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Divine and Demonic Natures
दैवासुरसम्पद्विभागयोगः · Daivāsura-sampad-vibhāga-yoga · 24 verses
Krishna describes two kinds of inner nature, the divine and the demonic. It works less as a sorting of people than as a mirror: one list is fearlessness, truthfulness, compassion and self-control; the other is pride, anger, greed and treating people as a means to an end. The chapter closes with a plain point: a life needs a guide beyond whim.
Traditionally linked with the Sun and Mars, the planets of will, courage and drive. When they are weak, it can show up as pride, anger, laziness or aimlessness. The chapter is read when the Sun or Mars feels weak, to name the habits that drain willpower and to rebuild discipline and confidence. It is a reflective practice, not a prediction.
श्रीभगवानुवाच
अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिर्ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः ।
दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम् ॥
śrībhagavānuvāca
abhayaṃ sattvasaṃśuddhirjñānayogavyavasthitiḥ |
dānaṃ damaśca yajñaśca svādhyāyastapa ārjavam ||
अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त्यागः शान्तिरपैशुनम् ।
दया भूतेष्वलोलुप्त्वं मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलम् ॥
ahiṃsā satyamakrodhastyāgaḥ śāntirapaiśunam |
dayā bhūteṣvaloluptvaṃ mārdavaṃ hrīracāpalam ||
तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचमद्रोहो नातिमानिता ।
भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत ॥
tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucamadroho nātimānitā |
bhavanti sampadaṃ daivīmabhijātasya bhārata ||
Fearlessness, a clear heart, steadiness in knowledge, generosity, self-control, sacred practice, study, discipline and honesty; non-violence, truth, freedom from anger, letting go, calm, not finding fault, kindness to all beings, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty and steadiness; vigour, forgiveness, courage, cleanliness, no malice and no excess pride: these belong to one born with divine qualities.
दम्भो दर्पोऽभिमानश्च क्रोधः पारुष्यमेव च ।
अज्ञानं चाभिजातस्य पार्थ सम्पदमासुरीम् ॥
dambho darpo’bhimānaśca krodhaḥ pāruṣyameva ca |
ajñānaṃ cābhijātasya pārtha sampadamāsurīm ||
दैवी सम्पद्विमोक्षाय निबन्धायासुरी मता ।
मा शुचः सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातोऽसि पाण्डव ॥
daivī sampadvimokṣāya nibandhāyāsurī matā |
mā śucaḥ sampadaṃ daivīmabhijāto’si pāṇḍava ||
Hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance belong to one born with demonic qualities. The divine qualities lead to freedom and the demonic to bondage. Krishna reassures Arjuna: do not grieve, you are born with divine qualities.
द्वौ भूतसर्गौ लोकेऽस्मिन्दैव आसुर एव च ।
दैवो विस्तरशः प्रोक्त आसुरं पार्थ मे शृणु ॥
dvau bhūtasargau loke’smindaiva āsura eva ca |
daivo vistaraśaḥ prokta āsuraṃ pārtha me śṛṇu ||
प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च जना न विदुरासुराः ।
न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते ॥
pravṛttiṃ ca nivṛttiṃ ca janā na vidurāsurāḥ |
na śaucaṃ nāpi cācāro na satyaṃ teṣu vidyate ||
There are two kinds of beings in this world, the divine and the demonic. The divine has been described at length; now hear about the demonic. Such people do not know what to do and what to avoid, and neither purity, good conduct nor truth is found in them.
असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् ।
अपरस्परसम्भूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ॥
asatyamapratiṣṭhaṃ te jagadāhuranīśvaram |
aparasparasambhūtaṃ kimanyatkāmahaitukam ||
एतां दृष्टिमवष्टभ्य नष्टात्मानोऽल्पबुद्धयः ।
प्रभवन्त्युग्रकर्माणः क्षयाय जगतोऽहिताः ॥
etāṃ dṛṣṭimavaṣṭabhya naṣṭātmāno’lpabuddhayaḥ |
prabhavantyugrakarmāṇaḥ kṣayāya jagato’hitāḥ ||
काममाश्रित्य दुष्पूरं दम्भमानमदान्विताः ।
मोहाद्गृहीत्वासद्ग्राहान्प्रवर्तन्तेऽशुचिव्रताः ॥
kāmamāśritya duṣpūraṃ dambhamānamadānvitāḥ |
mohādgṛhītvāsadgrāhānpravartante’śucivratāḥ ||
They say the world has no truth, no foundation and no God, that it arose from mere desire. Holding this view, these lost people of small understanding do harmful things and become enemies of the world. Taking refuge in insatiable desire, full of hypocrisy, pride and arrogance, and clinging to wrong ideas out of confusion, they act with impure resolve.
