Bhagavatgita a detailed study Chapter16 The Divine and Demoniac attrbutes

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7. pravrtthim cha nivrtthim cha janaa na vidhuH

aasuraaH

 

naSoucham

naapi cha aachaaro na sathyam theshu vidhyathe

 

Those

with aasuriK tendencies do not know what to do and what to turn away from. They

do not know purity or good conduct and there is no truth in them.

 

Those possessing the aasurik qualities do not

distinguish between the path of action and that of renunciation. They lack

purity, right observances and truth.

 

The

Vedas and sasthras are the guidelines for both pravrtthi and nivrtthi.

Pravrtthi means undertaking the activities and duties according to varna and asrama while

living in this world and nivrtthi

consists in giving up the karma which will cause future births and aspiring for

moksha. The aasurik do not know both as they have no belief in veda and even if

they know it they misinterpret it to suit their needs. This is what Hiranyaya

kasipu , Ravana and others like them were doing fulfilling their desires regardless

of the fact whether it was dharma or

adharma.

 

Soucha

means the purity of body and mind which is the effect of good conduct. The

aasurik are not interested in that as they are not good to others and their

words and actions have no truth in them. Dishonest, deceitful and selfish are

their actions.

 

 

8.asathyam aprathishTam the jagath aahuH aneeSvaram

aparasparasambhootham

kimanyath kaamahaithukam

 

They say that the world is

without truth and without basis, there is no God and no mutual action between

cause and effect and brought about by

sheer lust. What else?

 

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.

 

This attitude comes from disbelief in God and

scriptures. They do not accept eternal nature of soul and the creation of the

world by God. They do not believe in rebirth or the causation theory of the

upanishats. The life is created by physical union of male and female.

 

This was termed as the charvaka philosophy which

existed even in ancient times.

 

9. ethaam dhrshtim avashtabhya nashtaathmaanaH

 

alpabudDhayaH

 

prabhavanthi ugrakarmaaNaH kshayaaya jagathaH ahithaaH

 

... Holding this view they , who are ruined souls and

of small intellect, start doing fierce deed towards the ruin of the world and

hence are harmful to the world.

 

 

Relying on this philosophy they are fierce and out

to destroy the world. Krishna calls them nashtAthmaanah,

those who have lost their souls, alpabuddhayah, of mean intellect.

 

They want to have everything in this life and since

they do not believe in afterlife they do not have any fear of the effects of

their sin and do not desist from tormenting others and causing the ruin of the

world. In modern days when charvaka philosophy of materialism is uppermost we

see so many ill effects like terrorism, corruption and oppression.

 

The materialists, called charvakas, range from those

who simply enjoy the sensual pleasures, who do not do any harm except when

their desires are thwarted, to the real demoniac beings like Hiranaya kasipu

and Ravana. It is the latter kind of beings who exist in all ages Krishna describes in the following slokas.