Yoga through Discerning the Divine and Demoniac Natures
Verse 16.15
आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया।यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः।।16.15।।
āḍhyo ’bhijanavān asmi ko ’nyo ’sti sadṛiśho mayā yakṣhye dāsyāmi modiṣhya ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ aneka-chitta-vibhrāntā moha-jāla-samāvṛitāḥ prasaktāḥ kāma-bhogeṣhu patanti narake ’śhuchau
Word Meanings
āḍhyaḥ—wealthy; abhijana-vān—having highly placed relatives; asmi—me; kaḥ—who; anyaḥ—else; asti—is; sadṛiśhaḥ—like; mayā—to me; yakṣhye—I shall perform sacrifices; dāsyāmi—I shall give alms; modiṣhye—I shall rejoice; iti—thus; ajñāna—ignorance; vimohitāḥ—deluded aneka—many; chitta—imaginings; vibhrāntāḥ—led astray; moha—delusion; jāla—mesh; samāvṛitāḥ—enveloped; prasaktāḥ—addicted; kāma-bhogeṣhu—gratification of sensuous pleasures; patanti—descend; narake—to hell; aśhuchau—murky
Translation · English
"I am wealthy and born into a noble family. Who is my equal? I shall perform sacrifices, give charity, and rejoice," thus deluded by ignorance.
Deep Meaning · English
In this verse, Krishna exposes the architecture of the 'asuric' or demoniac mindset, which is fundamentally rooted in the solidification of the ego. When the jiva forgets its divine nature as Atman, it seeks to construct a substitute identity built upon external markers: wealth, lineage, and social comparison. This creates a psychological prison where 'I' becomes the center of the universe, and every action—even seemingly virtuous ones like sacrifice or charity—becomes a tool to reinforce the vanity of the false self. The delusion lies in the belief that happiness is a commodity to be acquired through performance and consumption, rather than an inherent quality of the soul. The 'ajñāna' (ignorance) described here is not a simple lack of information, but a violent misidentification with the transient. By treating life as a series of ego-affirming maneuvers—'I shall give, I shall perform, I shall rejoice'—the seeker weaves a web of 'moha' (delusion) that obscures the truth of oneness. This mindset is fundamentally dualistic, thriving on competition and the need to be superior to others. Krishna warns that this downward spiral of addiction to sensory gratification eventually leads to 'naraka'—not necessarily a physical pit of fire, but a psychological state of profound fragmentation, anxiety, and 'śhuchau' (impurity), where the mind is so clouded by desire that it becomes incapable of reflecting the light of the Divine.
The demoniac nature is characterized by an insatiable need to validate the ego through external comparison, creating a self-imposed prison of isolation and spiritual blindness.
Connected Verses
Provides the foundational internal monologue of the egoic mind that believes itself to be the ultimate enjoyer and controller of destiny.
Identifies the three gateways to the hell of the self-destructive ego: lust, anger, and greed.
Describes the symptoms of the rajasic (passionate/active) guna, which drives the restless, grasping behavior mentioned in this verse.
Explains how the contemplation of objects of desire leads to attachment and the eventual destruction of the discriminating faculty.
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