Summary:

Lesson 170 shows how jiva-srishti (personal fancies) distances individual away from isvara-srishti (dharma; truth), thus causing immorality to become the “normal” way of conduct.

Source: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Revision:

• Verse 7-21 brings out distortions within the mind, causing it to misrepresent reality. Consequence is striving to manipulate ishvara-srishti to suit fancies of jiva-srishti, instead of aligning oneself closer.
• For example:

  • Ishvara-srishti governs a law called prarabdha-karma. This means each individual is faced with personal challenges and situations. Then suppose tension begins to build up in a personal/professional setting. Individual operating from jiva-srishti may misperceive, or see no reason to make a change.

  • Sports:
    • Monica Seles stabbed by man in 1993 (fan of Stefi Graf) by 23cm knife.
    • Lance A.: Won many times, Tour de France, because of doping . “Since everyone is doing it, so will I”.
  • World disasters: Email regarding war in Ukraine, “Donation for Humanitarian Aid to Ukrainian Refugees. Send Bitcoin to __”.
  • Swami N: Claims, Will get cows to speak Sanskrit/Tamil.
  • A. Da: Self proclaimed avatar. (“There's never be anyone like me in past/future. I alone am liberated”. Then engages sexual activity with multiple female devotees + asking people to meditate on his image).
  • Conspiracies: 2003: 3G & SARS. 2009: 4G & Swine Flu.  2020: 5G & Covid.
  • Misinterpretation in Religion:
    • James R., a former evangelist friend to D.Trump, has told the authors: “God uses imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will. He always has and always will.”
    • 2019: Jonathan C., a Doomsday Prophet, says the Bible predicted D.Trump.
    • “I am a doer/enjoy. Hence you too are a doer/enjoyer”. So the way to attain salvation is through karma-yoga (yoga of doing/enjoying), so after death, I may sport with Lord in some place.
      • A global institution gets created on this one single error. And since so many others are living with same error, the institution quickly gains traction.
      • Add to that, everyone has need for community, which causes one to come back and continue listening to the notion that started out as a jiva-srishti-distortion.
    • The wise-Bhishma unable to reassess his life-long vow to protect Hastinapur; even amidst Dhritarashtra’s unfair treatment of Pandavas (society governed by dharma).
  • These examples show what happens when the natural program of desire acts through a buddhi established more in jiva-srishti and less in Ishvara-srishti. It takes on asura & rakshasa-sampat. One’s security/entertainment becomes priority, event at expense of the whole’s wellbeing.
  • In Verse 7, we showed the reason for asura-sampat. Everyone is born with 5 sense organs which can’t perceive beyond the gross, hence assume material world to be the final reality.
    • Furthermore, few come with an inquiry-samskara (questioning beyond the gross), because in last life, it was same story: Paying attention to gross material.
  • Verse 8:
    • Relying on perception alone, they’re uninterested in religion or spirituality, thus miss out on knowledge on how to properly act in the world. God is a mere illusion. We are product of genetics. And passion/survival rules the world.
    • All their interests, hobbies, conversations with friends (on dates), and concerns are about worldly matters, because that’ll all they can perceive.
  • Verse 9:
    • They say, “It’s pointless living ethically, because even good people suffer. So might as well, live however you wish”.
    • They’ll discard any form of scriptures, stating they can’t be proven scientifically. Ironically they’re right. But wrong in discarding their wisdom. Because scriptures can only be proven by FIRST living and thinking according to their logic. Just like spike-protein can only be seen by FIRST looking under the microscope.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 9:

etām dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya naṣṭa-ātmānaḥ alpa-buddhayaḥ ।
prabhavanti ugra-karmāṇaḥ kṣayāya jagataḥ ahitāḥ ॥ 16-9॥
Holding such views, these indiscriminate people are lost spiritually. Taking to cruel actions, they become the enemies of the world for (its) destruction.

