Bhagavad Gita 16.20

Verse 20

आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि | मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् || २० ||

Transliteration

āsurīṁ yonim āpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yānty adhamāṁ gatim

Synonyms

āsurīm—demoniac; yonim—species; āpannāḥ—getting; mūḍhāḥ—the foolish; janmani janmani—birth after birth; mām—Me; aprāpya—without achieving; eva—certainly; kaunteya—O son of Kunti; tataḥ—thereafter; yānti—go; adhamām—downward; gatim—destination.

Translation

Entering demoniac wombs birth after birth, the deluded never achieve Me, O son of Kunti, and thus they sink to the lowest destination.

Multi-Tradition Commentary

Ramanuja (Vishishtadvaita)

The deepest tragedy of the demoniac life is the perpetual missing of the highest good. God—the ultimate source of joy, peace, and liberation—is always available and never withholds Himself. Yet the demoniac orientation perpetually turns away from this supreme good in pursuit of inferior pleasures, and this turning away compounds lifetime after lifetime into an ever-deepening estrangement.

Practical Application (Modern Life)

The verse's warning is ultimately an invitation: the turning toward God, toward truth, toward genuine goodness is always available in any moment. No matter how deeply conditioned one's demoniac tendencies may be, the potential for reversal exists. Every sincere moment of turning toward the light—in prayer, in honest self-examination, in an act of kindness—is a step away from the downward spiral.

Chapter Content

View all shlokas in Chapter 16

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