituals that the demoniac orchestrate for public consumption are only pretentious displays of piety and pompous exhibitions to show off how much wealth they can possess.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Madhvacarya
There is no commentary for this verse.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Ramanuja

Ramanuja's Commentary

Lord Krishna describes telltale signs and characteristics of the demoniac.

Sambhavitah means conceited, self aggrandizing. The demoniac flatter themselves.

Stabdah means impertinent, pompous. Thinking they are the better than all others.

Dhana-mana-mada-anvizah means inebriated and puffed up by wealth, bloodlines, etc.

Avidhi-purvakam means the demoniac do pseudo rituals condemned by the Vedas.

The pseudo-rituals enacted by the demoniac are nothing more then pretentious exhibitions of ostentatious decadence regardless of the opulence they are always void of devotion to the Supreme Lord and are performed contrary to the injunctions and ordinances of the Vedic scriptures.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Nimbaditya

Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary

Lord Krishna reveals that whatever ritualistic ceremonies the demoniac execute is nothing more than a pretentious display of self-conceit. They make a big show so the public will think that they are pious. Their active engagement looks on the outside as if it is correct but it is never attuned to devotion unto the Supreme Lord neither does it adhere to the ordinances of the Vedic scriptures. This is inferred and made clear by the descriptive adjectives such as sambhavitah or conceited and stabdhah or pompous. The demoniac possessing arrogance and impertinence due to intoxication of wealth make superficial rituals without faith and void of righteousness only for deceiving the public into regarding them as pious and not due to any spiritual pusuits.

Thus ends commentaries of chapter 16, verse 17 of the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita.

Verse 17


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