Chapter 16, Verse 6
द्वौ भूतसर्गौ लोकेऽस्मिन्दैव आसुर एव च | दैवो विस्तरशः प्रोक्त आसुरं पार्थ मे शृणु ||१६-६||
dvau bhūtasargau loke.asmindaiva āsura eva ca . daivo vistaraśaḥ prokta āsuraṃ pārtha me śṛṇu ||16-6||
Meaning
16.6 There are two types of beings in this world, the divine and the demoniacal; the divine has been described at length; hear from Me, O Arjuna, of the demoniacal.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna frames the chapter as a study of two creations, dvau bhuta-sargau — not two separate species of people, but two tendencies that contend within the human heart and express themselves through human conduct. Having painted the divine nature in some detail, he now invites Arjuna to listen closely to a fuller portrait of the asura.
Why dwell so long on the darker pattern? Because what we can recognise, we can resist. A physician studies disease not from morbid fascination but to heal. By examining the anatomy of the demoniac mind — its assumptions, appetites, and outcomes — the seeker learns to detect those same impulses in subtle form within himself before they take root. The verses that follow are thus less a condemnation of others than a diagnostic mirror for our own inner life.
💡 Key Takeaway
Understanding the patterns of the lower nature is the first step to recognising and rooting them out within yourself.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिर्ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः | दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम् ||१६-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . abhayaṃ sattvasaṃśuddhirjñānayogavyavasthitiḥ . dānaṃ damaśca yajñaśca svādhyāyastapa ārjavam ||16-1||
16.1 The Blessed Lord said Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and Yoga, almsgiving, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity and straightforwardness.
अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त्यागः शान्तिरपैशुनम् | दया भूतेष्वलोलुप्त्वं मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलम् ||१६-२||
ahiṃsā satyamakrodhastyāgaḥ śāntirapaiśunam . dayā bhūteṣvaloluptvaṃ mārdavaṃ hrīracāpalam ||16-2||
16.2 Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of crookedness, compassion towards beings, non-covetousness, gentleness, modesty, absence of fickleness.
तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचमद्रोहो नातिमानिता | भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत ||१६-३||
tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucamadroho nātimānitā . bhavanti sampadaṃ daivīmabhijātasya bhārata ||16-3||
16.3 Vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride these belong to the one born for a divine state, O Arjuna.