चिन्तामपरिमेयां च प्रलयान्तामुपाश्रिताः ।
कामोपभोगपरमा एतावदिति निश्चिताः ॥
cintāmaparimeyāṃ ca pralayāntāmupāśritāḥ |
kāmopabhogaparamā etāvaditi niścitāḥ ||
आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः ।
ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान् ॥
āśāpāśaśatairbaddhāḥ kāmakrodhaparāyaṇāḥ |
īhante kāmabhogārthamanyāyenārthasañcayān ||
They are weighed down by endless worry that ends only with death, and they hold that enjoying desires is the highest aim and that this is all there is. Bound by hundreds of ties of hope, given over to lust and anger, they gather wealth by unfair means in order to indulge their desires.
इदमद्य मया लब्धमिमं प्राप्स्ये मनोरथम् ।
इदमस्तीदमपि मे भविष्यति पुनर्धनम् ॥
idamadya mayā labdhamimaṃ prāpsye manoratham |
idamastīdamapi me bhaviṣyati punardhanam ||
असौ मया हतः शत्रुर्हनिष्ये चापरानपि ।
ईश्वरोऽहमहं भोगी सिद्धोऽहं बलवान्सुखी ॥
asau mayā hataḥ śatrurhaniṣye cāparānapi |
īśvaro’hamahaṃ bhogī siddho’haṃ balavānsukhī ||
आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया ।
यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः ॥
āḍhyo’bhijanavānasmi ko’nyo’sti sadṛśo mayā |
yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya ityajñānavimohitāḥ ||
"I have gained this today; I will fulfil that wish. This wealth is mine, and that will be mine too. I have defeated that enemy and I will defeat others. I am the master, the enjoyer, successful, powerful and happy. I am rich and well born; who else is like me? I will perform sacrifice, give charity, and rejoice." So they speak, deluded by ignorance.
अनेकचित्तविभ्रान्ता मोहजालसमावृताः ।
प्रसक्ताः कामभोगेषु पतन्ति नरकेऽशुचौ ॥
anekacittavibhrāntā mohajālasamāvṛtāḥ |
prasaktāḥ kāmabhogeṣu patanti narake’śucau ||
आत्मसम्भाविताः स्तब्धा धनमानमदान्विताः ।
यजन्ते नामयज्ञैस्ते दम्भेनाविधिपूर्वकम् ॥
ātmasambhāvitāḥ stabdhā dhanamānamadānvitāḥ |
yajante nāmayajñaiste dambhenāvidhipūrvakam ||
अहंकारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः ।
मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः ॥
ahaṃkāraṃ balaṃ darpaṃ kāmaṃ krodhaṃ ca saṃśritāḥ |
māmātmaparadeheṣu pradviṣanto’bhyasūyakāḥ ||
Bewildered by endless thoughts, caught in a net of confusion and hooked on sensual pleasure, they fall into a foul state. Self-satisfied, stubborn, drunk on wealth and pride, they perform rituals in name only, for show and without proper form. Clinging to ego, force, arrogance, lust and anger, they resent Me present in their own bodies and in others.
तानहं द्विषतः क्रुरान्संसारेषु नराधमान् ।
क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभानासुरीष्वेव योनिषु ॥
tānahaṃ dviṣataḥ krurānsaṃsāreṣu narādhamān |
kṣipāmyajasramaśubhānāsurīṣveva yoniṣu ||
आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि ।
मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् ॥
āsurīṃ yonimāpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani |
māmaprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yāntyadhamāṃ gatim ||
Those cruel haters, the lowest of people, I keep casting into demonic births in the cycle of rebirth. Having entered those births and deluded life after life, they do not reach Me and sink to the lowest state.
त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः ।
कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत् ॥
trividhaṃ narakasyedaṃ dvāraṃ nāśanamātmanaḥ |
kāmaḥ krodhastathā lobhastasmādetattrayaṃ tyajet ||
एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः ।
आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥
etairvimuktaḥ kaunteya tamodvāraistribhirnaraḥ |
ācaratyātmanaḥ śreyastato yāti parāṃ gatim ||
There are three gates to this self-destructive darkness: lust, anger and greed. Give up all three. A person freed from these three gates of darkness does what is good for themselves and reaches the highest goal.
यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः ।
न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम् ॥
yaḥ śāstravidhimutsṛjya vartate kāmakārataḥ |
na sa siddhimavāpnoti na sukhaṃ na parāṃ gatim ||
तस्माच्छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ ।
ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि ॥
tasmācchāstraṃ pramāṇaṃ te kāryākāryavyavasthitau |
jñātvā śāstravidhānoktaṃ karma kartumihārhasi ||
Whoever sets aside the guidance of scripture and acts on whim reaches neither perfection nor happiness nor the highest goal. So let the teaching be your guide in deciding what to do and what to avoid; knowing what it says, you should act accordingly here.
The verses are the traditional Sanskrit text. The explanations are original summaries, not a particular translator's words. The astrology guide is a devotional, reflective practice, not a prediction and not a substitute for professional advice.