Chapter 16

तस्माच्छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ | ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि ॥24॥ Transliteration tasmāch chhāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ te kāryākārya-vyavasthitau jñātvā śhāstra-vidhānoktaṁ karma kartum ihārhasi Word Meanings tasmāt—therefore; śhāstram—scriptures; pramāṇam—authority; te—your; kārya—duty; akārya—forbidden action; vyavasthitau—in determining; jñātvā—having understood; śhāstra—scriptures; vidhāna—injunctions; uktam—as revealed; karma—actions; kartum—perform; iha—in this world; arhasi—you should Translation Therefore, the scripture is your authority as regards the…

य: शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारत: | न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम् ॥23॥ Transliteration yaḥ śhāstra-vidhim utsṛijya vartate kāma-kārataḥ na sa siddhim avāpnoti na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim Word Meanings yaḥ—who; śhāstra-vidhim—scriptural injunctions; utsṛijya—discarding; vartate—act; kāma-kārataḥ—under the impulse of desire; na—neither; saḥ—they; siddhim—perfection; avāpnoti—attain; na—nor; sukham—happiness; na—nor; parām—the supreme; gatim—goal Translation Ignoring the precept…

एतैर्विमुक्त: कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नर: | आचरत्यात्मन: श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥22॥ Transliteration etair vimuktaḥ kaunteya tamo-dvārais tribhir naraḥ ācharaty ātmanaḥ śhreyas tato yāti parāṁ gatim Word Meanings etaiḥ—from this; vimuktaḥ—freed; kaunteya—Arjun, the son of Kunti; tamaḥ-dvāraiḥ—gates to darkness; tribhiḥ—three; naraḥ—a person; ācharati—endeavor; ātmanaḥ—soul; śhreyaḥ—welfare; tataḥ—thereby; yāti—attain; parām—supreme; gatim—goal Translation O son of Kunti, a person who…

त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मन: | काम: क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत् ॥21॥ Transliteration tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśhanam ātmanaḥ kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet Word Meanings tri-vidham—three types of; narakasya—to the hell; idam—this; dvāram—gates; nāśhanam—destruction; ātmanaḥ—self; kāmaḥ—lust; krodhaḥ—anger; tathā—and; lobhaḥ—greed; tasmāt—therefore; etat—these; trayam—three; tyajet—should abandon Translation This door of hell, which is the destroyer of…

आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि | मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् ॥20॥ Transliteration āsurīṁ yonim āpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yānty adhamāṁ gatim Word Meanings āsurīm—demoniac; yonim—wombs; āpannāḥ—gaining; mūḍhāḥ—the ignorant; janmani janmani—in birth after birth; mām—me; aprāpya—failing to reach; eva—even; kaunteya—Arjun, the son of Kunti; tataḥ—thereafter; yānti—go; adhamām—abominable; gatim—destination Translation Being born…

तानहं द्विषत: क्रूरान्संसारेषु नराधमान् | क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभानासुरीष्वेव योनिषु ॥19॥ Transliteration tān ahaṁ dviṣhataḥ krūrān sansāreṣhu narādhamān kṣhipāmy ajasram aśhubhān āsurīṣhv eva yoniṣhu Word Meanings tān—these; aham—I; dviṣhataḥ—hateful; krūrān—cruel; sansāreṣhu—in the material world; nara-adhamān—the vile and vicious of humankind; kṣhipāmi—I hurl; ajasram—again and again; aśhubhān—inauspicious; āsurīṣhu—demoniac; eva—indeed; yoniṣhu—in to the wombs; Translation I cast for ever those…