Chapter 16, Verse 18 (Bhagavad Gita 16.18)
Chapter 16: Daivāsura Sampad Vibhāg Yog – Yoga through Discerning the Divine and Demoniac Natures
Sanskrit Shloka
अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः।मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः
Transliteration
ahankāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ cha sanśhritāḥ mām ātma-para-deheṣhu pradviṣhanto ’bhyasūyakāḥ
Word Meanings
ahankāram—egotism; balam—strength; darpam—arrogance; kāmam—desire; krodham—anger; cha—and; sanśhritāḥ—covered by; mām—me; ātma-para-deheṣhu—within one’s own and bodies of others; pradviṣhantaḥ—abuse; abhyasūyakāḥ—the demoniac
Translation
Given over to egoism, power, haughtiness, lust, and anger, these malicious people hate Me in their own bodies and in the bodies of others.
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound verse, Bhagwan Shri Krishna reveals the tragic nature of the demoniac mentality, which blinds the soul to the indwelling Divine. Because these individuals are completely submerged in the false ego, they perceive themselves as separate from the Supreme Lord Krishna, failing to recognize Him as the Antaryami, the witness residing within every heart. By acting with violence and hatred towards others, they are essentially committing spiritual suicide by waging war against the very source of their own existence. Shri Krishna warns that this rejection of the Divine within leads to deep entanglement in the cycle of samsara. The path to liberation requires the devotee to transcend these lower qualities and surrender to the truth that Bhagwan Shri Krishna resides eternally within all beings.