Gita chapter 16- divine and undivine qualities

 Hari Aum.

In this chapter, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna about the various qualities of the human mind-- those that are divine (which lead us towards liberation) and those that are undivine (which bind us to samsara, the cycle of birth and death).

In the first three verses of this chapter, Krishna describes divine virtues that He says people should cultivate. These virtues are as follows (translations as per my Guru, Sivananda):

Verse 1:

-fearlessness (courage)
-purity of heart

-steadfastness in Yoga and knowledge
-alms-giving
-control of the senses
-sacrifice
-study of scriptures

-austerity
-straightforwardness

Verse 2:

-harmlessness (ahimsa, non-injury to other beings, including animals, insects etc)

-truth

-absence of anger

-renunciation

-peacefulness

-absence of crookedness

-compassion towards beings

-uncovetousness

-gentleness

-modesty

-absence of fickleness

Verse 3:

-vigour

-forgiveness

-fortitude

-purity

-absence of hatred

-absence of pride

How shall we summarise the above to make them easier to remember? Note- these reflect the well-known 'yamas' and 'niyamas' (yogic ethics).

Broadly, all of the above virtues collectively aim to do the following: 

1. Enable us to control our minds (rather than be controlled by our minds)

2. Direct our minds to God (rather than to sensual objects)

3. Cultivate goodwill towards all other beings 

After this, Krishna describes in detail the undivine qualities within our nature that we must overcome if we are to succeed in spiritual life. These negative qualities pull us down. They cause suffering to us and to those around us while we are alive. They also cause suffering in our future life after Earth (negative karma). 

The undivine qualities that Krishna describes are:

-hypocrisy

-arrogance

-self-conceit

-harshness

-anger

-ignorance

-lust

-greed

Note- He particularly says that uncontrolled desire/lust for sensual objects, anger and greed are the 'triple door to hell' and that one should abandon these three. Greed increases desires. When desires are not fulfilled, anger arises. When anger arises, we perform negative actions that harm ourselves and others. These negative actions produce negative karma that leads to suffering in the future (this can be called 'hell').

The undivine qualities described by Krishna above mirror the six enemies of liberation as per the yogis-- these are lust, anger, greed, hatred, jealousy and ignorance.

After describing the divine and undivine qualities, Krishna states that there are two types of people on Earth-- the divine and the undivine (He uses the word 'demonic'). He then tells Arjuna that He has already described the divine in detail and that He will now tell him more about the nature of undivine people.

(Most people have a mixture of divine and undivine qualities. In some, the divine predominate, in other they may be roughly 50-50, and in some, the undivine qualities predominate.)

Krishna says that undivine people regard life as originating entirely in matter (without any divine Intelligence being involved), and that they think it is to be lived for sensual pleasure alone. He says that undivine people reject the idea of God within them and others. In fact, He says they have hatred for Him within themselves and others. 

Krishna states that such individuals are filled with pride, anger, falsehood and hypocrisy. They desire only material gains and wealth (not spiritual wisdom or peace). He says they do not know the difference between right and wrong.

He describes them as cruel to others. If they give charity, it is only to acquire name and fame (boost the ego). He says the minds of such people are filled with endless desires that only end with their death. 

He declares that these beings, who are filled with cruelty, take lower rebirths suited to their nature. Such beings do not attain Him.

Krishna concludes His teaching on the divine and undivine by telling Arjuna to use the scriptures as a guide when it comes to deciding what to do, and what not to do (He also tells Arjuna not to worry as he has divine qualities!). This is a useful instruction for us (one of the best scriptures to use as a guide is of course the Gita itself).

To be continued....

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

P.S. On the subject of sadhana, the sacred lunar month known as 'Purushottama masa' or 'Adhik masa' has just started. This is supposed to be a very good time to do any type of spiritual sadhana, charity etc as the positive effects are said to be much more than at other times. 

I am continuing my daily japa at this time, and am also reading the Bhagavatam. In addition, I have started writing a small book on the Vamana avatar of Narayana (as described in the Bhagavatam). It is taking some time to write due to my work and home responsibilities but I hope it will be ready at some point in the coming 2-3 months and I will make it available online then.