Ego blinds us to the Divine in all.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अहंकारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः |मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः ||१६-१८||
ahaṃkāraṃ balaṃ darpaṃ kāmaṃ krodhaṃ ca saṃśritāḥ . māmātmaparadeheṣu pradviṣanto.abhyasūyakāḥ ||16-18||
Use this verse when anger dehumanizes someone.
Meaning
Taking refuge in egoism, power, arrogance, desire, and anger, the hateful and envious despise Me in their own bodies and in the bodies of others.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Ego and anger blind a person to the Divine within self and others.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna says the asuric pattern is not just social harm; it is spiritual blindness. When ego, power, lust, anger, and envy dominate, the person cannot respect the divine presence in any body.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna gathers the threads of the demoniac portrait into one knot: ahankara (egoism), bala (brute power), darpa (insolence), kama (lust), and krodha (anger). These are not separate faults but a single interlocking pattern, each feeding the others, with ego at the centre.
The verse then reveals the spiritual heart of the matter. Because the Lord dwells in atma-para-deheshu — within their own bodies and within all others — to hate and revile beings is to hate the Divine itself, present everywhere. The asura, blind to this indwelling presence, becomes abhyasuyaka, one who resents the very goodness of life.
Here Krishna unveils the deepest cost of the lower nature: it severs us not only from others but from the sacred core of our own being. Cruelty toward any creature is, in truth, enmity toward the God who lives within all.
In daily life
Before disrespecting anyone, remember Krishna is present within them too.
A person angry at a colleague can pause and remember the same Divine witness is within both.
Try this today
Pause before one judgment and remember inner divinity.
I honor Krishna within myself and others.Reflect
Where does anger make me forget the Divine in others?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘संश्रिताः’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on demoniac nature, in other chapters
- Verse 9.12When striving is rooted in ego and cut off from a deeper purpose, even our cleverest efforts tend to come to nothing.
- Verse 6.30See the Divine in all things and in everyone, and you will never be separated from God, nor God from you.
- Verse 11.11 · SanjayaWherever you turn, the Divine is already there, facing you, infinite and fully present.
- Verse 2.56Equanimity is not the absence of experience — it is the unshakeable center that holds through every experience, from deepest sorrow to greatest joy.
Swipe left for 16.19 · Repeated cruelty deepens bondage.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 16.18
Who says Bhagavad Gita 16.18, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 16.18, in Chapter 16, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga (Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 16.18 mean?
Taking refuge in egoism, power, arrogance, desire, and anger, the hateful and envious despise Me in their own bodies and in the bodies of others. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 16.18 for daily life?
Before disrespecting anyone, remember Krishna is present within them too. A person angry at a colleague can pause and remember the same Divine witness is within both.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 16.18 mean?
अहंकारम् — egoism; बलम् — (brute) power, force; दर्पम् — haughtiness, insolence; कामम् — lust, desire; क्रोधम् — anger.
Where does verse 16.18 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 18 of 24 in Chapter 16, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 16.19.