Chapter 16

1. The Blessed One said:
   Fearlessness, being in truth, the state of being united to awareness, charity, mental focus, ritual, study of scripture, austerity, and simple living.
2. Nonviolence, honesty, lack of anger, renunciation, peace, being non-judgmental, compassion for all living beings, lack of greed, gentleness, humility, and determination.
3. Enthusiasm, forgiveness, endurance, cleanliness, lack of jealousy, and not seeking fame are the qualities of one who is born into divine nature, scion of Bharata.
4. Pride, arrogance and vanity, anger and intolerance, as well as ignorance; these are the qualities of one who is born into dark nature, scion of Partha.
5. Divine qualities assist in attaining liberation. The dark qualities are considered to lead into bondage. Do not worry, scion of Pandu, you are born into divine qualities.
6. There are two kinds of living beings created in this world: the divine and the dark. I have spoken of the divine with great detail, son of Partha. Now hear from me of the dark.
7. People who are of dark qualities do not know the difference between right and wrong action. Nor is there cleanliness, saintliness, or truth in them.
8. They say that this world is untrue, with no purpose, cause, or controller. It has merely come to be, due to no reason besides lust.
9. Accepting this vision, having lost their souls, the unaware revel in activities that bring painful consequences (karma) to them and others. This leads to the harmful destruction of the world.
10. Seeking comfort in unfulfilling lust, absorbed in the vanity of pride and prestige, due to their delusion they cling to impermanent things. They revel in their dedication to the unclean.
11. They seek comfort in countless fears and anxieties until the time of their death. They seek comfort in the pleasures of the senses, believing that these are the greatest.
12. Being bound by these hundreds of hopes, they are always entangled. Lust and anger are always on their mind. They seek out lust for the sake of sense pleasures, they accumulate wealth by unethical means.
13. "Today I have gained this, and I shall gain more as I desire it. This is mine, that is also mine. And my wealth will only increase in the future".
14. "I have killed this enemy, I will kill that enemy and others too. I am the lord, I am the one who experiences, I am the mage, powerful and happy".
15. "I am wealthy and surrounded by noble relations. Who else is like I am? I will sacrifice, give charity, and rejoice". In these ways one is deluded by ignorance.
16. They are confounded by many worries, surrounded by a web of illusions. Attached to the lust of the senses, the unclean slide down into hell.
17. With a slothful soul and stubborn, absorbed in the illusion of wealth and fame, they perform rituals in name only. They sacrifice only for show, without practicing for genuine knowing.
18. Seeking comfort in false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, they despise and envy myself and other living teachers.
19. Those who are envious of me and miscreant, I cast into the ocean of the world as the lowest of humanity. I put them always into dark and unfortunate wombs.
20. The foolish gain birth after birth in dark wombs. Son of Kunti, without reaching me they sink into a damned place.
21. There are three gates leading into the hell that destroys the soul: lust, anger and greed. Thus, these three must be given up.
22. Son of Kunti, being liberated from these three gates of ignorance, a person cleanses their soul. After this he goes to the greater goal.
23. One who gives up the wise teachings will be stuck in foolish actions born of lust. He will never attain power, never achieve happiness, never reach the greater goal.
24. Thus the teachings reveal to you the way to discriminate between right and wrong action. Being aware of the wisdom declared by the teachings, you should take action in the world.

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