• CONTINUING FROM LAST WEEK…
• And being a lost soul (ignorant of laws-orders that are intended to help one grow), consequence is, ugra-karmāṇaḥ; one takes to cruel actions.
  • Because when dharma is not-valued or ignored, one compromises morality/culture for likes/dislikes.
    • EG: Lying becomes second nature. / Etching one’s name on a sacred site.
• For this reason; prabhavanti ahitāḥ jagataḥ kṣayāya; they become the enemies of the world, promoting it’s destruction and degradation of social-values that bring us together.
  • Because they don’t believe in paying the price in the future (adharma), such individuals:
    • Set an example to younger generation that it’s acceptable to disregard tradition/customs.
    • To put materialism ahead of religion.
    • That the loudest voice is more important then truth.
    • That personal ambitions are above universal values.
    • …Doing such, they degrade the moral code in the society.
  • Examples when intelligence/science is not guided by universal values:
    • Intelligence used for cyber-crime/ransomware.
    • Illegal organ harvesting.
    • Persuasion skills used to sell something that’s not in one’s best self-interest.
    • A young chap, loaded with testosterone, ready to pounce on his prey using dodgy charming techniques, without intention of long term union.
• NEXT VERSE: They’re deluded by an incorrect calculation…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 10:

kāmam āśritya duṣpūram dambha-māna-mada-anvitāḥ ।
mohāt gṛhītvā asat grāhān pravartante aśuci-vratāḥ ॥ 16-10॥
Taking to insatiable desire, they are full of pretensions, vanity, and haughtiness. Holding wrong views due to delusion, they act with impure resolve.

• There’s no limit to their desires, because each desire is limited…
• gṛhītvā asat grāhān mohāt: They are holding distorted views due to delusion (towards īśvara-sṛṣṭi; world that was there before their minds started to give meanings to it).
  • What is their delusion? Finite + Finite = Infinite (…one fine day in the future). Yet always adds up to: Finite.
  • Metaphor: It’s like throwing chunk on ghee on fire. Initially almost puts it out (giving temporary sense of relief from the heat), but fire picks up again, bigger.
• pravartante aśuci-vratāḥ: They act with impure resolve (since don’t believe in after-death punishment / travelling to lower worlds).
• NEXT VERSE: Artha/Kāma is bases of their decisions…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 11:

cintām aparimeyām ca pralayāntām upāśritāḥ ।
kāma-upabhoga-paramāḥ etāvat iti niścitāḥ ॥ 16-11॥
Given to deep and lifelong anxiety, and holding enjoyment of sense objects as the highest goal, they are convinced in their belief that this is the highest limit of joy.

• upāśritāḥ aparimeyām pralayāntām ca cintām: Given to deep & life-long anxiety…
  • Because each attainment is finite & each object produces sense of dependency on external objects.
• kāma-upabhoga-paramāḥ niścitāḥ iti etāvat: … and holding enjoyment of sense objects as the highest goal, they are convinced this is all there is to life.
  • Makes them extra tuned into world events/news, because economy, different-president, etc may compromise one’s enjoyments.
• NEXT VERSE: Since all materialistic desires brings about shallow-contentment, they’re frustrated…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 12:

āśā-pāśa-śataiḥ baddhāḥ kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ ।
īhante kāma-bhogārtham anyāyena artha-sañcayān ॥ 16-12॥
Bound by the strings of hundreds of expectations, and given to desire and anger, they seek hoards of wealth by  unrighteous means for the enjoyment of sense objects.

• baddhāḥ āśā-pāśa-śataiḥ: Bound by the strings of hundreds of expectations (EG: how friends/employees/employer should act towards me) and impossible to meet-standards…
• kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ: …they give-in to continued desire and anger.
  • Because obstructed desire (expectations that didn’t go as planned) leads to anger/frustration.
• īhante artha-sañcayān anyāyena kāma-bhogārtham; they seek in this world, hoards of wealth, by unrighteous means for the enjoyment of sense objects.
  • Meaning such personalities will interpret anything that opposes unrighteousness, as weakness. Like kindness, namaskara / bowing, religion, compassion, gentleness.
  • As result of their hoarding of wealth and future-pleasure (like retirement), they take life of a workaholic (working overtime).

Verse 13-15: Thoughts of an āsura in quotes.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 13:

idam adya mayā labdham imam prāpsye manoratham ।
idam asti idam api me bhaviṣyati punaḥ dhanam ॥ 16-13॥
 “This has been obtained by me to-day. I shall attain this desired object (shortly). I have this much wealth (now). There will be this much more later”.

• If thought pattern of an āsura were to be put on a loud speaker, here’s what they sound like…
• Idam labdham mayā adya: “This has been obtained by me today”.
  • So they disregard fact that so many helped along the way.
• Prāpsye idam manoratham me asti; “I have this much wealth (now).”
• bhaviṣyati idam api punaḥ; “There will be this much more later also.”
• CONCLUSION:
  • They engage their buddhi to inquire into materialistic accomplishments, due to purpose-of-life being placed in possessions (size of family, house, bank account, beauty of wife).
    • Self-worth based on how much money/world success I have. EG: He is worth $2.5 billion dollars.
  • Contrast to karma-yogi: Self-worth based on how much I have contributed/shared in my sphere of influence.
• NEXT VERSE: They’re playing role of God in their private world…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 14:

asau mayā hataḥ śatruḥ haniṣye ca aparān api ।
īśvaraḥ aham ahaṃ bhogī siddhaḥ aham balavān sukhī ॥ 16-14॥
This rival has been destroyed by me. I shall destroy the others also. I am the Lord; I am the enjoyer; I am successful, powerful, and happy”.

