विवेचन सारांश

Demoniac qualities keep one chained to the cycle of life and death, while the cultivation of saintly virtues helps one break through the bondage of Maya

Bhagavān explains the two kinds of human nature - saintly and the demoniac traits. Bhagavān explains that the saintly nature develops in humans by inculcating the modes of goodness (Sattva Guna). Such persons uplift themselves and the other and function from other-centric consciousness instead of a self-centered consciousness. In the first three shlokas of this chapter, HE expounds on the saintly or divine qualities. In the first shloka, Bhagavān has explained the following nine saintly or divine qualities: fearlessness, purity of mind, steadfastness in spiritual knowledge, charity, control of the senses, sacrifice, self-realization, austerity, and straightforwardness. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān continues to explain from the below qualities:

10. Non-violence:
This means to refrain from hurting other living beings through thought, word, or deed. The purpose of human birth is to elevate to higher levels of consciousness and to attain realization. However, one is attracted towards material goals and end up harming the other species or beings in the process of chasing material goals. In the process of building material assets, the human race has ended up harming the flora and fauna - For example, killing the insects by spraying harmful chemicals, using ultraviolet light to attract and kill insects, pests or flies, using certain equipments to torture and kill the rat species, engaging in torturing and harming animals which are devoid of intellect, so on and so forth. The supreme divine has not allocated the entire planet to humans alone. There are millions of species residing on planet Earth and they are all interdependent to maintain the ecological balance. The human race has done nothing for the benefit of life on Earth. On the contrary, the human activities have damaged the environment and made it less hospitable for other species and for the future generations. We are responsible for the sixth mass extinction, and it is estimated that we are now responsible for expediting the normal rate of extinction by an alarming rate. Hence, it is essential to practice non-violence towards the Flaura and fauna. If one engages in harming the insects or any other species, one might end up descending the ladder and attain the birth in insect or animal kingdom depending on the karmic deeds. 

Some persons take pride in putting others down and by speaking words which could wound the other mentally and emotionally for a very long time. Some people engage in committing sadistic acts and enjoy the pleasure they would obtain from humiliating others. Harming the other with speech is also a form of violence. Harsh words have the power to cut someone deep and cause the same or even more pain than a physical wound, which could also lead to a psychological scar. Hence, one needs to choose the words wisely and refrain from harming the other with speech or words. Now, one might wonder that harboring negative thoughts for the other internally would not lead to external form of violence. However, the negative thoughts translate into harmful speech or words and this intern translates to harmful actions. Hence, one needs to refrain from hurting the other beings by thought, words or actions. One can start the process of transforming oneself by trying to practice at least one of the Daivi or Divine qualities for a week and observe the difference in oneself. 

11. Truthfulness:
This means to refrain from falsehood and distorting the facts. One needs to be truthful in speech. However, some persons have a misconception that being straightforward and conveying the truth as-is, even if it is harsh or has a detrimental effect on the other is truthfulness. One needs to refrain from harming the other with speech and choose the words carefully, tweak the words with gentleness before putting forth the point to the other. The below shloka explains how one can practice truthfulness:

‘Speak the truth that is pleasant. Never speak the truth that is unpleasant. Never speak the untruth even if it’s pleasant. This is eternal philosophy of righteousness.”

One should also refrain from spreading misinformation or conveying partial truth. The below tale from Mahabharat explains the concept of misinformation:

15. Refrain from Fault finding:
It means to refrain from finding fault in the other. One needs to refrain from finger pointing, backbiting or unnecessary negative gossip about the other. Focusing on the defects of the other and highlighting the same to a third person is a demoniac trait. One should learn to see the faults in oneself and appreciate the virtues in the other. If one sees any flaws or defect in the other, one should refrain from criticizing and highlighting the same to every other person. Some persons take pleasure in speaking about the defects or shortcomings of the other, it is similar to an itch which brings pleasure upon itching, but in turn causes harm to the skin. The trait of fault finding is not appreciated by the Divine.

One can draw inspiration from the Chinese Wisper game to understand the ill effects of fault finding and learn to rise above from the quality of fault finding, negative gossip and back-biting. In this game, A group of people gather in a circle or in a line. The first person thinks of a sentence and whispers it into the ear of the person next to him or her. The person who just heard the sentence whispers it to the next person. This continues until it reaches the last person. The last person says the sentence that he or she heard out loud. Usually, this is funny because after so many people have whispered the sentence, it has morphed into something different than when it started. It is a common scenario where one would tell a secret to a friend and tell them not to tell anybody else, but most of the time that does not happen. Whether it is good or bad, more people will end up knowing about it and somewhere along the line the story will change. Whether it be on purpose, or somebody has misinterpreted what they heard, or whether they just heard a little bit of it and filled in the gaps themselves with guesses. Gossip that has been inaccurately transmitted from person to person.

Hence, one needs to refrain from this pattern of finding faults, backbiting or unnecessary gossip. One can try the exercise of refraining from fault finding for a week and then observe the transformation in oneself.

Kabir Ji says that he searched the world for the bad guy, the real evil person but he couldn't find the evil person no matter where he looked. Then he looked within at his own thinking process, his own mind, Then, he found the real evil person who lived in his mind, unchecked.

16. Compassion:
It is a quality to develop empathy for all living beings. Compassion is the deep sympathy that arises upon seeing the sufferings of others. The quality of compassion does not arise once in a blue moon, but is constantly present in the one who is compassionate and sensitive towards the other. If a child fails in an exam or if a person undergoes a loss in business, one should be empathetic instead of lecturing the other, which is similar to sprinkling salt on someone's wounds. If one is blessed with material opulence, one can be compassionate by making use of the same to uplift the other. If one keeps a pot of water for the birds or animals during scorching heat, one tends to think that by placing the water pot on a regular basis would attract birds or animals regularly. However, compassion is an act of kindness where one functions from a state of other-centric consciousness instead of being self-centered.

17. Refraining from the sense of greed:
The quality of greed leads to never-ending desires of acquiring more and more. If one owns a car and then sees that the other has a new model of the same car, one tends to exhibit the anticipation of experiencing the same pleasure and desire to acquire the advanced model of the car. This is also seen amongst people where upon seeing a new addition of a family member (say son-in-law who has seen success in the material world), one desires to have a similar person with similar material qualities. Freedom from this state of greediness brings inner peace.

18. Gentleness:
This means to be exhibit sensitivity and refrain from rough or crude behavior and conduct towards the other. If one is gentle in words and deeds, it brings a healing or soothing effect on those who are in distress. One tends to enjoy the company of the person who is gentle and tender.

19. Modesty:
This is a quality where one's inner consciousness exhibits a sense of guilt upon committing non-virtuous actions. 

20. Devoid of fickleness:
This is the quality to remained focus and not sway when encountered by distractions. An unwavering mind is steadfast unlike a wavering mind and senses that drift hither and thither like a leaf. The frequency of movement of one's eyes reveals the level of distraction or focus. In medieval times, when people were looking for a bride for a family member, they would observe the frequency of movement of the eyes. If one's eyes are looking all around at a high frequency, they would refrain from pursuing with the matrimonial process. If the bride refrains from fickleness in senses, she was considered to be gentle. 

One can draw inspiration from Kshama Ram Ji Shastry, who would remain focused in the speed of speech, tone and posture while delivering the spiritual discourse. Kshama Ram Ji Shastry was not disturbed with the audience moving around or any other external disturbances and was firmly locked in the same position of reading from the book for a stretch of 6 hrs. Most of us are engaged in fidgeting and are gripped by fickleness. Being devoid of fickleness is considered to be a saintly trait. One can try practicing consciously on reducing fickleness for a week and then observe the difference. 

