Chapter 16, Verse 21 (Bhagavad Gita 16.21)
Chapter 16: Daivāsura Sampad Vibhāg Yog – Yoga through Discerning the Divine and Demoniac Natures
Sanskrit Shloka
त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः।कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत्
Transliteration
tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśhanam ātmanaḥ kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet
Word Meanings
tri-vidham—three types of; narakasya—to the hell; idam—this; dvāram—gates; nāśhanam—destruction; ātmanaḥ—self; kāmaḥ—lust; krodhaḥ—anger; tathā—and; lobhaḥ—greed; tasmāt—therefore; etat—these; trayam—three; tyajet—should abandon
Translation
The Supreme Lord Krishna declares: There are three gates to this hell, which destroy the soul: lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, one must abandon these three.
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound instruction, Lord Krishna reveals the fundamental psychological enemies that imprison the eternal soul within the cycle of material suffering. By identifying lust, anger, and greed as the 'three gates of hell,' Bhagwan Shri Krishna warns Arjuna that these forces do not merely disturb the mind, but actively erode one's spiritual essence. The Supreme Lord invites every seeker to recognize these traits as obstacles to divine realization, urging a conscious detachment from them. True liberation, or moksha, begins when a devotee surrenders these lower impulses to the lotus feet of Krishna, allowing His grace to purify the heart. By abandoning these destructive tendencies, the soul transcends worldly bondage and aligns itself with the eternal, blissful consciousness of the Divine.