Wrong worldview can produce wrong conduct.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् |अपरस्परसम्भूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ||१६-८||
asatyamapratiṣṭhaṃ te jagadāhuranīśvaram . aparasparasambhūtaṃ kimanyatkāmahaitukam ||16-8||
Use this verse to audit hidden beliefs.
Meaning
They say the world is unreal, without foundation, without God, born of mutual union, and caused only by desire.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Asuric worldview denies truth, moral foundation, and divine order.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna points to a worldview problem. When life is seen as purposeless and desire-driven, morality becomes optional and exploitation becomes easier to justify.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna now exposes the worldview underlying the demoniac life. It declares the cosmos asatya (without truth), apratishtha (without moral foundation), and anishvara (without a guiding divine intelligence) — a universe of blind chance where lust, kama, is the only engine and pleasure the only point. 'What else?' they scoff, dismissing any deeper meaning.
This is no caricature; it is a perennial philosophy that reappears in every age. When existence is stripped of truth, order, and the sacred, nothing remains to restrain appetite. Krishna's insight is psychological as much as theological: belief and behaviour are intertwined.
A vision of life as meaningless does not free a person — it removes every reason for restraint and hands the reins entirely to desire. The denial of the sacred is the philosophical root from which cruelty later grows.
In daily life
Examine the beliefs behind your actions.
A person may justify selfish behavior by saying everyone is selfish anyway, which becomes a dangerous belief loop.
Try this today
Write one belief and test whether it supports dharma.
I choose a worldview rooted in truth and dharma.Reflect
What belief is driving my current behavior?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘अपरस्परसम्भूतम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on meaning, in other chapters
- Verse 3.16A life spent only chasing personal pleasure, contributing nothing back, is wasted no matter how full it seems.
- 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 2.43Examine whether your spiritual practice is genuinely oriented toward freedom and wisdom, or whether it is simply a refined strategy for satisfying the same desires in more acceptable forms.
- Verse 4.12Desire-driven effort brings quick but limited results; lasting fulfillment asks for a deeper, less grasping kind of action.
Swipe left for 16.9 · Belief becomes behavior, and behavior affects the world.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 16.8
Who says Bhagavad Gita 16.8, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 16.8, in Chapter 16, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga (Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 16.8 mean?
They say the world is unreal, without foundation, without God, born of mutual union, and caused only by desire. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 16.8 for daily life?
Examine the beliefs behind your actions. A person may justify selfish behavior by saying everyone is selfish anyway, which becomes a dangerous belief loop.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 16.8 mean?
असत्यम् — without truth, unreal; अप्रतिष्ठम् — without (moral) basis or foundation; ते — they; जगत् — the universe; आहुः — say, declare.
Where does verse 16.8 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 8 of 24 in Chapter 16, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 16.9.