• asau śatruḥ hataḥ mayā me, haniṣye aparān api; “This rival has been destroyed by me. I shall destroy the remaining competitors also.”
  • Such personalities can’t stand someone better/bigger, as it compromises one’s self-worth (with which identity is associated with).
  • Mentality is to silence or defame competitors because unsettled by others [in same niche] also being successful and well-known.
• aham īśvaraḥ; “I am the Lord.” EG: Hiranyakashipu ^{(Hiraṇyakaśipu)} prevented his son, Prahlada, from chanting “om namo narayanaya”, believing himself to be the only Lord worthy of worship.
• ahaṃ bhogī; “I am the enjoyer.”
• ahaṃ siddhaḥ balavān sukhī ; “I am a successful, powerful and happy.”
• NEXT VERSE: Self-glorification continues…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 15:

āḍhyaḥ abhijanavān asmi kaḥ anyaḥ asti sadṛśaḥ mayā ।
yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣye iti ajñāna-vimohitāḥ ॥ 16-15॥
“I am rich and of noble birth. Who else is there equal to me? I shall perform Yajñās; I shall give charity; (and) I shall rejoice” — thus (these people) are completely deluded by ignorance.

• asmi āḍhyaḥ abhijanavān; “I am rich and come from a noble family.”
  • Talks about one’s ancestry for sake of improving his/her status in others eyes, but hasn’t contributed anything significant. EG: Inherited the money.
• kaḥ anyaḥ asti sadṛśaḥ mayā; “Who else is equal to me?! Show me that one who is as smart/capable/pretty as I am!”
• yakṣye dāsyāmi; “I shall perform yajñās (for sake of showing the public that I’m a good person), and dāsyāmi; I shall give charity (ensuring my name is well known). “
• Doing all this, modiṣye; “I shall rejoice”.
• CONCLUSION: These thinking patterns make it impossible to listen to wise people (the only ones who can uplift such deluded minds) due to self-pride, hence distance themselves farther & farther from the light.
• NEXT VERSE: Due to such thoughts, they get what they deserve…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 16:

aneka-citta-vibhrāntāḥ moha-jāla-samāvṛtāḥ ।
prasaktāḥ kāma-bhogeṣu patanti narake aśucau ॥ 16-16॥
Thoroughly confused by such innumerable fancies, encircled by the net of delusion, and deeply engaged in the enjoyment of sense objects, they fall into a foul hell.

• aneka-citta-vibhrāntāḥ; Carried away by such inner-narratives (in V13-15), moha-jāla-samāvṛtāḥ prasaktāḥ kāma-bhogeṣu; encircled by their web of delusion, and multiplied further by preoccupation with sense-objects…
• What happens to them in this life and after death? patanti narake aśucau; they fall into an impure (greasy/muddy) hell.
  • Hell in reference to living: A loop of misery mind is unable to rise above.
  • Hell in reference to after-death: Since artha/kāma were never intended sole pursuits in a human body (since they’re pursuits of animals), then next life the jiva inherits either:
    • Human body in family whose considerably oriented towards survival,
    • Animal,
    • Plant,
    • Lower 7 worlds/lokas: atala, vitala, sutala, talātala, rasātala, mahātala, pātāla.
  • Hell in reference to loka (lower worlds):
    • Neither hell nor heaven are eternal. Because…
      • Duration of both is proportional to magnitude of past deeds.
      • There can only be pleasure/suffering if there is a gross-body. And no gross-body lasts forever.
      • Duration of misery depends on perpetrator learning / repentance.
        • EG: Judge can lighten jail sentence on bases of good behaviour. Death sentence can be pardoned.
      • Hell (lower worlds) are like washing machine, where past-sins are exhausted quickly due to increased level of suffering. It leaves the subtle-body purified, ready for another human body.
• NEXT VERSE: Such individual violates social norms…

Keywords:

—
Credit for help in Bhagavad Gita teaching given to Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya), Paramarthananda & Chinmaya Mission.

Recorded 10 May, 2022