________________
GĪTĀ, TRANSLATION & COMMENTARY, CH. XVI 1151
द्वौ भूतसौ लोकेऽस्मिन्दैव आसुर एव च। दैवो विस्तरशः प्रोक्त आसुरं पार्थ मे शृणु ॥६॥ प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च जना न विदुरासुराः। न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते ॥७॥ असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् ।
अपरस्परसंभूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ॥८॥ (6) In this world, two kinds of beings come into existence,
one) godlike, and (the other) ungodlike. (Out of these ) I have described to you in detail the godlike (variety); (now) O Pārtha ! I am describing to you the ungodlike (variety), to which listen.
[As the description given by the Blessed Lord in the previous chapters of how a Karma-Yogin should behave, what the Brāhmi state is, who is to be called a 'stuthaprajña' or a 'bhagavadbhakta' or a 'trigunātīta', and what Jñāna is etc., as also the description of the godlike endowment given in the first three stanzas is the same as the description of a person having a 'daiva' (godlike) nature, the Blessed Lord has here said that the daiva' variety has been described by Him in detail before. There is some reference in Chapter IX to the ungodlike endowment (9.11 and 12); but as that description is incomplete, it is
completed in this chapter.] (7) Ungodlike persons do not understand what pravrttı is, (that is, what should be done), nor what nivștti is, (thut is, what should not be done); and, purity, good behaviour, or veracity have no place in them. (8) These (ungodlike persons) say: "the whole world is unreal, apratiştha' (that is, without any support ), 'aniśvara' (that is, existing without a Parmeśvara) and 'a-paraspara-sambhūta' (that is, not created one from the other); (in short) what can be the object of it, if not enjoying the objects of sense by human beings ?"
[Although the meaning of this stanza is clear, there is a great deal of difference of opinion about the interpretation of the words used in it. In my opinion, this is
