Panchajanyam Hrshikesah-chapter22-adhyaya16

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Chapter22-Divine and demoniac qualities- (adhyaya16)

 

In this chapter Krishna enumerates the qualities that are the result of the three gunas divide into divine and demoniac. This serves as a means of self analysis which helps us to eradicate the qualities which bind man to transmigratory existence and cultivate those qualities which effect in the release from bondage.

 

First he starts with the divine qualities.

 

abhayam satthva samsuddhih jnananyogavyavasThithih

dhAnam dhamascha yaknascha svADhyAyasthapa Arjavam (BG.16-1)

 

Fearlessness, mental purity, persistence in the practice of knowledge, charity, sense-control, sacrifice, study of scriptures, penance and uprightness,

 

ahimsa sathyam akrODhah thyAgah shanthih apaiSunam

dhayA bhootheshu alolupthvam mArdhavam hreeh achApalam

(BG.16-2)

 

Non-violence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, tranquility, absence of envy, kindness to all beings,uncovetousness, gentleness, modesty and dignity,

 

thejah kshamA Dhrthih Soucham adhroho nAthimAnathA

bhavanthi sampadham dhaiveem abhijathasya bhAratha

(BG.16-3)

 

Splendour, patience, vigour, cleanliness, benevolence, an bsebce of vanity, these qualities pertain to one inheriting divine attributes.

 

1. Fearlessness,abhayam, denotes courage both physical and moral. Web fear only the unknown or something other than ourselves. One is not afraid of himself. To the enlightened there is nothing other than himself and hence no fear. But how can we still under the realm of ignorance cultivate fearlessness. It is done by accepting what come. When the fear of death is conquered as elucidated in the second adhyaya, nothing else arouses fear. When we give up desires there is nothing to be afraid of because the desire in its wake brings the fear of losing what we acquire.

2.Mental purity. Soucham, comes out of eradicating desire and anger which give rise to impure thoughts.

3. Persistence in the practice of knowledge means applying the knowledge one gains out of spiritual discipline to one's life persistently. This means not being a platform vedantin but a practical one.

4.Charity, dhAna, is giving away or sharing according to one's resources. That is, to help others to the best of our capacity.

5.Sense-control, dhama, is the external discipline of the senses.

6.sacrifice, yajna, means the performance of the rituals advocated by the Vedas and in modern times this means doing every act with the spirit of yajna, or as an offering to god.

7.Study of scriptures, svDhyAya, is acquiring spiritual knowledge in order to get rid of the ignorance, the cause of samsara.

8.Penance, thapah, is the austerity, which doses not n mean tormenting the body because it then denotes demoniac qualities as outlined later in the chapter but endurance of what ever happens treating it as a penance.

9.Uprightness, Arjavam, is straight forwardness in all your dealings.

10.Non-violence- in word thought and deed. Often we commit violence not physically but by word when we insult someone or speak unkindly and by thought when we harbour hatred.

11.sathyam is honesty or truthfulness. This alone will lead one to salvation as the supreme reality is sathyam. To be honest is not merely desisting from lying but consists in being true to one self and should be in accordance with the other virtues. For instance one can be cruel by telling the truth,or cause harm to others, which is not what is meant by sathyam here.

12.akrodhah- absence of anger.

13.thyAgah- renunciation, the kinds of which is elaborated further in the 18th ahdyaya.

14.Shanthih- equanimity.

15.apaiSunam- paiSunam is belittling others due to envy and apaiSunam is the absence of it.

16.dhayA bhootheshu, kindness to all.

17.alolupthvam- absence of hankering after senseobjects.

18.mArdhavam means gentleness or softness in dealing with others, not being harsh.

19.hree is sense of shame in doing wrong things and modesty.

20.achApalam- refraining from useless activities.

21.thejah- splendour arising out of practice of these virtues.

22.Dhrthi is patience or fortitude.

23.Soucham- cleanliness both inside and outside.

24.adhrohah can be translated as non-betrayal of trust.

25. athimAnathA is pride or arrogance and na athimAnatha denotes the absence of it. These are the dhaiveesampath or divine qualities.

 

Then Krishna briefly mentions the asuric or demoniac qualities and elaborates on them a little later.

 

Dhambho dharpo athimAnaScha krodhah pArushyameva cha

ajAnam cha abhijAthasya pArTha sampadham Asureem

(BG.16-4)

 

Hypocrisy, arrogance, excessive vanity, anger, harshness and ignorance are the demoniac attributes.

 

Hypocrisy, dhambhah consists in ostentation or pretentious display.

Dharpah, is arrogance due to wealth, power, beauty, knowledge etc.

athimAnah is explained already in the previous sloka.

Krodha is anger and pArushyam is harshness in speech.

 

These are the Asuree sampath, demoniac qualities, says Krishna, which lead to bondage while the dhaivee sampath secure release.

 

Perhaps Krishna read consternation in the face of Arjuna indicating his doubt as to which class he belonged to and in order to reassure him says `mA Suchah sampadham dhaiveem abhijAtho asi pAndava,'(BG.16-5) meaning " you do not worry because you have inherited dhaiveesampath only."

 

Krishna further elaborates on Asuree sampath because they have to be known in detail in order to be eradicated.

Those possessing the Asurik qualities do not distinguish between the path of action and that of renunciation. They lack purity, right observances and truth. They declare that the world is devoid of truth, has no basis and there is no God. In short they are atheists and materialists. They hold that the creation is the result of physical union between man and woman. Relying on this philosophy they are fierce and out to destroy the world. Krishna calls them nashtAthmAnah, those who have lost their souls, alpabuddhayah, of mean intellect.

 

They pursue their desires, which are never satisfied, believe that their view alone is true, and filled with arrogance, hypocrisy and vanity they follow the path of unrighteousness. Their attitude is vividly described by the following slokas which reminds us of politicians and thugs of today.

 

idham adhya mayA labDhamidham prApsye manoraTham

idham asthi idham api me bhavishyathi punarDhanam

(BG. 16-13)

 

"Today I have won this; I shall fulfil that hope soon; Now this wealth shall also be mine."

 

Asou mayA hathah sathruh; hanishyecha aparAn api;

Eesvaro aham aham bhogee siddhoham balvAn sukhee

(BG.16-14)

 

"I have killed this enemy; I will kill the others also; I am the mighty Lord, the enjoyer; I am well established strong and happy."

 

ADyo abhijanvAn asmi koanyo asthi sadhrSomayA

Yakshye dhAsyAmi modhishye ithi ajAna vimohithAh

(BG.16-15)

 

"I am wealthy and high-born; who is there to equal me ?

I perform yajna and give gifts and make merry"---- thus they are deluded by ignorance.

 

These beings will fall into a hell that is foul because they were self-exalted, stubborn, arrogant with wealth and conceited though they may offer nominal worship defying rules with hypocrisy.

 

"Them, I throw eternally into demoniac wombs and they go through repeated births without attaining Me ," says the Lord, and concludes by saying that there are three gates to hell, namely,