Bg. 16.10

The demoniac mentality is described here. The demons' lust is never satiated. They will go on increasing and increasing their insatiable desires for material enjoyment. Although they are always full of anxieties on account of accepting nonpermanent things, they still continue to engage in such activities out of illusion. They have no knowledge and cannot tell that they are heading the wrong way. Accepting nonpermanent things, such demoniac people create their own God, create their own hymns and chant accordingly. The result is that they become more and more attracted to two things-sex enjoyment and accumulation of material wealth. The word aśuci-vratāḥ, unclean vow, is very significant in this connection. Such demoniac people are only attracted by wine, women, gambling and meat eating; those are their aśuci, unclean habits. Induced by pride and false prestige, they create some principles of religion which are not approved by the Vedic injunctions. Although such demoniac people are most abominable in the world, still, by artificial means, the world creates a false honor for them. Although they are gliding toward hell, they consider themselves very much advanced.

TEXTS 11-12

cintām aparimeyāṁ ca

pralayāntām upāśritāḥ

kāmopabhoga-paramā

etāvad iti niścitāḥ

āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ

kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ

īhante kāma-bhogārtham

anyāyenārtha-sañcayān

SYNONYMS

cintām-fears and anxieties; aparimeyām-unmeasurable; ca-and; pralaya-antām-unto the point of death; upāśritāḥ-having taken shelter of them; kāma-upabhoga-sense gratification; paramāḥ-the highest goal of life; etāvat-thus; iti-in this way; niścitāḥ-ascertain; āśā-pāśa-entanglement in the network of hope; śataiḥ-by hundreds; baddhāḥ-being bound; kāma-lust; krodha-anger; parāyaṇāḥ-always situated in that mentality; īhante-desire; kāma-lust; bhoga-sense enjoyment; artham-for that purpose; anyāyena-illegally; artha-wealth; sañcayān-accumulate.

TRANSLATION

They believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their anxiety. Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.

PURPORT

The demoniac accept that the enjoyment of the senses is the ultimate goal of life, and this concept they maintain until death. They do not believe in life after death, and they do not believe that one takes on different types of bodies according to one's karma, or activities in this world. Their plans for life are never finished, and they go on preparing plan after plan, all of which are never finished. We have personal experience of a person of such demoniac mentality, who, even at the point of death, was requesting the physician to prolong his life for four years more because his plans were not yet complete. Such foolish people do not know that a physician cannot prolong life even for a moment. When the notice is there, there is no consideration of the man's desire. The laws of nature do not allow a second beyond what one is destined to enjoy.

The demoniac person, who has no faith in God or the Supersoul within himself, performs all kinds of sinful activities simply for sense gratification. He does not know that there is a witness sitting within his heart. The Supersoul is observing the activities of the individual soul. As it is stated in the Vedic literature, the Upaniṣads, there are two birds sitting in one tree; the one is acting and enjoying or suffering the fruits of the branches, and the other is witnessing. But one who is demoniac has no knowledge of Vedic scripture, nor has he any faith; therefore he feels free to do anything for sense enjoyment, regardless of the consequences.

TEXTS 13-15

idam adya mayā labdham

imaṁ prāpsye manoratham

idam astīdam api me

bhaviṣyati punar dhanam

asau mayā hataḥ śatrur

haniṣye cāparān api

īśvaro 'ham ahaṁ bhogī

siddho 'haṁ balavān sukhī

āḍhyo 'bhijanavān asmi

ko 'nyo 'sti sadṛśo mayā

yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya

ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ

SYNONYMS

idam-this; adya-today; mayā-by me; labdham-gained; imam-this; prāpsye-I shall gain; manoratham-according to my desires; idam-this; asti-there is; idam-this; api-also; me-mine; bhaviṣyati-will increase in the future; punaḥ-again; dhanam-wealth; asau-that; mayā-by me; hataḥ-has been killed; śatruḥ-enemy; haniṣye-I shall kill; ca-also; aparān-others; api-certainly; īśvaraḥ-the lord; aham-I am; aham-I am; bhogī-the enjoyer; siddhah-perfect; aham-I am; balavān-powerful; sukhī-happy; āḍhyaḥ-wealthy; abhijanavān-surrounded by aristocratic relatives; asmi-I am; kaḥ-who else; anyaḥ-other; asti-there is; sadṛśaḥ-like; mayā-me; yakṣye-I shall sacrifice; dāsyāmi-I shall give in charity; modiṣye-I shall rejoice; iti-thus; ajñāna-ignorance; vimohitāḥ-deluded by.

TRANSLATION

The demoniac person thinks: "So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I have killed him; and my other enemy will also be killed. I am the lord of everything, I am the enjoyer, I am perfect, powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice." In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance.