Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16, Verse 11

English Translation

Beset with innumerable cares which end (only) with death, holding that the enjoyment of desirable objects is the highest goal, feeling sure that this is all.

Detailed Commentary

।।16.11।। Exegesis: *Chintā aparimeyāṁ pralayāntām upāśritāḥ* — Those endowed with *Āsurī sampadā* (demonic qualities) are afflicted by worries that are immeasurable. Their anxieties do not cease until *pralaya*, or death, arrives. The consequence of such worries is repeated rebirths. *Chintā* (worry) has two objects: one is *pāramārthika* (spiritual) and the other is *sāṁsārika* (worldly). Those who harbor *pāramārthika chintā* about their welfare, their liberation, and how to ascertain the Supreme Brahman, are superior. However, those with *Āsurī sampadā* do not have such worries. They are immersed in worldly anxieties, such as how they will live, what will happen to their family without them, how their prestige will be maintained, what will be the fate of their children after their death, what will become of their wealth and property, and so on. Humans worry in vain. Life will continue. Even a *virakta* (detached) saint who possesses only a *laṅgoṭī* (loincloth) eventually dies, leaving behind his torn *laṅgoṭī* and broken *tūmbī* (gourd). People die even when all persons and objects are present. It is not that a person does not die if they have wealth. A wealthy man built a vault for his treasury. By mistake, he got locked inside and, deprived of food, water, and air, he wrote as he was dying: "Despite having so much wealth, I am dying because I am not getting food and water." This happens even when objects of enjoyment are near at hand. For example, a physician forbids a patient with a stomach ailment from eating. Even those who live without accumulation find things for their sustenance with ease. But people of *āsurī prakṛti* (demonic nature) do not understand this. They think that everything is obtained only through worry and effort. *Kāma upabhoga paramāḥ* — Those whose highest aim is the enjoyment of desires constantly wish to accumulate and enjoy objects of pleasure. For them, enjoyment is paramount. *Etāvatiti niścitāḥ* — Their firm conviction is that enjoying pleasure and accumulating is everything. In this world, there is nothing else besides this. In their view, the afterlife is a sham, and they believe that nothing happens after death. As long as the body exists, they should enjoy pleasures, because after death, the body will disintegrate there. They do not believe in *pāpa-puṇya* (sin and merit) or *punarjanma* (rebirth).