आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया | यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः || १५ ||
āḍhyo 'bhijanavān asmi ko 'nyo 'sti sadṛśo mayā yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ
āḍhyaḥ—wealthy; abhijanavān—of high birth; asmi—I am; kaḥ—who; anyaḥ—other; asti—is; sadṛśaḥ—equal; mayā—with me; yakṣye—I shall sacrifice; dāsyāmi—I shall give charity; modiṣye—I shall rejoice; iti—thus; ajñāna—ignorance; vimohitāḥ—deluded.
“'I am wealthy and of high birth. Who else is equal to me? I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give charity, I shall rejoice'—thus they are deluded by ignorance.”
Even when the demoniac person performs apparently virtuous acts like sacrifice and charity, they do so from ego and for social display rather than from genuine devotion or compassion. The boastful inner monologue—'I am wealthy, I am high-born, who is equal to me?'—reveals that the acts are in service of self-aggrandizement, not God or humanity. Acts without inner transformation remain demoniac in character.
This verse warns that even spiritual practices can be co-opted by ego. Charity given to feel superior, meditation practiced to gain powers or social status, scripture quoted to win arguments—these invert the purpose of the practices. Regularly examine the motivation behind your spiritual activities: Are they offerings made in surrender, or performances made for self-enhancement?