Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16, Verse 9

English Translation

Holding on to this view, (these people) who are of depraved character, of poor intellect, given to fearful actions and harmful, wax strong for the ruin of the world.

Detailed Commentary

16.9 Explanation – Embracing this viewpoint – that there is no duty or non-duty, no purity of conduct (Shaucha) or good conduct (Sadachar), no Ishvara, no Prarabdha, no sin or merit, no afterlife (Paraloka), and no system of punishment for deeds performed – they proceed, relying on such an atheistic perspective. Nāṣṭātmānaḥ (Lost Souls) – They do not acknowledge that the Atman is a conscious principle or that it has any independent existence. They believe that just as a red hue arises from the mixture of catechu and lime, so too consciousness is produced by the confluence of material elements. That conscious entity, they contend, is not a separate reality. In their view, inert matter (Jada) is primary. Thus, they remain entirely averse to the conscious principle. Due to this aversion to the conscious principle (Atman), they have already fallen into degradation. Alpabuddhayaḥ (Persons of Meager Intellect) – Their discriminative thought (viveka-vichāra) is exceedingly slight and trivial. Their vision is solely fixed on perceivable objects, urging them to 'earn, eat, drink, and indulge'. Thoughts of what will transpire in the future or in the afterlife do not cross their minds. Here, 'meager intellect' does not imply that their intelligence is dysfunctional in every task. Rather, it fails to operate concerning what constitutes the ultimate Truth (Satyatatva), Dharma and Adharma, good conduct (Sadachar) and bad conduct (Durachar), and their respective outcomes. However, in the accumulation of wealth and other material possessions, their intellect is exceedingly sharp. The essence is that their intellect is trivial regarding paramārthika (spiritual) progress, but remarkably acute in ensnaring them in worldly enjoyments. Ugra-karmāṇaḥ (Of Fierce Deeds) – They fear no one. If they exhibit fear, it is only towards thieves, robbers, or governmental authorities. They have no fear of Ishvara, the afterlife (Paraloka), or moral bounds (Maryāda). Lacking the fear of Ishvara and the afterlife, they commit profoundly dreadful acts such as the murder of others. Ahitāḥ (Hostile) – Due to their corrupt nature, they are continuously engaged in causing harm (ahit) to others, and they find their pleasure precisely in inflicting such damage. Jagataḥ Kṣayāya Prabhavanti (They Emerge for the Destruction of the World) – Whatever power, opulence (Aiśvarya), capability (Sāmarthya), position (Pada), and authority (Adhikāra) they possess, all of it is employed solely for the annihilation of others. The destruction of others is their ultimate aim. Whether their own self-interest is fully realized, partially realized, or not realized at all, they cannot endure the progress of others. They find their joy exclusively in the ruin of others. This means they derive pleasure from snatching away others' rights and taking lives. Just as a lion kills and devours other animals, heedless of their suffering, and just as selfish government officials cause thousands of rupees in public losses for the sake of a mere ten, fifty, or hundred rupees, similarly, to fulfill their own self-interest, they remain indifferent to the extent of harm caused to others. These individuals of Āsurī (demonic) nature kill and consume animals and birds, utterly incapable of comprehending the immense suffering others experience for their own trivial pleasure. Connection – Where virtuous deeds (Satkarma), good sentiments (Sadbhāva), and noble thoughts (Sad-vichār) are disregarded, what a person does by taking refuge in desires (Kāmanā) – this is explained in the following verse.