Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17, Verse 6

English Translation

(And who,) being non-discriminating, torture, all the organs in the body as also even Me who reside in the body,-know them as possessed of demoniacal conviction.

Detailed Commentary

17.6. Explanation: Those who perform severe austerities not enjoined by the scriptures are interested in penances forbidden by the scriptures. Due to their Tamasic buddhi, they do not accept the scriptures, nor do they accept explanations from others. They are filled with *dambha* (hypocrisy) and *ahankara* (ego). They believe that those who engage in *bhajan*, *dhyana*, and *swadhyaya* also do so out of *dambha*, and therefore they too act in a similar fashion. They possess pride in their own knowledge. They remain engrossed in objects of enjoyment due to *raga* (attachment) and *bala* (force/power). *Karshayantaḥ sharīrasthaṁ bhūtagrāmam* – These people torment the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether) residing in the body and consider that to be *tapa*. They believe that *tapa* is not possible without afflicting the body. *Māṁ chaivāntaḥsharīrastham* – The Lord states that such people torment Me, the Paramātmā, who dwells within them. They are those who act contrary to My command. When Arjuna questioned what kind of *nishthā* (steadfastness) they possess, the Lord replied that they should be understood as having an *āsurī nischaya* (demonic resolve). The word *tapyante* is used here because these people, from an *āsurī* (demonic) perspective, consider only *tapa* (austerity) as worship. Their *tapa* involves drying up and afflicting the body. They consider *tapa* important but do not accept the Lord or the scriptures. In the twenty-third verse of the sixteenth chapter, even after abandoning scriptural injunctions while knowing them, people still perform auspicious acts like *dāna* (charity) and *sevā* (service). Whereas here, acts contrary to the scriptures are considered superior. Therefore, they attain *nīcha yonis* (lower births) and *narakas* (hells), because these people are filled with *dambha* (hypocrisy) and *abhimāna* (pride), and do not accept the scriptures. Here, there is a defiant abandonment of the scriptures. Connection: Now, the Lord begins to describe a person's *nishthā* (steadfastness) regarding food, by examining their preferences for different kinds of food.