Bhagavat Gita - 52

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Bhagavat Gita - 52

 

The Divine and the Diabolic types (Chapter 16 verses 1-18)

 

The Lord said: In creation there are two character types - the

Asuric and the Daivic. The former is hostile to all spiritual

values, while the latter is fully receptive to them. The Asuric

type makes no distinction between the righteous and the

unrighteous, the pure and the impure, truth and untruth. In

their world view there is no place for God, the abiding

spiritual background for this world of change. Pursuit of

lust and lucre is their supreme quest in life, and success

in this, the only criterion of respectability. " Who is

equal to Me? " is their watchword; and to amass wealth, to

destroy their enemies, to satisfy their lusts, to acquire

name and fame by any means, fair or foul, is their sole

object in life. With such and outlook they exploit and

oppress all their fellow beings, as also the Lord who is

immanent in all. Such persons go down in the spiritual

scale.

 

As distinguished from this is the divine or the spiritual

type. They are pure, fearless, full of spiritual aspiration,

self-controlled, generous, loving, truthful, patient,

benevolent and free from pride and vanity.

 

The Gateway to Hell (Chapter 16 verses 19-24):

 

Those who want to rise spiritually should follow these divine

ideals, and shun the Asuric traits. Sexuality, anger and

greed are the factors that make man more and more Asuric.

They are the gateways to hell. Let all the right thinking men

avoid them. Sexuality, anger and greed are natural to the

unregenerate man. Regulating and overcoming them is morality,

the gateway to spirituality. For this, man has to depend on

the guidance of a Shastra, a scripture. For, left to his own

unguided intelligence, his tendency will be only to yeild to

the evil in him and not to master it. So man requires an

external authority, prescribing what to do and what not to

do. That authority is called a scripture, a text believed to

have the sanction of God. Unless guided by an objective

authority to whom sanctity is attached, man in his natural

state will degenerate into a slave of passions.

 

While many other chapters of the Gita are of great metaphysics

and devotional significance and deserve close study, this

particular chapter specially calls for the attention of every

man. The Asuric tendency analysed and criticised in it, has

a home in the hearts of most people, and to be aware of this

fact is the first step to master it and lay the foundation for

the edifice of spiritual life.

 

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Based on " Srimad Bhagavat Gita - The Scripture of Mankind "

a translation by Rev Swami Tapasyanandaji, published by

Sri Ramakrishna Math - Chennai. http://www.sriramakrishnamath.org/

 

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