Chapter 16, Verse 16
आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया | यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिता: ॥15॥ अनेकचित्तविभ्रान्ता मोहजालसमावृता: | प्रसक्ता: कामभोगेषु पतन्ति नरकेऽशुचौ ॥16॥
āḍhyo’bhijanavān asmi ko ’nyo ’sti sadṛisho mayā | yakṣhye dāsyāmi modiṣhya ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ || 15 || aneka-chitta-vibhrāntā moha-jāla-samāvṛitāḥ | prasaktāḥ kāma-bhogeṣhu patanti narake ’shuchau || 16 ||
"I am wealthy and born of a noble family. Who else is equal to me? I shall perform sacrifices; I shall give alms; I shall rejoice. Thus deluded by ignorance, bewildered by many thoughts, entangled in the net of delusion, and addicted to the gratification of desires, they fall into a foul hell."
Key Insight:
The Bhagavad Gita teaches us through 16.16 that true peace is found when we align our actions with Dharma.
The Bhagavad Gita teaches us through 16.16 that true peace is found when we align our actions with Dharma.
Detailed Meaning
These verses describe the psychological anatomy of the 'demoniac' (Asuric) mindset. It begins with the ego identifying with external status (wealth and birth) and leads to a sense of superiority ('Who is equal to me?'). This ego co-opts even spiritual acts like sacrifice and charity for self-glorification. The result is a 'bewildered mind' (aneka-chitta-vibhrāntā)—a state of cognitive fragmentation where the individual is caught in a self-constructed 'net of delusion' (moha-jāla). This mental chaos and obsession with sensory indulgence (kāma-bhogeṣhu) inevitably leads to a 'foul hell' (narake 'shuchau), which represents both a post-mortem destination and a current state of internal torment and spiritual degradation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core message of Gita 16.16?
I am wealthy and born of a noble family. Who else is equal to me? I shall perform sacrifices; I shall give alms; I shall rejoice. Thus deluded by ignorance, bewildered by many thoughts, entangled in the net of delusion, and addicted to the gratification of desires, they fall into a foul hell.