अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः | मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः || १८ ||
ahaṅkāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ ca saṁśritāḥ mām ātma-para-deheṣu pradviṣanto 'bhyasūyakāḥ
ahaṅkāram—false ego; balam—strength; darpam—arrogance; kāmam—lust; krodham—anger; ca—also; saṁśritāḥ—having taken shelter of; mām—Me; ātma—own; para—other; deheṣu—bodies; pradviṣantaḥ—blaspheming; abhyasūyakāḥ—envious.
“Taking shelter of false ego, strength, arrogance, lust, and anger, these envious people blaspheme the Divine within their own bodies and those of others.”
The deepest error of the demoniac nature is that in hating and harming others, they are blaspheming the Divine that dwells within every being. The Lord (Ātman) resides in all bodies—one's own and those of others. Cruelty, contempt, and violence thus constitute a rejection of God Himself, whom they claim to worship through external rituals. This is the ultimate spiritual contradiction.
This verse implies something profound: how you treat others—especially those with less power—is how you treat the Divine within them. Contempt for the poor, cruelty to animals, dismissal of the vulnerable—these are, in the Gita's view, forms of blasphemy. Recognizing the sacred presence within every being is the most effective antidote to all forms of cruelty.