दैवासुरसम्पद्विभागयोगः
Daivāsura Sampad Vibhāga Yoga — The Yoga of the Division Between the Divine and the Demoniacal
Chapter 16 opens mid-discourse with Krishna cataloguing roughly two dozen "divine" qualities across three verses, then compressing the "demonic" nature into a single terse verse of six traits — an asymmetry that runs through the chapter. Verses 6-20 stay almost entirely with the demonic type: nihilistic, godless cosmology, insatiable desire and unjust ambition, self-deifying egoism, and the consequence — repeated rebirth into demonic wombs and a fall into hell. Verse 21 delivers the practical hinge — lust, anger, and greed as the "triple gate of hell" to be renounced — and the chapter closes by making scripture the explicit authority for right action, a note Chapter 17 immediately complicates.
About this chapter
Chapter 16 sorts human dispositions — not paths or practices but the raw material of character — into two bundles: daivī sampad (the divine endowment) and āsurī sampad (the demonic). “The divine is for liberation, the demonic for bondage” (BG 16.5) — followed at once by mā śucaḥ, “do not grieve: you are born to the divine.” The endowment is a tendency, not a fate.
Two portraits, unequal in length
The divine list runs three verses — 26 mostly relational, restraining traits: fearlessness, non-violence, no fault-finding, gentleness, no grasping, and (pointedly) vigour and fortitude, so it is not meekness (BG 16.1–BG 16.3). The demonic list is six words — because its root is one thing, ajñāna, not-knowing (BG 16.4). The Gita then spends fourteen verses (7–20) drawing out what that not-knowing believes and does, because the failure mode is more instructive than the model. The figure below sets the two side by side — deliberately lopsided.
The machinery of the demonic
Its worldview: “no truth, no ground, no God — a cosmos caused only by desire” (BG 16.8) — which licenses everything. Its interior monologue is quoted directly, a rare device: got, will get, have, will have (BG 16.13); “I am the lord, the enjoyer, perfect, powerful” (BG 16.14) — the very title reserved for Krishna, usurped by an ego. It ends in a downward spiral, “birth after birth” into demonic wombs (BG 16.19–BG 16.20).
Where the descent breaks
The chapter’s practical core, and its most quoted verse: “kāma, krodha, lobha — desire, anger, greed — the threefold gate of hell; let these three be given up” (BG 16.21). Everything demonic traces to these; the exit, like the entrance, is inward (BG 16.22). The coda turns to authority — scripture as a check on “acting from the impulse of desire” (BG 16.23–BG 16.24) — the floor beneath chapter 17’s refinement of which scriptural acts are worth doing.
How the chapter moves
- v1–3The divine endowment — Twenty-six traits: fearlessness, purity, non-violence, truth, no anger, renunciation, compassion, gentleness, modesty — and vigour and fortitude. Overlaps heavily with the devotee portrait and the definition of knowledge.
- v4–6The demonic endowment, and the stakes — Six words — hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness, ignorance — because the root is one thing, not-knowing. The divine is for liberation, the demonic for bondage; but 'do not grieve.'
- v7–15The demonic worldview and conduct — They know neither action nor restraint; declare the world godless, caused only by desire; work cruel deeds for its ruin. The interior monologue, quoted: got, will get; I am lord, enjoyer, perfect, powerful.
- v16–20The downward spiral — Scattered across countless thoughts, sacrificing in name only, hating the indwelling Self in their own and others' bodies — cast, birth after birth, into demonic wombs, sinking lower still.
- v21–24The threefold gate, and the floor of scripture — Desire, anger, greed — the gate of hell; give up these three. Freed of them, one 'does what is good for the self' and reaches the supreme goal. Let scripture be the authority on what to do.