The food that one consumes is initially converted into Rasa. Once there is formation of Rasa, the remaining gets converted into Rakta. Once there is formation of Rakta, the remaining gets converted into Mamsa. Once there is formation of Mamsa, the remaining gets converted into Meda. Once there is formation of Meda, the remaining gets converted into Asthi. Once formation of Asthi is over, the remained gets converted into Majja. Once there is formation of Majja, the remaining gets converted into Shukra. This generates Ojas (Vigor or essence of vitality) and then Tejas (Brilliance). The quality of Tejas reflects in one's speech and personality due to which one can create a positive impact on social circle. 

Forgiving others for their wrong doings is necessary to live in a serene state. Through forgiveness, one heals the emotional wounds caused by others that would otherwise disturb the mind. We need to forgive others for the sake of oneself, instead of the sake of the other. By forgiving the other, one is liberating oneself from the wounds or distress caused by the other. It can help free oneself from the thoughts of the person who inflicted harm. 

When one truly forgives, one tends to forget. Consider a scenario where a mother reprimands her child. She keeps reiterating to the child about his/her mistakes from the past. It is common for the child to wonder that the mother could have highlighted the mistake at the very moment instead of reiterating it time and again. When one truly forgives the other, one would refrain from reminding the other about the favor of being forgiven. Where there is true forgiveness, there is forgetfulness. One needs to forgive and forget. As they say: 

Where there is compassion, there is righteousness; where there is greed, there is sin; where there is anger, there is destruction; where there is forgiveness, there is self-realization. 

23: Refraining from shortcuts (Patience and Virtue):
This quality of patience and virtue has been explained by Kabir Ji in the below doha:

Everything has its own pace and takes time to accomplish certain things. Consider the example of sowing a seed. If one loses patience and keeps watering the seed in excess, the seed does not emerge into a tree within a short span. It takes the required time to emerge into a tree. Consider the example of a fern and bamboo. Upon sowing the seed, the fern emerges in a span of six months. Whereas upon sowing a bamboo seed, it takes approximately five years to shoot up into a bamboo tree. Everything has its own time frame and hence the quality of patience and perseverance is necessary to accomplish any task. Consider another example where a pediatrician examines many infants. Every mother visiting the pediatrician complains that the growth or skill of her child has not evolved when compared to other children. One needs to remember that every child is unique, and every child has his/her own pace. Hence, one needs to practice patience and virtue. 

24: Cleanliness:
It refers to both internal and external purity. One needs to maintain cleanliness of the body and mind. Some people use sanitizers and refrain from washing the hands in running water or with soap. Some of them consume food without washing the hands in running water. This is not the accurate or ideal way of practicing hygiene by washing hands with running water and soap. One needs to follow certain etiquettes of washing the feet before entering the temple or maintaining cleanliness while handling pious scriptures. Cleanliness here also refers to the internal state of purifying the mind. 

25: Bearing enmity toward none:
Bearing enmity toward others poisons our own mind. The quality of freedom from hatred toward others liberates oneself from distressing states. Even if the other is at fault and other choses to keep distance, one's doors should always be open to accept the other for reconciliation. 

26: Absence of vanity:
 Self-praise, boastfulness, ostentation, etc. all stem from pride. Some people are particular about accumulating branded possessions. There is no harm in having a branded phone (say iPhone). However, some people are obsessed about the brand with a perception that it brings about the best from their personality. However, one is captured by the sense of ostentation to impress the other. 

Bhagavān mentions to Arjuna that he is endowed with all the 26 Daivi or saintly traits.

Having described the two kinds of natures, Bhagavān now throws light on the consequences of both the natures. HE says that the demoniac qualities keep one chained to the cycle of life and death, while the cultivation of saintly virtues helps one break through the bondage of Maya or the material realm. HE declares that Arjuna is endowed with all the saintly qualities. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān says that there are two kinds of beings in this world - those endowed with a divine nature and those possessing a demoniac nature. Having described the divine qualities in detail, HE now explains more about the demoniac nature.

