Chapter 7, Verse 15
न मां दुष्कृतिनो मूढाः प्रपद्यन्ते नराधमाः | माययापहृतज्ञाना आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः ||७-१५||
na māṃ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ . māyayāpahṛtajñānā āsuraṃ bhāvamāśritāḥ ||7-15||
Meaning
7.15 The evil-doers and the deluded who are the lowest of men do not seek Me; they whose knowledge is destroyed by illusion follow the ways of demons.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna explains why some never turn toward the Divine despite His nearness. Their discernment has been 'stolen away by maya,' and so they cling to an asura bhava — a demoniac disposition marked by ego, cruelty, and willful blindness. The wrongdoing (duskriti) is not merely outward sin but an inner orientation that keeps the heart closed to grace.
It is important to read this without harshness. The Gita is describing a condition, not condemning souls beyond hope. What seals a person from the Divine is not bad luck but a chosen stance — pride that refuses to bow, knowledge surrendered to selfishness. The remedy is precisely the opposite movement: humility and the willingness to seek. The very fact that one longs for God is already proof that maya's grip has begun to loosen.
💡 Key Takeaway
What closes the heart to the Divine is not fate but a chosen pride — and humility is the first crack of light.
Related Verses
भूमिरापोऽनलो वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेव च | अहंकार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा ||७-४||
bhūmirāpo.analo vāyuḥ khaṃ mano buddhireva ca . ahaṃkāra itīyaṃ me bhinnā prakṛtiraṣṭadhā ||7-4||
7.4 Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect and egoism thus is My Nature divided eightfold.
बीजं मां सर्वभूतानां विद्धि पार्थ सनातनम् | बुद्धिर्बुद्धिमतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् ||७-१०||
bījaṃ māṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ viddhi pārtha sanātanam . buddhirbuddhimatāmasmi tejastejasvināmaham ||7-10||
7.10 Know Me, O Arjuna, as the eternal seed of all beings; I am the intelligence of the intelligent; the splendour of the splendid objects am I.
त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभिः सर्वमिदं जगत् | मोहितं नाभिजानाति मामेभ्यः परमव्ययम् ||७-१३||
tribhirguṇamayairbhāvairebhiḥ sarvamidaṃ jagat . mohitaṃ nābhijānāti māmebhyaḥ paramavyayam ||7-13||
7.13 Deluded by these Natures (states or things) composed of the three alities of Nature all this world does not know Me as distinct from them and immutable.