त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः | कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत् || २१ ||
tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśanam ātmanaḥ kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet
tri-vidham—three kinds; narakasya—of hell; idam—this; dvāram—gate; nāśanam—destructive; ātmanaḥ—of the self; kāmaḥ—lust; krodhaḥ—anger; tathā—and; lobhaḥ—greed; tasmāt—therefore; etat—these; trayam—three; tyajet—one should give up.
“There are three gates to this self-destructive hell: lust, anger, and greed. Therefore one should give up these three.”
This is one of the most practically actionable verses in the Gita. The three root poisons—kama (unbridled desire/lust), krodha (anger), and lobha (greed)—are the primary gateways through which human beings fall from their higher nature into destructive patterns. They are interconnected: desire frustrated becomes anger; desire gratified becomes greed for more. Addressing all three together is essential.
Pick one of the three 'gates' that is most active in your life right now—lust, anger, or greed—and work with it deliberately this month. Notice its triggers, its patterns, the stories it tells you, and the consequences it produces. You do not need to eliminate it by force; bring the light of awareness to it. Awareness itself begins to diminish the compulsive force of these patterns.