Asuric tendencies begin with ego and ignorance.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
दम्भो दर्पोऽभिमानश्च क्रोधः पारुष्यमेव च |अज्ञानं चाभिजातस्य पार्थ सम्पदमासुरीम् ||१६-४||
dambho darpo.abhimānaśca krodhaḥ pāruṣyameva ca . ajñānaṃ cābhijātasya pārtha sampadamāsurīm ||16-4||
Use this verse as an ego-warning check.
Meaning
Hypocrisy, arrogance, self-conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance belong to one born with asuric qualities, O Partha.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Asuric qualities are ego, anger, harshness, and ignorance.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna now names the opposite pattern. The verse is not meant for judging others first; it is a mirror for self-audit. Whenever hypocrisy, arrogance, anger, harsh speech, or ignorance dominate, the asuric pattern is active.
Read the traditional commentary
Having illuminated the divine nature, Krishna now names its shadow, the asuri-sampad. The list is precise and sobering: dambha (the hypocrisy of seeming what one is not), darpa and abhimana (arrogance and inflated self-importance), krodha (anger), parushya (harshness toward others), and ajnana (the root ignorance from which all the rest flows).
What distinguishes the demoniac temperament is not power or even wickedness in the abstract, but a fundamental self-absorption. Each of these traits magnifies the ego and hardens the heart against others. Notice that ignorance is named last as their common source — these are not merely moral failings but symptoms of not knowing the true Self.
By laying the two natures side by side, Krishna offers Arjuna, and us, a mirror in which to recognise which seeds we are watering within.
In daily life
Use this verse to detect ego before it becomes behavior.
A person can notice when confidence becomes arrogance or direct speech becomes harshness.
Try this today
Pause before harsh speech today.
I recognize ego patterns and return to humility.Reflect
Which asuric pattern appears in me under stress?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘सम्पदम् आसुरीम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on ignorance, in other chapters
- Verse 13.12True knowledge is whatever keeps you steadily turned toward your deepest Self; everything else is ignorance dressed up as learning.
- Verse 7.15What closes the heart to the Divine is not fate but a chosen pride — and humility is the first crack of light.
- 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 15.5Inner freedom from pride, craving, and the swing of pleasure and pain leads to the imperishable state.
Swipe left for 16.5 · Character determines direction.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 16.4
Who says Bhagavad Gita 16.4, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 16.4, in Chapter 16, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga (Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 16.4 mean?
Hypocrisy, arrogance, self-conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance belong to one born with asuric qualities, O Partha. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 16.4 for daily life?
Use this verse to detect ego before it becomes behavior. A person can notice when confidence becomes arrogance or direct speech becomes harshness.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 16.4 mean?
दम्भः — hypocrisy, ostentation; दर्पः — arrogance; अभिमानः — self-conceit, false pride; क्रोधः — anger; पारुष्यम् — harshness, rudeness.
Where does verse 16.4 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 4 of 24 in Chapter 16, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 16.5.