Daivī sampad — the divine endowment (16.1–3)BG 16.1
- Fearlessness; purity of beingabhayam, sattva-saṃśuddhiḥ
- Giving, self-restraint, sacrifice; study, austerity, uprightness
- Non-violence, truth, absence of anger; no fault-finding
- Compassion to beings, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty
- Vigour, forbearance, fortitude, cleanlinesstejas and dhṛti are on this side — it is not meekness
- Freedom from malice; no overweening pridethe absence of the very excess that defines the demonic
Āsurī sampad — the demonic endowment (16.4–20)BG 16.4
- Hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness, ignorancesix words — the root is one thing, not-knowing (16.4)
- They know neither right action nor its restraintno purity, no conduct, no truth (16.7)
- 'The world has no truth, no ground, no God — caused only by desire'the worldview that licenses everything (16.8)
- Cruel deeds, 'for the ruin of the world'the mirror image of lokasaṅgraha (16.9)
- Clinging to insatiable desire; a hundred cords of hopeanxiety beyond measure, 'until the day it dies' (16.10–12)
- 'Got today; will get; this is mine, and more will be'the interior monologue, quoted (16.13)
- 'That foe I have slain; I am lord, enjoyer, perfect, powerful, happy'the title reserved for Krishna, usurped (16.14–15)
- Sacrificing in name only, by display, against the rulethe outward act with none of the inner offering (16.17)
- Hating the indwelling Self, in their own and others' bodiesat war with the presence the yogi sees everywhere (16.18)
- Cast, birth after birth, into demonic wombs — sinking lowera downward spiral, broken only by reaching Me (16.19–20)
Concept map for this chapter
Fearlessness, cleanness of life, steadfastness in the Yoga of wisdom, almsgiving, self-restraint and sacrifice and study of the Scriptures, austerity and straightforwardness,
Harmlessness, truth, absence of wrath, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of crookedness, compassion to living beings, uncovetousness, mildness, modesty, absence of fickleness,
Vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of envy and pride—these are his who is born with the divine properties, O Bhârata.
Hypocrisy, arrogance and conceit, wrath and also harshness and unwisdom are his who is born, O Pârtha, with demoniacal properties.
The divine properties are deemed to be for liberation, the demoniacal for bondage. Grieve not, thou art born with divine properties, O Pândava.
Twofold is the animal creation in this world, the divine and the demoniacal: the divine hath been described at length: hear from Me, O Pârtha, the demoniacal.
Demoniacal men know neither right energy nor right abstinence; nor purity, nor even propriety, nor truth is in them.
"The universe is without truth, without basis," they say, "without a God; brought about by mutual union, and caused by lust and nothing else."
Holding this view, these ruined selves of small understanding, of fierce deeds, come forth as enemies for the destruction of the world.
Surrendering themselves to insatiable desires, possessed with vanity, conceit and arrogance, holding evil ideas through delusion, they engage in action with impure resolves.
Giving themselves over to unmeasured thought whose end is death, regarding the gratification of desires as the highest, feeling sure that this is all,
Held in bondage by a hundred ties of expectation, given over to lust and anger, they strive to obtain by unlawful means hoards of wealth for sensual enjoyments.
"This to-day by me hath been won, that purpose I shall gain; this wealth is mine already, and also this shall be mine in future.
"I have slain this enemy, and others also I shall slay. I am the Lord, I am the enjoyer, I am perfect, powerful, happy;
"I am wealthy, well-born; what other is there that is like unto me? I will sacrifice, I will give alms, I will rejoice." Thus deluded by unwisdom,
Bewildered by numerous thoughts, enmeshed in the web of delusion, addicted to the gratification of desire, they fall downwards into a foul hell.
Self-glorifying, stubborn, filled with the pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform lip-sacrifices for ostentation, contrary to scriptural ordinance.
Given over to egoism, power, insolence, lust and wrath, these malicious ones hate Me in the bodies of others and in their own.
These haters, evil, pitiless, vilest among men in the world, I ever throw down into demoniacal wombs.
Cast into demoniacal wombs, deluded birth after birth, attaining not to Me, O Kaunteya, they sink into the lowest depths.
Triple is the gate of this hell, destructive of the self—lust, wrath, and greed; therefore let man renounce these three.
A man liberated from these three gates of darkness, O son of Kunti, accomplisheth his own welfare, and thus reacheth the highest goal.
He who, having cast aside the ordinances of the Scriptures, followeth the promptings of desire, attaineth not to perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest goal.
Therefore let the Scriptures be thy authority, in determining what ought to be done, or what ought not to be done. Knowing what hath been declared by the ordinances of the Scriptures, thou oughtest to work in this world.