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The Divine And

Demoniac Natures

Chapter 16 of the BHAGAVAD-GITA 

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God said: Fearlessness;

purification of one's existence;

cultivation of spiritual knowledge;

charity;

self-control;performance of sacrifice;

study of the Scriptures;

austerity;

simplicity;

nonviolence;

truthfulness;freedom from anger;

renunciation;

tranquility;

aversion to faultfinding;

compassion for all living entities;

freedom from covetousness;gentleness;

modesty;

steady determination;

 vigor;

forgiveness;

fortitude;cleanliness;

and freedom from envy 

and from the passion for honor

—  these transcendental qualities belong to

godly men endowed with divine nature.

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Pride,

arrogance,

conceit,anger,

harshness

and ignorance —

these qualities belong

to those of demoniac nature.

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The transcendental qualities

are conducive to liberation,

whereas the demoniac qualitiesmake for bondage.

Do not worry for some are born

with the divine qualities

while others with the demoniac.

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In this world

there are two kinds

of created beings.

One is called the

divine and the

other demoniac.

I have already

explained to

you at length the

divine qualities.

Now hear from Me of

the demoniac.

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Those who are Demoniac 

do not know what is to be done and

what is not to be done.

Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found

in them.

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They say that  this world is unreal, with no foundation,

no God in control.

They say it is producedof sex desire 

and has no cause other than lust.

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Following such 

conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to 

themselves and who have no intelligence, engage in 

unbeneficial, 

horrible works meant to destroy the world. 

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 Taking shelter of

insatiable lust andabsorbed in the

conceit of prideand false prestigethe demoniac,

thus illusioned,are always sworn

to unclean work,

attracted by the impermanent.

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 They believe that to gratify the senses

is the prime necessityof human civilization.

 Thus until the endof life their anxiety

is immeasurable.

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Bound by a networkof hundreds of 

thousands of desiresand absorbed in lust

and anger,

they secure money by illegal means for

sense gratification.

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The demoniac person thinks:

"So much wealth do

I have today,

and I will gain moreaccording to my schemes.

So much is mine now,

and it will increase

in the future,more and more.

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 He is my enemy,

and I have killed him,and my other enemieswill also be killed.

I am the

lord of everything.I am the enjoyer.I am perfect,

powerful,and happy.

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I am the richest man,

 surrounded byaristocratic relatives.

There is none so

powerful and happyas I am.

I shall perform sacrifices,

I shall give some charity,

and thus I shall rejoice."

In this way, such persons are

deluded by ignorance.

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Thus perplexed by

various anxieties

and bound by a

network ofillusions, 

they become too

stronglyattached to sense

enjoyment

and fall down

into hell. 

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Self-complacentand always impudent,

deluded by wealth

and false prestige,they sometimesproudly perform

sacrifices

in name only,without following

any rules

or regulations.

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 Bewildered by false ego,strength, pride,

lust and anger,

 the demons becomeenvious of God,

 who is situated in

 their own bodiesand in the bodies

of others,

and blasphemeagainst thereal religion. 

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Those who are enviousand mischievous,

who are thelowest among men,I perpetually cast into

the ocean of 

 material existence,Into various demoniacspecies of life.

Attaining repeated birth

amongst the speciesof demoniac life,

such persons cannever approach Me.

Gradually they sink down to the most abominable type

of existence.

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There are three gatesleading to this hell — 

lust,

angerand greed.

Every sane man

should give these up,

for they lead to thedegradation of the soul.

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The man whohas escaped

these threegates of hell

performs acts

conducive toself-realization

and thusgradually

attains thesupreme

destination.

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Hewho

discardsscripturalinjunctions

andactsaccording

tohisownwhims

attainsneither

perfection,norhappiness,

northesupremedestination.

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  One should 

 therefore understand  what 

 is duty and  what is not duty 

 by the regulations 

 of the scriptures. Knowing such rules  and regulations,

 one should act so  that he may gradually  be elevated.