Divine and Demonic Naturesदैवासुरसम्पद्विभागयोग

अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिर्ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः।
दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम्॥

abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhir jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ,
dānaṁ damaś ca yajñaś ca svādhyāyas tapa ārjavam.

Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and yoga, charity, self-restraint, sacrifice, study of scripture, austerity and straightforwardness.

Live it todayDivine qualities are trainable, one small choice at a time.

अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त्यागः शान्तिरपैशुनम्।
दया भूतेष्वलोलुप्त्वं मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलम्॥

ahiṁsā satyam akrodhas tyāgaḥ śāntir apaiśunam,
dayā bhūteṣv aloluptvaṁ mārdavaṁ hrīr acāpalam.

Non-violence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, calm, not speaking ill of others, compassion for all beings, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty, and freedom from restlessness.

Live it todaySpeak no ill of anyone today; that restraint is itself a virtue.

तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचमद्रोहो नातिमानिता।
भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत॥

tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucam adroho nātimānitā,
bhavanti sampadaṁ daivīm abhijātasya bhārata.

Vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, freedom from malice, and freedom from excessive pride: these, O Bharata, are the wealth of one born with the divine nature.

Live it todayForgiving and enduring are signs of strength, not weakness.

दम्भो दर्पोऽभिमानश्च क्रोधः पारुष्यमेव च।
अज्ञानं चाभिजातस्य पार्थ सम्पदमासुरीम्॥

dambho darpo ‘bhimānaś ca krodhaḥ pāruṣyam eva ca,
ajñānaṁ cābhijātasya pārtha sampadam āsurīm.

Hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance, O Partha, belong to one born with the demonic nature.

Live it todayBefore you speak, check your words for pride, anger or harshness.

दैवी सम्पद्विमोक्षाय निबन्धायासुरी मता।
मा शुचः सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातोऽसि पाण्डव॥

daivī sampad vimokṣāya nibandhāyāsurī matā,
mā śucaḥ sampadaṁ daivīm abhijāto ‘si pāṇḍava.

The divine nature is held to lead to liberation, and the demonic to bondage. Do not grieve, O son of Pandu: you are born with the divine nature.

Live it todayThe good in you is real; do not doubt it.

द्वौ भूतसर्गौ लोकेऽस्मिन् दैव आसुर एव च।
दैवो विस्तरशः प्रोक्त आसुरं पार्थ मे शृणु॥

dvau bhūta-sargau loke ‘smin daiva āsura eva ca,
daivo vistaraśaḥ prokta āsuraṁ pārtha me śṛṇu.

In this world there are two kinds of created beings, the divine and the demonic. I have described the divine at length; now hear from me about the demonic, O Partha.

प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च जना न विदुरासुराः।
न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते॥

pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ,
na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate.

People of demonic nature do not know what to take up and what to turn away from. Neither purity, nor right conduct, nor truth is found in them.

असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम्।
अपरस्परसम्भूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम्॥

asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te jagad āhur anīśvaram,
aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ kim anyat kāma-haitukam.

They say the world is without truth, without foundation and without a Lord, that it came about from mere coming together, with nothing but desire as its cause.

एतां दृष्टिमवष्टभ्य नष्टात्मानोऽल्पबुद्धयः।
प्रभवन्त्युग्रकर्माणः क्षयाय जगतोऽहिताः॥

etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya naṣṭātmāno ‘lpa-buddhayaḥ,
prabhavanty ugra-karmāṇaḥ kṣayāya jagato ‘hitāḥ.

Holding to this view, these lost souls of small understanding, doers of cruel deeds, rise up as enemies of the world, bent on its destruction.

काममाश्रित्य दुष्पूरं दम्भमानमदान्विताः।
मोहाद्गृहीत्वासद्ग्राहान्प्रवर्तन्तेऽशुचिव्रताः॥

kāmam āśritya duṣpūraṁ dambha-māna-madānvitāḥ,
mohād gṛhītvāsad-grāhān pravartante ‘śuci-vratāḥ.

Clinging to desire that can never be filled, full of hypocrisy, pride and arrogance, holding false ideas out of delusion, they go about their work with impure resolves.

Live it todaySome hungers only grow by being fed; notice which ones are yours.

चिन्तामपरिमेयां च प्रलयान्तामुपाश्रिताः।
कामोपभोगपरमा एतावदिति निश्चिताः॥

cintām aparimeyāṁ ca pralayāntām upāśritāḥ,
kāmopabhoga-paramā etāvad iti niścitāḥ.

Beset by countless anxieties that end only at death, holding the enjoyment of desires as the highest aim, they are convinced that this is all there is.

आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः।
ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान्॥

āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ,
īhante kāma-bhogārtham anyāyenārtha-sañcayān.

Bound by hundreds of snares of hope, given over to desire and anger, they strive to pile up wealth by unjust means for the enjoyment of their desires.

Live it todayEvery extra craving is another cord; try traveling lighter.

इदमद्य मया लब्धमिमं प्राप्स्ये मनोरथम्।
इदमस्तीदमपि मे भविष्यति पुनर्धनम्॥

idam adya mayā labdham imaṁ prāpsye mano-ratham,
idam astīdam api me bhaviṣyati punar dhanam.

This I have gained today, they think, and this wish I will fulfil next. This wealth is mine, and that wealth too will be mine.

Live it todayThe list of things to get never ends by itself; learn contentment.

असौ मया हतः शत्रुर्हनिष्ये चापरानपि।
ईश्वरोऽहमहं भोगी सिद्धोऽहं बलवान्सुखी॥

asau mayā hataḥ śatrur haniṣye cāparān api,
īśvaro ‘ham ahaṁ bhogī siddho ‘haṁ balavān sukhī.

That enemy I have slain, they think, and I will slay others too. I am the lord, I am the enjoyer; I am successful, powerful and happy.

आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया।
यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः॥

āḍhyo ‘bhijanavān asmi ko ‘nyo ‘sti sadṛśo mayā,
yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ.

I am rich and from a great family; who else is equal to me? I will perform sacrifices, I will give, I will rejoice. So they think, deluded by ignorance.

अनेकचित्तविभ्रान्ता मोहजालसमावृताः।
प्रसक्ताः कामभोगेषु पतन्ति नरकेऽशुचौ॥

aneka-citta-vibhrāntā moha-jāla-samāvṛtāḥ,
prasaktāḥ kāma-bhogeṣu patanti narake ‘śucau.

Bewildered by many thoughts, caught in a net of delusion, deeply attached to the enjoyment of desires, they fall into a foul hell.

आत्मसम्भाविताः स्तब्धा धनमानमदान्विताः।
यजन्ते नामयज्ञैस्ते दम्भेनाविधिपूर्वकम्॥

ātma-sambhāvitāḥ stabdhā dhana-māna-madānvitāḥ,
yajante nāma-yajñais te dambhenāvidhi-pūrvakam.

Self-important and stubborn, full of the pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform sacrifices in name only, for show and without regard for the rules of scripture.

Live it todayLet your worship be for God, not for an audience.

अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः।
मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः॥

ahaṅkāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ ca saṁśritāḥ,
mām ātma-para-deheṣu pradviṣanto ‘bhyasūyakāḥ.

Given over to ego, force, arrogance, desire and anger, these envious people hate me, who dwell in their own bodies and in the bodies of others.

तानहं द्विषतः क्रूरान्संसारेषु नराधमान्।
क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभानासुरीष्वेव योनिषु॥

tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān saṁsāreṣu narādhamān,
kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān āsurīṣv eva yoniṣu.

Those cruel haters, the lowest of humankind, given to evil, I cast again and again into demonic births within the cycle of worldly existence.

आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि।
मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम्॥

āsurīṁ yonim āpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani,
mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yānty adhamāṁ gatim.

Fallen into demonic births, deluded birth after birth, without reaching me, O son of Kunti, they sink from there to the lowest state.

त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः।
कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत्॥

tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśanam ātmanaḥ,
kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet.

This gate of hell, which ruins the self, is threefold: desire, anger and greed. Therefore one should give up these three.

Live it todayWhen desire, anger or greed knocks today, do not open the door.

एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः।
आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम्॥

etair vimuktaḥ kaunteya tamo-dvārais tribhir naraḥ,
ācaraty ātmanaḥ śreyas tato yāti parāṁ gatim.

A person freed from these three gates of darkness, O son of Kunti, does what is truly good for the self, and so reaches the highest goal.

Live it todayEach time you let go of anger or greed, you step toward the light.

यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः।
न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम्॥

yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ,
na sa siddhim avāpnoti na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim.

One who sets aside the guidance of scripture and acts on the impulse of desire attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest goal.

Live it todayFollowing every impulse brings neither happiness nor the goal.

तस्माच्छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ।
ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि॥

tasmāc chāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ te kāryākārya-vyavasthitau,
jñātvā śāstra-vidhānoktaṁ karma kartum ihārhasi.

Therefore let scripture be your authority in deciding what should be done and what should not. Knowing what the scriptures teach, you should do your work here in this world.

Live it todayWhen unsure what is right, let sacred wisdom guide you, not mood.