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains that that the demoniac nature person is confused about what is right and what is wrong, and thus, neither purity, nor truth, nor right conduct is found in them. One who is endowed with Daivi or saintly qualities has the clarity about the right action and wrong action. The saintly person has the awareness about the Do's and the Don'ts, whereas the demoniac natured person lacks the clarity on the right and wrong action or the Do's and Don'ts. Hence, they possess neither purity, nor good conduct, nor even truthfulness.

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains that those with demoniac nature believe that there is no Supreme Divine (almighty) who has created this world and who sustains it. They believe that it is created from the combination or union of male and female and has no purpose other than the gratification of the senses.

In this shloka, Bhagavān continues to explain that those who have such false views (as explained in the previous shloka), harbor small intellect and cruel actions. They bring about suffering and devastation to the self and the rest of the world. They do not hesitate to aggressively pursue their self-centered goals, even if it results in grief to others and destruction to the world.

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains that the demoniac nature persons are filled with insatiable desires. One desire leads to another and this becomes the root cause for greed and lust. Such persons pretend to be what they are not. They are attracted to pleasures of sense objects, their intellect is self-centered, and they swell with pride and arrogance. They go to any extent to fulfill their greedy desires, even if they have to resort to wrong conduct. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains that  demoniac nature persons seek for immediate gratification, but they end up struggling even more in the worldly direction. They are convinced that that gratification of short-term desires and accumulation of wealth is the highest purpose of life.

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains that those with demoniac nature are in constant pursuit of acquiring wealth. The root cause of all miseries is expectations and these people are stuck in a vicious loop of expectations and unsatiable desires. They do not hesitate in adopting unjust or wrong modes to acquire wealth, even if they have to deceit their own friends or family. Hence, they accumulate sins for every unjust action performed to accumulate wealth. One needs to understand that wealth accumulated in unethical ways does not sustain and last long. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains that demoniac nature persons are of the opinion that “I have acquired so much wealth today, and I shall now fulfill this desire of mine. This is mine, and tomorrow I shall have even more." The function from a state of I or ME consciousness. The saints say that the more one functions from this state of mind, the more one lacks and has the feeling of incompleteness. They are gripped by restlessness. They fail to realize that everything in this world is temporary. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān continues to explain that the demoniac nature persons have a view that "Enemy has been destroyed by me, and I shall destroy the others too! I am like the Supreme Divine Himself, I am the enjoyer, I am perfect, I am powerful, and I am happy." They believe that they are more powerful than the almighty himself and swell with pride. They believe that they are powerful and do not have to bow down to the laws of the world or to the Divine himself. They lack humbleness and cannot see anything else beyond their self. Hiranyakashipu is an example of this mindset where he was of the opinion that he is invincible. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān continues to explain the mindset of the demoniac nature persons - "I am wealthy and I have highly placed relatives. Who else is equal to me? I shall perform sacrifices (to the celestial devatas); I shall give alms; I shall rejoice.” In this way, they are deluded by ignorance. Duryodhana is an example of this mindset, who was gripped by ego, which eventually led to his downfall. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains that demoniac nature persons engage in incorrect ritualistic ceremonies and incorrectly align to the rules of the scriptures. During Durga pooja or Ganesh Chaturthi, the tents where people gather and engage in worship are incorrectly performed and deviate from the rules of the scriptures. The mantras are chanted incorrectly. The portrait of the organizer gathers all attention when compared to the idol of the divine. At times, film songs are played instead of the mantras. This gathering for pooja is performed for namesake instead of practicing true devotion. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains that those with demoniac natures are gripped by ego, pride, cruelty, anger and arrogance. They lack the righteous qualities themselves and  enjoy finding fault in everyone else. They consider themselves all-important, superior and are envious of other’s success. Due to the pride in their heart, they even disregard and disrespect the Supreme Divine. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains the fate of the demoniac nature persons. HE mentions that in their next lives, HE gives them birth in families with similar mentalities, where they get a suitable demoniac environment due to their demoniac nature and the nature of their deeds. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains that Desire, Anger and Greed are the three gates to hell. Desire within control does not cause any harm. However, unsatiable desires lead to greed and from greed stems anger. Together, lust, anger, and greed give rise to demoniac qualities which eventually leads one to descend down the ladder or attain downfall. Hence, Bhagavān advice to abandon Desire, Anger and Greed. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains that one who relinquishes Desire, Anger and Greed is free from the three gates to hell and is on the path of supreme goal of attaining the almighty. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains about those people who disregard and violate the guidelines mentioned in the scriptures. The scriptures have instructions about the dos and Don'ts. When one follows the directives of the scriptures, one moves towards perfection. However, those who deviate from the directives of the scriptures (with an assumption that they possess higher intellect and understanding) neither acquire true knowledge, nor the perfection of happiness, nor liberation from material bondage. Say for example, if scriptures advice on performing the Shraad Vidhi after someone's demise, some people engage in food distribution activities at orphanages. Although the act of distributing food at orphanages is virtuous, substituting this activity over the directive of the scriptures is not the best way to proceed. Demoniac nature persons engage in prohibited acts and deviate from performing the recommended acts. 

