Shrimad Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 16: Daivāsura Sampad Vibhāga Yogam, Verse 13 to 15:
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The Biggest Lie We Tell Ourselves In Life Is What The Ego Convinces Us We Are
इदमद्य मया लब्धमिमं प्राप्स्ये मनोरथम् |
इदमस्तीदमपि मे भविष्यति पुनर्धनम् || 16.13||
असौ मया हत: शत्रुर्हनिष्ये चापरानपि |
ईश्वरोऽहमहं भोगी सिद्धोऽहं बलवान्सुखी || 16.14||
आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया |
यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिता: || 16.15||
idam adya mayā labdham imaṁ prāpsye manoratham
idam astīdam api me bhaviṣhyati punar dhanam || 16.13||
asau mayā hataḥ śhatrur haniṣhye chāparān api
īśhvaro ’ham ahaṁ bhogī siddho ’haṁ balavān sukhī|| 16.14||
āḍhyo ’bhijanavān asmi ko ’nyo ’sti sadṛiśho mayā
yakṣhye dāsyāmi modiṣhya ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ||16.15||
Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 16- Ver. 13 to 15:
The demons believe, “I have made so much money today, I will now satisfy this craving of mine.” This is mine, and I will have much more tomorrow. I destroyed that adversary, and I’ll do the same to the others! I am the one who enjoys, I am flawless, strong, and joyful, just like God is. I come from an affluent and well-connected family. Who else can compete with me? I’ll offer sacrifices, distribute charity, and be joyful. They are misled by ignorance in this way.
Explanation
The demon assumes they have the right to enjoy everything they deem enjoyable, disregarding any morals. They work hard to plan events so that they can achieve their goals. They also participate in ritualistic rituals to get fame and wealth from them because they understand how the Vedic ritualistic practices will help them become economically wealthy.
The demoniac does, however, occasionally advance in social position, but their behaviours remain cruel and degrading, much like the vulture that flies high but keeps its gaze focused down. Such people accept authority and adhere to the maxim “might makes right.” Therefore, they don’t think twice about hurting or damaging people in order to get rid of everything that stands in the way of their goals.
The first group of people are the selfless individuals who put others’ needs ahead of their own. The second group consists of regular individuals who support other people’s wellbeing as long as it doesn’t hurt them. The third type is a demoniac who doesn’t mind hurting others as long as it serves their own interests.
A fourth kind of persons harms others without cause. For them, there is no good name. The degraded demoniac-mentality is beautifully described by Shree Krishna. They believe things like, “I was born in a wealthy and aristocratic family,” while being blinded by pride. I have a powerful and wealthy life and do what I want. I am not necessary.
Personal identifications with beliefs, outward appearances, grudges, etc. are found in the ego. People who are under the control of this ego, which develops a personality of its own, connect with their thoughts, emotions, and collections of memories, which they perceive as essential components of themselves. The ego identifies with possessions, although the joy of possession is typically fleeting. It has a deep-seated sense of “not enough” that is hidden within it. Unease, agitation, boredom, worry, and dissatisfaction are the repercussions of this unmet desire. As a result, a greatly distorted perception of reality is produced, further separating the perceived “I” from the true self.
The biggest lie we tell ourselves in life is what the ego convinces us we are. Therefore, all religious traditions and saints encourage us to eliminate our egotistical thought patterns in order to go along the saintly road.
Verse & what we can learn
The demoniac believes: “I already have a significant amount of riches, and my plans will increase it. I already have a lot, and I’ll have much more in the future. I killed him because he was my adversary, and I will kill my other opponent as well. I am in charge of everything, I am the one who enjoys it, I am flawless, strong, and content. Being surrounded by aristocratic relatives, I am the wealthiest man. No one is as strong and content as I am. I’ll make sacrifices, I’ll do some good, and I’ll be glad for it.” These people are misled by ignorance in this way.
To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.
There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There is also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.
In the next two shlokas Shri Krishna tells how these people with demonic mind set conduct sacrifices for names sake.
Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…