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BG 16.18 — 16.18 Given over to egoism, power, haughtiness, lust and anger, these malicious people hate Me in their own bodies and in those of others.
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अहंकारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः |
मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः ||१६-१८||

ahaṃkāraṃ balaṃ darpaṃ kāmaṃ krodhaṃ ca saṃśritāḥ . māmātmaparadeheṣu pradviṣanto.abhyasūyakāḥ ||16-18||


16.18 Given over to egoism, power, haughtiness, lust and anger, these malicious people hate Me in their own bodies and in those of others.

Word-by-word meanings

16.18 अहङ्कारम् egoism? बलम् power? दर्पम् haughtiness? कामम् lust? क्रोधम् anger? च and? संश्रिताः possessed of? माम् Me? आत्मपरदेहेषु in their own bodies and in those of others? प्रद्विषन्तः hating? अभ्यसूयकाः (these) malicious people.Commentary They are selfsufficient and puffed up with mental and material power. They pose too much. They resent it much if they are belittled. The body is dearer to them than everything else. They live solely for it. If anybody tries to thwart their plans or sch

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Sri Shankaracharya

16.18 Ahankaram, egotism-that which considers the Self to which have been imputed actual and imaginary alities as 'I am this', which is called ignorance and is most painful, and is the source of all ills as also of all evil deeds; so also balam, power, which seeds to defear others and is associated with passion and desire; darpam, arrogance, a particular defect abiding in the mind, on the upsurge of which one transgresses righteousness; kamam, passion with regard to women and others; krodham, anger at things tha are undesirable;-samsritah, resorting to these and other great evils; and further, pradvisantah, hating; mam, Me, God-transgression of My ?nds is hatred (towards Me); indulging in that, atma-para-dehesu, in their own and others' bodies as the witness of their intellects and actions; (they become) abhyasuyakah, envious by nature, intolerant of the alities of those who tread the right path.

(Showing excerpt)

Swami Gambirananda

16.18 Resorting to egotism, power, arrogance, passion and anger, hating Me in their own and others' bodies, (they become) [As the finite verb is missing in the verse, we have supplied 'they become'. S. adds the verb prabhavanti, wax strong, from verse 9, and constructs the last portion thus: '৷৷.the envious ones wax strond.' Following S. S., however, one may combine this verse with the preceding verse by taking 'perform sacrifices' as the finite verb.-Tr.'] envious by nature.

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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