Chapter 16 of the Bhagavad Gita is called Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga, the yoga of the distinction between the divine and the demonic endowments. It has 24 verses. After chapters on knowledge, nature and the highest person, this chapter turns to character. It describes two sets of qualities, and it asks the reader a practical question: which of these am I feeding?
Where we are in the story
Chapter 15 ended by calling its teaching the most secret one. Chapter 16 brings the teaching down to the level of conduct, and chapter 17 will follow it by asking what kind of faith lies behind a person’s actions. The scene is unchanged: Krishna is speaking and Arjuna is listening on the chariot. In verse 5 Krishna speaks directly to Arjuna and tells him not to grieve, because he was born with the divine endowment.
How the chapter moves
- Verses 1 to 3: The divine endowment. Krishna lists qualities that include fearlessness, purity of heart, giving, self-control, study, straightness, non-violence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, compassion, gentleness, modesty, forgiveness and freedom from malice. Counted one by one, the three verses name 26 of them.
- Verses 4 and 5: The demonic endowment is given in six words: hypocrisy, arrogance, excessive pride, anger, harshness and ignorance (16.4). The divine leads to freedom and the demonic to bondage, and Arjuna is told that he belongs to the first (16.5).
- Verses 6 to 8: There are two kinds of beings in this world. The demonic kind does not know what to do and what to avoid, and holds that the world has no truth, no foundation and no lord, and was caused by desire alone (16.8).
- Verses 9 to 18: A long portrait of a mind ruled by desire. It is restless and anxious, pursues wealth by unjust means (16.12), and speaks in boasts: this I have gained, that enemy is killed, who is like me (16.13 to 16.15). Their sacrifices are for show (16.17), and their ego hates what is divine in themselves and in others (16.18).
- Verses 19 and 20: The tradition’s account of the result: such persons are born again into demonic wombs and move further from the Lord.
- Verses 21 and 22: The threefold gate of hell is named: desire, anger and greed. A person freed from these three gates does what is best for himself and reaches the highest state.
- Verses 23 and 24: The chapter ends on the authority of scripture. Whoever drops the rule of scripture and acts on desire reaches neither perfection nor happiness. So scripture is the guide to what should and should not be done.
Three ideas to hold on to
The two lists are a mirror. The divine list is long and gentle, and the demonic list is short and hard. Each item on the demonic side can be set against one on the divine side: arrogance against modesty, anger against peace, harshness against gentleness. The chapter works best read as a self-check and not as a way to sort other people.
Arjuna is told not to grieve. Verse 5 is addressed to him personally. The Gita does not leave a reader with only a warning. It tells the man in doubt that he already stands on the side of the divine qualities, and the chapter’s lists exist to help him stay there.
The root is desire. The long middle of the chapter and verse 21 point to the same three things, desire, anger and greed. They link back to chapter 3, where Krishna names desire as the enemy, and forward to chapters 17 and 18, where the three gunas decide how a person acts.
A note on the harder verses
Verses 19 and 20 speak in harsh words about people of demonic nature and about rebirth. The tradition reads them as a statement about how habits of hatred repeat and deepen across lives, and many modern readers take the whole passage as a description of states of mind that anyone can slip into. The verses describe the Lord’s law of consequence, and the chapter’s own turn in verses 21 and 22 shows that the gates can be closed. This page gives the text plainly and does not use it to judge any group of people.
The text, transliteration and meaning
All 24 verses follow. The speaker is Krishna throughout, and each card shows it.
अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिर्ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः
दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम् ॥ १६.१ ॥
Abhayam sattvasamshuddhir jnanayogavyavasthitih
Danam damash cha yajnash cha svadhyayas tapa arjavam
MeaningThe Blessed Lord says: Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadiness in the discipline of knowledge, giving, self-control, sacrifice, study of scripture, austerity and straightness,
NoteFearlessness comes first in the list. The three verses 1 to 3 together name 26 divine qualities, and many teachers use them as a checklist for daily life.
अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त्यागः शान्तिरपैशुनम्
दया भूतेष्वलोलुप्त्वं मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलम् ॥ १६.२ ॥
Ahimsa satyam akrodhas tyagah shantir apaishunam
Daya bhuteshv aloluptvam mardavam hrir achapalam
Meaningnon-violence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, peace, not speaking ill of others, compassion for living beings, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty and freedom from restlessness,
तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचमद्रोहो नातिमानिता
भवन्ति संपदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत ॥ १६.३ ॥
Tejah kshama dhritih shaucham adroho natimanita
Bhavanti sampadam daivim abhijatasya bharata
Meaningvigour, forgiveness, firmness, cleanliness, freedom from malice and from excessive pride: these belong to one who is born with a divine endowment, Arjuna.
NoteThe divine list closes with freedom from malice and from excessive pride. The demonic list in the next verse sets against it hypocrisy, arrogance, excessive pride and the rest.
दम्भो दर्पोऽतिमानश्च क्रोधः पारुष्यमेव च
अज्ञानं चाभिजातस्य पार्थ संपदमासुरीम् ॥ १६.४ ॥
Dambho darpo 'timanash cha krodhah parushyam eva cha
Ajnanam chabhijatasya partha sampadam asurim
MeaningHypocrisy, arrogance, excessive pride, anger, harshness and ignorance belong to one who is born with a demonic endowment, Partha.
NoteThe demonic endowment is shorter and has six items. Each can be set against a quality on the divine side.
दैवी संपद्विमोक्षाय निबन्धायासुरी मता
मा शुचः संपदं दैवीमभिजातोऽसि पाण्डव ॥ १६.५ ॥
Daivi sampad vimokshaya nibandhayasuri mata
Ma shuchah sampadam daivim abhijato 'si pandava
MeaningThe divine endowment is held to lead to liberation and the demonic to bondage. Do not grieve, Pandava: you are born with a divine endowment.
NoteKrishna speaks to Arjuna directly. The chapter does not leave him with only a warning, and tells him he was born with the divine endowment.
द्वौ भूतसर्गौ लोकेऽस्मिन्दैव आसुर एव च
दैवो विस्तरशः प्रोक्त आसुरं पार्थ मे शृणु ॥ १६.६ ॥
Dvau bhutasargau loke 'smin daiva asura eva cha
Daivo vistarashah prokta asuram partha me shrinu
MeaningThere are two kinds of created beings in this world, the divine and the demonic. The divine kind has been described at length. Now hear from me about the demonic kind, Partha.
NoteTwo kinds of beings are named. The verse treats them as two tendencies found in the world and does not say they are two fixed groups of people.
प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च जना न विदुरासुराः
न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते ॥ १६.७ ॥
Pravrittim cha nivrittim cha jana na vidur asurah
Na shaucham napi chacharo na satyam teshu vidyate
MeaningDemonic people do not know what to take up and what to turn away from. Neither purity nor good conduct nor truth is found in them.
असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम्
अपरस्परसंभूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ॥ १६.८ ॥
Asatyam apratishtham te jagad ahur anishvaram
Aparasparasambhutam kim anyat kamahaitukam
MeaningThey say the world has no truth in it, no foundation and no lord, and that it did not come about in an ordered way, one thing from another. What else is it, they say, but something caused by desire?
NoteThe view described here denies truth, a foundation and a lord, and holds that desire explains everything. Some commentators connect it to materialist schools of the time, though the verse names none.
एतां दृष्टिमवष्टभ्य नष्टात्मानोऽल्पबुद्धयः
प्रभवन्त्युग्रकर्माणः क्षयाय जगतोऽहिताः ॥ १६.९ ॥
Etam drishtim avashtabhya nashtatmano 'lpabuddhayah
Prabhavanty ugrakarmanah kshayaya jagato 'hitah
MeaningHolding this view, these lost selves of small understanding, doers of fierce deeds and enemies of the world, rise up for the world's ruin.
काममाश्रित्य दुष्पूरं दम्भमानमदान्विताः
मोहाद्गृहीत्वासद्ग्राहान्प्रवर्तन्तेऽशुचिव्रताः ॥ १६.१० ॥
Kamam ashritya dushpuram dambhamanamadanvitah
Mohad grihitvasadgrahan pravartante 'shuchivratah
MeaningGiving themselves to a desire that cannot be filled, full of hypocrisy, pride and intoxication, they take up wrong ideas through delusion and act under impure vows.