In this shloka, Bhagavān explains that the scriptures have the supreme authority in ascertaining the Dos and the Donts; what to do and what to refrain from doing. Some persons are of the opinion that they would act as per their will and convenience. Bhagavān advises that one needs to understand the scriptures and act as per the guidelines mentioned in them.  If one is unable to comprehend a Parampara, instead of deviating and exercising as per one's will. it is recommended to consult a learned scholar, acharya or a Shankaracharya to understand the significance of the Parampara before deviating on an improper direction. Bhagavān concludes this chapter by stating that one needs to act according to the scriptures. 

The session ends with prayer and Hanuman Chalisa.

Question and Answer

Snehalata Ji
Question: What is the meaning of aśhuchi-vratāḥ in shloka 10?
Answer: It implies to false narrative or impure resolve.

Balkrishna Ji
Question: Why is it adviced to refrain from engaging in pooja for a women during restricted days of the month.
Answer: One can engage in reading the Gītā or in devotion. It is advised to refrain from touching the idol of the divine to maintain the purity of the divine. 

Ravish Ji
Question: It was told that one should refrain from killing insects such as mosquitoes or cockroaches. Then how can one keep diseases at bay?
Answer: If one maintains cleanliness, the insects are at bay. One can wipe them off with a broomstick instead of killing them. 

Preethi Ji
Question: How to manage uncontrolled anger or outburst of anger for no reason?
Answer: The root cause of anger is linked to unfulfilled desires, expectations or engaging in tasks which one dislikes. One needs to work on the root cause to dissolve the anger.

Savitha Ji
Question: How to rise above sadness?
Answer: Every individual encounters phases of happiness and sadness. If one is sad for losing a loved one, one needs to realize that nothing is permanent, and everything is temporary. Everyone who attains birth has to undergo death and the cycle continues. By engaging in Gītā, one will be able to rise above sadness and miseries. 

Jonnalagadda Ji
Question: What does hrīr achāpalam imply?
Answer: It refers to engage in an action which one's consciousness disapproves or any action which violates the social, civic or judicial laws. 

Deepshikha Ji
Question: How to master the control over the senses?
Answer: It is a process which needs to be implemented with practice. Instead of being a slave to the mind, one needs to be the master of the senses and it can be attained with constant practice. 

Question: If one accidentally kills insect, what would be the repercussions?
Answer: With accidental actions that result in harming the insect, one can cut through the negative karmic reactions with chanting, austerities, charity or other virtuous deeds.