Yoga through Discerning the Divine and Demoniac Natures
Verse 16.18
अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः।मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः।।16.18।।
ahankāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ cha sanśhritāḥ mām ātma-para-deheṣhu pradviṣhanto ’bhyasūyakāḥ
Word Meanings
ahankāram—egotism; balam—strength; darpam—arrogance; kāmam—desire; krodham—anger; cha—and; sanśhritāḥ—covered by; mām—me; ātma-para-deheṣhu—within one’s own and bodies of others; pradviṣhantaḥ—abuse; abhyasūyakāḥ—the demoniac
Translation · English
Given over to egoism, power, haughtiness, lust, and anger, these malicious people hate Me in their own bodies and in the bodies of others.
Deep Meaning · English
In this verse, Krishna describes the psychological architecture of the asuric (demoniac) consciousness. When an individual identifies entirely with the ego (ahankara), their inherent strength, pride, desire, and anger become a thick, opaque veil that obscures the Divine presence. These negative impulses are not merely character flaws; they are modes of perception that lead one to view life through a lens of separation, competition, and hostility. By centering their identity on the perishable ego, they inadvertently wage war against the Truth itself, failing to recognize that the same sacred spark they suppress within is the very essence of the life they despise in others. This blindness is the ultimate blasphemy—it is a refusal to see the Divine dwelling in all living beings. The 'abhyasūyakāḥ' or the fault-finding nature mentioned here highlights a deep-seated bitterness. When one is consumed by the ego, they cannot bear the light of divinity in others, as it acts as a mirror reflecting their own inner discord. By rejecting this inner sanctity, they isolate themselves from the cosmic unity, transforming their existence into a solitary, self-imposed exile from the Divine reality that sustains them.
True spiritual blindness arises when the ego is mistaken for the Self, causing us to hate the Divine presence that dwells equally within ourselves and our fellow beings.
Connected Verses
Warns of the futility of ego-driven resistance against the divine order, emphasizing the inevitable failure of the asuric path.
Provides the foundational traits of the demoniac nature, such as arrogance and anger, which are the root causes of the enmity described in 16.18.
Contrasts the demoniac view by highlighting that the wise see the Supreme Lord equally situated in all living entities.
Explains that fools disregard the Divine when He resides in human form, matching the theme of failing to see God in the self and others.
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