चिन्तामपरिमेयां च प्रलयान्तामुपाश्रिताः
कामोपभोगपरमा एतावदिति निश्चिताः ॥ १६.११ ॥
Chintam aparimeyam cha pralayantam upashritah
Kamopabhogaparama etavad iti nishchitah
MeaningThey cling to a boundless anxiety that lasts until death. Enjoying their desires is their highest aim, and they are sure that this is all there is.
आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः
ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसंचयान् ॥ १६.१२ ॥
Ashapashashatair baddhah kamakrodhaparayanah
Ihante kamabhogartham anyayenarthasanchayan
MeaningBound by hundreds of ropes of hope, given over to desire and anger, they try to pile up wealth by unjust means, for the sake of enjoying their desires.
NoteBound by hundreds of ropes of hope is a vivid phrase. Hope that is tied to wanting more is described as a rope and not as a comfort.
इदमद्य मया लब्धमिदं प्राप्स्ये मनोरथम्
इदमस्तीदमपि मे भविष्यति पुनर्धनम् ॥ १६.१३ ॥
Idam adya maya labdham idam prapsye manoratham
Idam astidam api me bhavishyati punar dhanam
MeaningThey think: I have gained this today, and I shall fulfil this wish. This is mine now, and this wealth will be mine again.
NoteVerses 13 to 15 are written as a speech, in the voice of the person caught in desire. They are the most quoted part of the chapter.
असौ मया हतः शत्रुर्हनिष्ये चापरानपि
ईश्वरोऽहमहं भोगी सिद्धोऽहं बलवान्सुखी ॥ १६.१४ ॥
Asau maya hatah shatrur hanishye chaparan api
Ishvaro 'ham aham bhogi siddho 'ham balavan sukhi
MeaningThat enemy has been killed by me, and I shall kill others too. I am the lord, I am the enjoyer, I am successful, strong and happy.
आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया
यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः ॥ १६.१५ ॥
Adhyo 'bhijanavan asmi ko 'nyo 'sti sadrisho maya
Yakshye dasyami modishya ity ajnanavimohitah
MeaningI am wealthy and well born. Who else is like me? I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give, I shall rejoice. So they think, deluded by ignorance.
अनेकचित्तविभ्रान्ता मोहजालसमावृताः
प्रसक्ताः कामभोगेषु पतन्ति नरकेऽशुचौ ॥ १६.१६ ॥
Anekachittavibhranta mohajalasamavritah
Prasaktah kamabhogeshu patanti narake 'shuchau
MeaningConfused by many thoughts, wrapped in a net of delusion and stuck fast to the enjoyment of desires, they fall into a foul hell.
आत्मसंभाविताः स्तब्धा धनमानमदान्विताः
यजन्ते नामयज्ञैस्ते दम्भेनाविधिपूर्वकम् ॥ १६.१७ ॥
Atmasambhavitah stabdha dhanamanamadanvitah
Yajante namayajnais te dambhenavidhipurvakam
MeaningPleased with themselves, stubborn, full of the pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform sacrifices in name only, for show and without following the proper rules.
NoteA sacrifice in name only is one done for show, without the proper rules. The Gita returns to this in chapter 17.
अहंकारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः
मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः ॥ १६.१८ ॥
Ahankaram balam darpam kamam krodham cha samshritah
Mam atmaparadeheshu pradvishanto 'bhyasuyakah
MeaningHolding on to egoism, force, arrogance, desire and anger, they hate me as I dwell in their own bodies and in the bodies of others, and they find fault.
तानहं द्विषतः क्रूरान्संसारेषु नराधमान्
क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभानासुरीष्वेव योनिषु ॥ १६.१९ ॥
Tan aham dvishatah kruran samsareshu naradhaman
Kshipamy ajasram ashubhan asurishv eva yonishu
MeaningThose hateful, cruel, lowest of people, always doing harm, I throw again and again into demonic wombs in the cycle of births.
NoteVerses 19 and 20 are the hardest in the chapter. The tradition reads them as the working of consequence across births, and the chapter's own next verses show a way out.
आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि
मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् ॥ १६.२० ॥
Asurim yonim apanna mudha janmani janmani
Mam aprapyaiva kaunteya tato yanty adhamam gatim
MeaningHaving entered demonic wombs, deluded in birth after birth, they do not reach me, son of Kunti, and go from there to the lowest state.
त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः
कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत् ॥ १६.२१ ॥
Trividham narakasyedam dvaram nashanam atmanah
Kamah krodhas tatha lobhas tasmad etat trayam tyajet
MeaningThis is the threefold gate of hell, which destroys the self: desire, anger and greed. Therefore one should give up these three.
NoteThe three gates of hell are desire, anger and greed. The same enemy was named in chapter 3, verse 37, as desire turning into anger.
एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः
आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥ १६.२२ ॥
Etair vimuktah kaunteya tamodvarais tribhir narah
Acharaty atmanah shreyas tato yati param gatim
MeaningA person freed from these three gates of darkness, son of Kunti, does what is best for himself, and then reaches the highest state.
NoteThe gates are called gates of darkness, and a person can leave them behind. This verse is the chapter's answer to the hard verses before it.
यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः
न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम् ॥ १६.२३ ॥
Yah shastravidhim utsrijya vartate kamakaratah
Na sa siddhim avapnoti na sukham na param gatim
MeaningOne who sets aside the rule of scripture and lives by the pull of desire reaches neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest state.
NoteShastra here is read by teachers as scripture or as the rules of dharma. The verse sets it against kamakara, acting from desire alone.
तस्माच्छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ
ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि ॥ १६.२४ ॥
Tasmach chhastram pramanam te karyakaryavyavasthitau
Jnatva shastravidhanoktam karma kartum iharhasi
MeaningSo let scripture be your authority in deciding what is to be done and what is not to be done. Knowing what the rules of scripture lay down, you should do your action here.
NoteThe last verse says to know what scripture lays down and to act accordingly. Chapter 17 begins with Arjuna asking about those who set scripture aside but still act with faith.
Chapter summary
Chapter 16 sets two characters side by side. The divine endowment is the longer list: fearlessness, purity, giving, self-control, truthfulness, non-violence, compassion, gentleness, forgiveness and the absence of malice. The demonic endowment is hypocrisy, arrogance, pride, anger, harshness and ignorance, and the long middle of the chapter shows what it looks like inside: a mind that boasts, hoards, schemes and hates, and that believes there is nothing beyond desire.
The chapter names the threefold gate that leads to the downward path, desire, anger and greed, and says that a person who leaves these behind does what is best for himself and goes to the highest state. Arjuna is told that he does not need to worry about which side he stands on, because he was born with the divine endowment.
The closing verses ask the reader to take scripture as the guide to what should and should not be done, and not the pull of desire. Chapter 17 asks what kind of faith lies behind a person’s actions, and sorts it again by the three gunas.
Where the two source texts differ
We compared the critical edition text held at GRETIL with the Sanskrit Wikisource text, verse by verse. All 24 verses are present in both. Differences only in spacing, in the way a nasal sound is written, and in how words are joined are not listed. Three verses differ in the words or the spelling:
- Verse 4: the critical edition reads atimānaḥ, “excessive pride”, and the printed text reads abhimānaḥ, “pride” or “conceit”. The sense is close.
- Verse 13: the critical edition reads idam prāpsye manoratham, “I shall get this wish”, and the printed text reads imam prāpsye manoratham. The meaning is the same.
- Verse 19: the printed text spells krurān with a short vowel where the critical edition has krūrān, “cruel ones”. This is a spelling slip in the printed text, not another reading.
So 3 of the 24 verses differ between the two texts, and none of the differences changes the teaching.
Source of the text on this page. The Sanskrit is the critical edition text of the Bhagavad Gita held at GRETIL, based on the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute edition of the Mahabharata, where this chapter is chapter 38 of the Bhishma Parva. It is in Roman script, and we converted it to Devanagari ourselves. We checked every verse against Sanskrit Wikisource. The transliteration is a simple guide to sound and the meanings are our own wording. See the Bhagavad Gita hub for the full note on sources.