Vyasa · a new plain-English translation from the Sanskrit
16.1 The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purity of being, steadiness in the yoga of knowledge, generosity, self-control, sacrifice, study of scripture, austerity, uprightness,
16.2 nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, peace, aversion to slander, compassion for living beings, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of restlessness,
16.3 vigor, patience, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom from malice, freedom from excessive pride — these belong to one born to a divine nature, Bharata.
16.4 Hypocrisy, arrogance, excessive pride, anger, harshness, and ignorance — these belong to one born to a demonic nature, Partha.
16.5 The divine nature is held to lead to liberation, the demonic to bondage. Do not grieve, Pandava — you are born with the divine nature.
16.6 There are two kinds of beings created in this world, the divine and the demonic. The divine I have described at length; hear from me now, Partha, about the demonic.
16.7 Demonic people know neither right action nor its renunciation. Neither purity, nor good conduct, nor truth is found in them.
16.8 They say the world is without truth, without foundation, without a governing lord, brought about by nothing but the mutual union of male and female, driven by desire alone — what else could it be?
16.9 Holding to this view, these people of lost selves and little understanding rise up as doers of terrible deeds, enemies of the world, working for its destruction.
16.10 Given over to insatiable desire, filled with hypocrisy, pride, and arrogance, holding false notions out of delusion, they act with impure intentions.
16.11 Given over to immeasurable anxiety that ends only in death, holding the enjoyment of desires as the highest good, certain that this is all there is,
16.12 bound by a hundred bonds of hope, devoted to desire and anger, they strive to amass wealth by unjust means for the sake of enjoying their desires.
16.13 'This I have gained today; this ambition I shall attain. This wealth is already mine, and this too shall be mine besides.'
16.14 'That enemy I have slain, and I shall slay others too. I am the lord, I am the enjoyer, I am accomplished, powerful, and happy.'
16.15 'I am wealthy and of noble family — who else is equal to me? I shall sacrifice, I shall give gifts, I shall rejoice' — so think those deluded by ignorance.
16.16 Bewildered by many thoughts, wrapped in a net of delusion, attached to the gratification of desires, they fall into a foul hell.
16.17 Self-conceited, stubborn, filled with the pride of wealth and status, they perform sacrifices in name only, with hypocrisy and without regard for proper rule.
16.18 Given over to egotism, force, pride, desire, and anger, these malicious people hate me dwelling in their own bodies and in the bodies of others.
16.19 These hateful, cruel, base men I continually hurl down into demonic wombs in the cycle of rebirth, into ever more unfortunate conditions.
16.20 Entering a demonic womb, deluded birth after birth, they never reach me, Kaunteya, and so go from there to the lowest state.
16.21 This is the threefold gate of hell, destructive of the self: desire, anger, and greed. Therefore one should abandon these three.
16.22 A man freed from these three gates of darkness, Kaunteya, does what is good for the self, and so reaches the highest goal.
16.23 But one who casts aside the rule of scripture and acts according to the impulse of desire attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest goal.
16.24 Therefore let scripture be your authority in determining what should and should not be done. Knowing what the ordinance of scripture declares, you should act accordingly here.