Chapter 16: Divine Traits & Demonic Traits
"The blessed lord [Krishna] said: Fearlessness, purity of heart, persistence in the yoga of knowledge, generosity, self-control, nonviolence, gentleness, candor, (1) integrity, disengagement, joy in the study of the scriptures, compassion for all beings, modesty, patience, a tranquil mind, (2) dignity, kindness, courage, a benevolent, loving heart- these are the qualities of men born with divine traits, Arjuna. (3) Hypocrisy insolence anger, cruelty, ignorance, conceit- these, Arjuna, are the qualities of men with demonic traits. (4) The divine traits lead to freedom; the demonic, to suffering and bondage. But do not be concerned, Arjuna: the traits you have are divine. (5) The demonic and the divine are the two kinds of men in this world. The divine I have told you about; now learn about the demonic. (6)
Demonic men do not realize what should and what should not be done; there is no purity of heart, no virtue, no truth inside them. (7) They say that life is an accident caused by sexual desire, that the universe has no moral order, no truth, no God. (8) Clinging to this stupid belief, drawn into cruelty and malice, they become lost souls and, at last, enemies of the whole world. (9) Driven by insatiable lusts, drunk on the arrogance of power, hypocritical, deluded, their actions foul with self-seeking (10) tormented by a vast anxiety that continues until their death, convinced that the gratification of desire is life's sole aim, (11) bound by a hundred shackles of hope, enslaved by their greed, they squander their time dishonestly piling up mountains of wealth. (12) "Today I got this desire, and tomorrow I will get that one; all these riches are mine, and soon I will have even more. (13) Already I have killed these enemies and soon I will kill the rest; I am the lord, the enjoyer, successful, happy, and strong, (14) noble, and rich, and famous. Who on earth is my equal? I will worship, give alms, and rejoice." Thus think these ignorant fools. (15) Bewildered by endless thinking, entangled in the net of delusion, addicted to desire, they plunge into the foulest of hells. (16) Self-centered, stubborn, filled with all the insolence of wealth, they go through the outward forms of worship, but their hearts are elsewhere. (17) Clinging to the I-sense, to power, to arrogance, lust, and rage, they hate me, denying my presence in their own and in others' bodies. (18) Through all the cycles of birth and death, I hurl these depraved, cruel, and hate-filled men into demonic wombs. (19) Trapped in demonic wombs, deluded in birth after birth, they never reach me, Arjuna, but sink to the lowest state. (20) This is the soul-destroying threefold entrance to hell: desire, anger, and greed. every man should avoid them. (21) The man who refuses to enter these three gates into darkness does what is best for himself and attains the ultimate goal. (22) But the man who rejects the scriptures, chasing his own desires, cannot attain the goal of true joy or true success. (23) Therefore, guided by the scriptures, know what to do and not do; first understand their injunctions, then act uprightly in the world." (24)
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