Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 Verse 18 Meaning
Given over to egoism, power, haughtiness, lust, and anger, these malicious people hate Me in their own bodies and in the bodies of others.
BG 16.18
अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः।मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः
ahankāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ cha sanśhritāḥ mām ātma-para-deheṣhu pradviṣhanto ’bhyasūyakāḥ
Meaning
Given over to egoism, power, haughtiness, lust, and anger, these malicious people hate Me in their own bodies and in the bodies of others.
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What Does Bhagavad Gita 16.18 Mean?
At this point in Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga, Krishna deepens His teaching on virtue. Given over to egoism, power, haughtiness, lust, and anger, these malicious people hate Me in their own bodies and in the bodies of others. The verse advances the dialogue by connecting abstract principle to the concrete situation Arjuna faces. The verse operates on multiple levels. On the surface, it addresses Arjuna's immediate situation.
At a deeper level, it articulates a universal principle about self-awareness that applies to every person navigating the complexities of moral and spiritual life. Applied to contemporary life, this teaching asks us to examine our relationship with self-awareness. Not through self-judgment, but through honest observation that gradually shifts our center of gravity from reactive habit to conscious choice.
— Explained by the Nitya Team
What Is the Context of Bhagavad Gita 16.18?
The qualities that lead to liberation versus those that lead to bondage.
Key themes in this chapter include Divine qualities, Demoniac qualities, Character.
How Can I Apply Bhagavad Gita 16.18 in Daily Life?
- •When you need steadiness while dealing with divine qualities
- •When practicing demoniac qualities amid uncertainty
- •When applying character to real-life choices
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Related Verses
BG 16.1
The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and yoga, almsgiving, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity, and straightforwardness.
BG 16.2
Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of crookedness, compassion for beings, non-covetousness, gentleness, modesty, and absence of fickleness.
BG 1.1
Dhritarashtra said, "What did my people and the sons of Pandu do when they had assembled together, eager for battle, on the holy plain of Kurukshetra, O Sanjaya?"
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