16:1-3: The Blessed One said: Fearlessness, purification of one'sexistence, determination in acquiring spiritual knowledge, charity,self-restraint, sacrifice, scriptural exegesis, austerity andstraight-forwardness,
Non-violence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation,peacefulness, an aversion to backbiting, compassion towards all beings,freedom from ardent desires, gentleness, modesty, and freedom fromunsteadiness,
Vigor, forgiveness, resoluteness, purity, freedom from malice,avoidance of excessive honor - these are the qualities of those in whomgodliness is born, O descendent of Bharata.
16:4: Deceit, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance -these are the qualities of those in whom a demonic nature is born, Ochild of Partha.
16:5: Godly qualities promote liberation whereas demonicqualities result in continued bondage. Do not grieve, O child of Pandu,you are born of godly qualities.
16:6: There are two types of beings in this world, one is godly,the other is demonic. The godly have been described in depth, now hearfrom Me about the demoniacal, O child of Partha.
16:7-9: Demonic people do not distinguish between activity and inactivity. There is no purity, proper behavior or truth in them.
They say the universe is devoid of truth and has no foundation, that itis without a god and is only arisen due to mutual union - that desireis its only causative.
Maintaining this misunderstanding, these less intelligent endangeredsouls arise to perform awesome and detrimental activities for thedestruction of the universe.
16:10-12: Taking refuge in insatiable desire, wickedness andpride, possessed by delusion-wrought madness, seizing and believing inthe non-eternal, they function with impure resolve.
Having taken refuge in unlimited anxieties even to the point of death,holding sense gratification to be the highest goal of life, beingconvinced that this is all there is;
Fettered by hundreds of chains of hope, yet bound by a consciousnessabsorbed in the desire for sense enjoyment, they employ improper meansfor accumulating worldly prosperity.
16:13-16: They say: "This has been acquired by me today, this Iwill obtain, by my desire this is mine and again, this wealth will bemine.
My enemy has been slain by me, I will slay my other enemies as well. Iam the master of all I survey; I am the enjoyer, I am perfect, powerfuland happy.
I am wealthy, the creme de la creme. Who is equal to me? I will performsacrifices; I will give liberally; I will rejoice." Thus deluded byignorance and confused by the multiformed diversity they behold,encompassed in a snare of delusion and addicted to sense gratification,they descend into the vile infernal regions of Naraka.2
16:17: Self centered, obstinate, maddened by wealth and pride,they hypocritically perform sacrifices in name only, without knowledgeof the ancient customs.
16:18-20: Having taken refuge in false ego, personal strength,arrogance, desire and anger, these malicious people detest Me evenwithin their own bodies or within others.
I dispatch these cruel enemies of Mine, lowest among mankind, intomaterial existence where they perpetually enter into inauspiciousdemonic wombs.
O child of Kunti, after entering into demonic wombs through repeatedbirths without achieving Me, the foolish eventually go to the vilestdestination.
16:21, 22: Lust, anger and greed are the three gateways to theinfernal regions and the destruction of the soul. These three must beabandoned.
O child of Kunti, liberated from these three gateways of ignorance, aperson should practice what is beneficial to the Self and thus attainthe supreme destination.
16:23, 24: One who abandons the scriptural ordinances andindulges in worldly desires obtains neither perfection, happiness northe supreme destination.
Therefore the scriptures are the standard for determining what ought tobe done and what ought not be done. Knowing the scriptural precepts asdisclosed you should perform your activities in this world.
Here Ends Chapter Sixteen