idam adya mayā labdham
imaḿ prāpsye manoratham
idam astīdam api me
bhaviṣyati punar dhanam
asau mayā hataḥ śatrur
haniṣye cāparān api
īśvaro ’ham ahaḿ bhogī
siddho ’haḿ balavān sukhī
āḍhyo ’bhijanavān asmi
ko ’nyo ’sti sadṛśo mayā
yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya
ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ
Translation of Bhagavad Gita 16.13-15
“The demoniac person thinks: “So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I have killed him, and my other enemies will also be killed. I am the lord of everything. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice.” In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance.”
Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
No commentary by Srila Prabhupada.
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
No commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur.
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
16.13 This land, sons etc., have I gained solely by my ability and not by the help of any higher force. I shall attain this desire also myself and not by good fortune or any other means. This wealth, gained solely by my ability, is with me. And this also shall be mine through my own ability.
16.14 This enemy has been slain by me, powerful as I am. I shall slay other enemies also — I who am heoric and valiant. What is the use of the conception of destiny, which is only an imagination of weak people of little understanding? Similarly: I am ‘the lord,’ viz., I am independent, and I am also the ruler of others. I am the ‘enjoyer,’ viz., I am the enjoyer through my own powers, and not through good fortune etc. I am ‘successful,’ viz., I am successful by myself and not through any destiny etc. Likewise, I am strong and happy by myself.
16.15 ‘I am rich by myself. Who else is there in this world like me gaining all glory with his own ability? I myself shall sacrifice, I shall give alms and I shall rejoice’ — thus they think deluded by ignorance, viz., deluded by ignorance that they are themselves capable of offering sacrifices, gifts etc., unaided by the grace of God.
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
By describing the parameters by which the demoniac mentality functions, Lord Krishna illustrates the hellish and degraded path they traverse. Ignoring all morality the demoniac think that whatever they find pleasurable is for their enjoyment without restriction and they will scheme to obtain it by any means. The demoniac only respect power and might. Their conception is that might is right and hence they will destroy whatever is an obstacle to fulfilling their ambitions and desires, not hesitating to injure or even kill others. The demoniac think that their ideology is superior and they resort to deception, hypocrisy, intimidation and force to coerce others to believe and accept such a fallacy. The demoniac are captivated by lust, greed and false ego. They make concerted efforts to orchestrate events to try to influence others to acknowledge them as superior and in the process immerse themselves deeper and deeper in illusion. Hence although the demoniac exercise considerable power and various areas of control because they are so completely deluded as defined by their own degraded mentalities they keep themselves enslaved in bondage by incessantly pursuing materialistic desires and mundane goals due to following false ideologies and belief in erroneous concepts.
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
There is no commentary to Chapter 16, verse 16 by Madhvacarya.
There is no commentary to Chapter 16, verse 17 by Madhvacarya.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
Lord Krishna explicitly emphasises that the demoniac are consumed by incessantly hankering for the fulfilment of their insatiable desires. The demoniac are always thinking about what they have gained and enjoyed today, what they will gain and enjoy tomorrow and what they will gain and enjoy in the future. The demoniac do not believe in destiny and fate but only in the capabilities of their own efforts, intelligence and power. Destroying anything that obstructs their desires and gets in the way of their ambitions, the demoniac think today I have destroyed a formidable enemy by my power and might, tomorrow I shall destroy more enemies because I am all powerful. I am master of my own destiny, invincible and independent. All is for my enjoyment. Everyone is inferior to me. I am wealthy, highborn and thus superior. I am the enjoyer. None is my equal.
Observing that those endowed with the divine nature sometimes achieve phenomenal fame and extraordinary acclaim by performing ritualistic activities of righteous nature for the benefit of all creation; the demoniac spitefully concoct their own ritualistic activities based upon evil and clandestinely engage in fiendish activities such as offering blood sacrifices and vampirism to disincarnate spirits, ghosts and demons channelling in ghastly and horrendous non-human energies to whom they sacrifice infants and humans in exchange for material power. This is how they covertly operate in secret.
The demoniac also diabolically and deceptively imitate those of the divine nature by pretending to be compassionate philanthropists and establish institutions bearing their name that give ostentatious donations for hospitals and charitable organisations for feeding the poor as well as contributing to religious societies where they can showcase themselves as appearing pious. This is how they openly operate in public.
Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
16.13 Idam, this thing; labham, has been gained; maya, by me; adya, today; prapsye, I shall acquire; idam, this other; manoratham, desired object which is delectable to the mind. And idam, this; asti, is in hand; punah, again; idam, this; dhanam, wealth; api, also; bhavisyati, will come; me, to me, in the next year. Thereby I shall become rich and famous.
16.14 Asau, that; unconquerable satruh, enemy, named Devadatta; hatah, has been killed; naya, by me; and hanisye, I shall kill; aparan, the other wretched ones. What will these pitiable persons do? There is none equal to me at all. Aham, I; am the isvarah, lord; I am the bhogi, enjoyer; and I am siddhah, well-established in every respect-I am blessed with sons, and grandsons born of sons and daughters. Not only am I a man, but I am also balavan, mighty; and I myself am sukhi, happpy; others are born to be but a burden to the earth!
16.15 Adhyah, I am rich in wealth; abhi-janavan, high-born in respect of my lineage; my seven generations are endowed with Vedic learnig etc. From that point of view also there is none equal to me. Kah anyah, who else; asti, is there; sadrsah, similar; maya, to me? Besides, yaksye, I shall perform sacrifices; in respect of sacrifices also I shall defeat others. Dasyami, I shall give-to actors and others; modisye, I shall rejoice, and I shall derive intense joy. Iti, thus; are they ajnana-vimohitah, diversely deluded by non-discrimination, subject to various indiscrimination.
Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:
16.13-16 Idam adya etc. upto asucau. Endowed with many thoughts etc. For, they do not have any conviction. Into the hell and what is foul : in the [hell] Avici and the like and in the regular succession of birth and death.
Sanskrit Shloka Without Transliteration Marks:
idam adya maya labdham
imam prapsye manoratham
idam astidam api me
bhavisyati punar dhanam
asau maya hatah satrur
hanisye caparan api
isvaro ’ham aham bhogi
siddho ’ham balavan sukhi
adhyo ’bhijanavan asmi
ko ’nyo ’sti sadrso maya
yaksye dasyami modisya
ity ajñana-vimohitah
Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:
idam — this; adya — today; mayā — by me; labdham — gained; imam — this; prāpsye — I shall gain; manaḥ-ratham — according to my desires; idam — this; asti — there is; idam — this; api — also; me — mine; bhaviṣyati — it will increase in the future; punaḥ — again; dhanam — wealth; asau — that; mayā — by me; hataḥ — has been killed; śatruḥ — enemy; haniṣye — I shall kill; ca — also; aparān — others; api — certainly; īśvaraḥ — the lord; aham — I am; aham — I am; bhogī — the enjoyer; siddhaḥ — perfect; aham — I am; bala-vān — powerful; sukhī — happy; āḍhyaḥ — wealthy; abhijana-vān — surrounded by aristocratic relatives; asmi — I am; kaḥ — who; anyaḥ — other; asti — there is; sadṛśaḥ — like; mayā — me; yakṣye — I shall sacrifice; dāsyāmi — I shall give charity; modiṣye — I shall rejoice; iti — thus; ajñāna — by ignorance; vimohitāḥ — deluded.
