Belief becomes behavior, and behavior affects the world.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
एतां दृष्टिमवष्टभ्य नष्टात्मानोऽल्पबुद्धयः |प्रभवन्त्युग्रकर्माणः क्षयाय जगतोऽहिताः ||१६-९||
etāṃ dṛṣṭimavaṣṭabhya naṣṭātmāno.alpabuddhayaḥ . prabhavantyugrakarmāṇaḥ kṣayāya jagato.ahitāḥ ||16-9||
Use this verse before high-impact decisions.
Meaning
Holding this view, ruined in self and of small understanding, such people perform fierce actions and arise as enemies of the world, causing destruction.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
A destructive worldview leads to destructive action.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Krishna explains how inner philosophy becomes social consequence. If desire is the only rule, powerful people may use intelligence for harm instead of service.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna traces the consequence of the godless vision laid out in the previous verse. Clinging to that outlook (etam drishtim avashtabhya), such people become nashtatmanah — souls that have lost themselves — and alpa-buddhayah, narrowed in intelligence. The denial of higher meaning shrinks the very faculty that could perceive it.
The outcome is ugra-karma, fierce and violent deeds, and these individuals arise as ahitah, enemies of the world's welfare, working toward its kshaya, its ruin. There is a tragic logic here: a person who believes life is only lust and chance will, with sincere conviction, act to plunder and destroy.
Krishna is mapping how a corrupt philosophy becomes corrupt power. The lesson reaches beyond ancient battlefields — wherever meaning is denied and intellect shrinks, destructive force is never far behind.
In daily life
Check whether your ambition helps or harms the world.
A startup founder can ask whether growth tactics create real value or exploit users.
Try this today
Review one goal for its impact on others.
My ambition serves dharma and the world.Reflect
Does my current ambition serve or damage others?
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Quick check
What does ‘अल्पबुद्धयः’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on destruction, in other chapters
- Verse 11.27 · ArjunaDriven by ego and craving, beings rush toward their own undoing; clear sight of this is itself an awakening.
- Verse 3.24Order does not sustain itself — when the capable withdraw their effort, chaos fills the void, so faithful action is a duty to all.
- Verse 14.16The inner quality behind your actions, not just their outcome, decides whether you harvest peace, pain, or confusion.
- Verse 9.12When striving is rooted in ego and cut off from a deeper purpose, even our cleverest efforts tend to come to nothing.
Swipe left for 16.10 · Uncontrolled desire distorts the whole personality.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 16.9
Who says Bhagavad Gita 16.9, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 16.9, in Chapter 16, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga (Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 16.9 mean?
Holding this view, ruined in self and of small understanding, such people perform fierce actions and arise as enemies of the world, causing destruction. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 16.9 for daily life?
Check whether your ambition helps or harms the world. A startup founder can ask whether growth tactics create real value or exploit users.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 16.9 mean?
एताम् दृष्टिम् — this view, this outlook; अवष्टभ्य — holding firmly to, clinging to; नष्टात्मानः — ruined souls, those who have lost themselves; अल्पबुद्धयः — of small / poor intellect; प्रभवन्ति — come forth, arise.
Where does verse 16.9 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 9 of 24 in Chapter 16, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 16.10.