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Indulging insatiable covetousness, filled with deceit, pride, and madness, in their folly they adopt wrong conceptions, and proceed, impure in their mode of life, — indulging unlimited reflec- tions that end in annihilation, considering the enjoyment of their desires magavad-gM. chapter the sixteenth. 71 as the highest object, persuaded that such (is life). Caught in a hundred snares of false hopes, prone to desire and anger, they seek abundance of wealth by improper means, for the sake of pandering to their own lusts. 6 I have now obtained this thing, and I will obtain that pleasure. I possess this wealth, and that, too, I will yet possess. I have slain this enemy, and I will slay others also. I am sovereign, I am enjoyer (of the world). I am perfect, strong, and blessed. I am opulent, and of noble birth. Who else is like me ? I will sacrifice, I will give alms, I will slay.’ Thus speak those who are befooled by ignorance. Confused by many worldly thoughts, surrounded by the meshes of bewilderment, devoted to the enjoyment of’ their desires, they descend to foul Naraka. Esteeming themselves very highly, self-willed, full of possessions, pride, and madness, they hypocritically worship with nominal sacrifices, not according to ritual. Indulging selfishness, violence, pride, desire and anger, detesting me (who live) in their own and others’ bodies, revilers of me, — such as these, hating (me), cruel, the lowest of men among mankind, and wicked, I continually hurl into wombs of an infernal nature. Having entered an infernal womb, moro and more deluded in every succeeding regeneration, they never come to me, 0 son of Ivuuti ! and lienee they proceed to the lowest walk. That gate of hell, which causes the destruction of the soul, is threefold — desire, anger, covetousness. One should, therefore, abandon this triad. Liberated from these three gates of obscurity, 0 son of Ivunti ! a man accomplishes the salvation of his soul, and thus attains the highest path. He who, neglecting the law of Holy Writ, lives after his own desires attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest walk. Let Holy Writ be, therefore, thy authority in the determination of what should be done, and what not. Knowing that works are proclaimed in the precepts of Holy Writ, thou shouldest perform actions.” Thus in the Upanishads, etc., (stands) the Sixteenth Chapter, by name DEVOTION IN REGARD TO TnE LOT OP THE DEVAS AND THAT OF THE ASURAS.” 72 BHAGAVAD-GiTA. CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH. COMMENTARY. REASON. The qualities of the wise man are entirely different from the qualities of the ignorant. The first raise the spirit from matter ; th6 second mako the bonds of its imprisonment in matter still stronger, and more grievous and more durable. 0 Mind ! you are bom to the highest development. Good and evil natures exist in this world. I have explained the good ; now listen to the evil. In the popular belief, men cannot discriminate between action and the cessation of action. They consider enjoyment the chief end of life, apart from morality, purity, and truth. They thus accomplish their own destruction. They follow, in their confusion, after various beliefs equally delusive and unsatisfactory. They wander astray, either through obstinacy or indifference. Deluded by their own imagi- nations, and following what they conceive to be pleasure, their feet find no sure resting-place, but the ground slides from under them as they move. They are never satisfied ; the fruition of one desire is but the birth of more. Gathering the harvest of one field, they sow twenty others with that gathered grain. “ I am, and there is none beside me,” says the ignorant man ; for he considers not the uncertain and transitory nature of all things. Ignorant men offer sacrifice to wisdom, but with their mouths only ; their hearts are far distant from me. They hate me, and I, in turn, rejecting them, they become beasts. In everything be governed by me. CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH. TEXT. ARJUNA SPOKE. “ But what is the state of those who, neglecting the ordinance of Holy Writ, worship, full of faith, Krishna ? (Is it) goodness, badness, or indifference ? ” COMMENTARY. MIND. How fare, then, those who, neglecting Reason, rest in various religious beliefs ? Are they good, bad, or neither ? TEXT. KRISHNA SPOKE. • “ The faith of mortals is of three kinds. It springs from each one’s own disposition. Learn that it is of the nature of goodness, and also of badness and indifference. The faith of each man is in accordance with his nature, 0 Bharata ! • Mortal man, who is gifted with faith, is of the same nature as that (being) on whom he reposes his faith. The good worship the gods, the bad the Yakshas and Rakshasas, Other men, being indifferent, worship the Pretas and Bhutas. Know that those men who practise severe self-mortification, not