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Chapter 16
Link:- The Lord, in the preceding verse, declared that people of demoniac nature, instead of attaining to Him, fall into the wombs of demons and then sink down to a still lower plane. The Lord, in the next verse. gives the reason why, first they fall into site demoniac wombs, and then sink down to a still lower plane.
trividham narakasyedam dvaram nasanantatmanah
kamah krodhastatha Iobhastasmadetattrayam tyajet
Three are the gates of this hell, leading to the ruin of the soul - lust (desire), anger and greed. Therefore, one should avoid these. 21
Comment:-
Kamah krodhastatha lobhah trividham narakasyedam dvaram:- The Lord, in the fifth verse, declared that divine nature is conducive to liberation and the demoniacal, to bondage. Then what is the root of demoniac nature? Desire, for worldly pleasures, prosperity, honour, praise and comforts etc., is the root of demoniac nature, which leads human beings to hell. Desire, anger, greed, delusion, intoxication of wealth (arrogance), and jealousy have been regarded, as the six enemies. Out of these six enemies, in the Gita, also there is mention of three - desire, anger and greed; while at some place, there is mention of two only attachment and aversion; while at some other place only desire, has been declared, as the enemy of strivers. All the six are practically of the same nature. Out of these, desire is the root which binds a man [1].
In the thirty-sixth verse of the third chapter, Arjuna asked Lord Krsna, "By what, is a man impelled to commit sin, as if by force, even against his will?" The Lord, replied that it is desire, which is later transformed into wrath, and is an all-devouring, sinful enemy. When desire, is not fulfilled, it gives birth to wrath. But, here in this verse desire (lust), anger and greed have been mentioned, as three enemies. It means, that an inclination towards pleasure is desire (lust), and inclination towards accumulation, is greed. Where, only the term 'Kama (desire), is given, it also includes desire for pleasure and accumulation of riches. But, when both the terms 'Kama (desire) and 'Lobha' (greed), are quoted independently, the term 'Kama' stands for desire for pleasure, while 'Lobba stands for desire for accumulation. When, there is any obstruction, in the fulfilment of these inclinations, anger springs. When there is an excess of desire, anger and greed, delusion is born.
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