in accordance with Holy Writ, being full of hypocrisy and egotism, and gifted with desires, passions, and head-strong will, — torturing the collection of elementary parts which compose the body, without sense, and torturing me also, who exist in the inmost recesses of the body, are of an infernal tendency. But even the food, which is pleasant to each (kind of disposition), is of three kinds. Sacrifice, mortification, and almsgiving (are each of three kinds). Hear the following division of these. Those which increase life, vigour, strength, health, happiness, and gaiety, and which are 74 IJHAGAVAD-GITA. CIIAl’TElt THE SEVENTEENTH. savoury, rich, and substantial, are the pleasant foods dear to the good. The bitter, acid, salt, too hot, pungent, sour, and burning, are the foods beloved by the bad, and cause pain, grief, and disease. Whatever food is stale, tasteless, and corrupted with rottenness, and even left (after a meal), or impure, is the food preferred by those of the indifferent quality. That sacrifice which is performed in accordance with divine law by those who do not look selfishly for its recompense, and who dispose their hearts to (the conviction) that it is right to sacrifice, is a good one. But know that that sacrifice which is offered by those who regard its recompense, and also for the sake of deceiving (by a false show of piety), O best of the Bharatas ! is a bad one. That which is not according to law, and without distribution of the food, without sacred hymns, with- out paying the priest, and bereft of faith, they pronounce to be an indifferent sacrifice. Honouring the gods, the Brahmans, the precep- tors and the wise, purity, straightforwardness, the vow of a Bralimachari and liarmlessness, are said to be mortification of the body. Speech which causes no excitement, which is truthful and friendly, and also diligence in muttering prayers, is called mortification of the mouth. Serenity of heart, gentleness, silence, self-restraint, purification of one’s nature, — this is called mortification of the heart. This threefold mortifi- cation, practised with extreme faith by men who disregard the fruit of their actions, and are devoted, is pronounced good. That mortification which is practised for the sake of one's own good reception, honour, and respect, and in hypocrisy also, is here declared bad, fickle, and uncertain. That mortification which is performed by merely wounding one’s self, from an erroneous view (of the nature of mortification) or for another’s destruction, is called indifferent. A gift which is given in a (right) place and time, and to a (fitting) person, with the conviction that one ought to give alms, and to one who cannot return it, is related as a good gift ; but that which is given for the sake of a gift in return, or again, in the expectation of its recompense, and reluctantly, is called a bad gift. That gift which is given in a wrong place and time, and to the unworthy, without the proper attentions, and disdainfully, is pronounced an indifferent gift. Om , Tat, Sat , — this is related as the threefold designation of the Supreme Being. By him were the Brahmans, and Vedas, and sacrifices instituted of yore. Therefore the rites of sacrifice, alms, and BHAGAVAD-GITA. CHAPTER, THE SEVENTEENTH. 75 mortification enjoined by divine law, are always commenced by* tlieo- ogians by pronouncing tlie word Om. (With the conviction that the Deity is) tat, the various rites of sacrifice, mortification, and almsgiving are performed by those who desire final emancipation, without considera- tion of the reward (of their actions). That word sat is used in reference to reality and goodness ; and tlio word sat is likewise used in (reference to the) performance of a laudable action, 0 son of Pritha ! A quiescent state of sacrifice, mortification, and almsgiving is called sat ; and also action on account of these (rites) is denominated sat. Whatever sacrifice, almsgiving, or mortification is performed, and whatever action is done without faith, is called asal, 0 son of Pritha ! Nor is that (of any use) to us after deatli or in this life.” Tlius in the Upanisliads, etc., (stands) the Seventeenth Chapter by name iC DEVOTION AS REGARDS THE THREE KINDS OF FAITTI.” COMMENTARY. ' REASON. Their religions spring from their peculiar dispositions, according to the proportions of the three qualities already explained. Men will be- come like the object of their worship. They make their idols, and they tliat make them arc like unto them. The sacerdotal doctrine of fasting and mortification tends to injure the body, and so interferes with me.* * Tlic chapter concludes with a theological reference to the truth and universality of the Deity. The allusions made in the text regarding mortifications and gifts arc purely dog- matical, though, to some extent, they may be practically applied. CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH. TEXT. ARJUNA SPOKE.