Two Kinds of People

अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिर्ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः ।
दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम् ॥1॥

The Lord said: Fearlessness, a clean heart, standing firm in the practice of knowledge, giving, self-restraint, offering, study, discipline, straightness;

अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त्यागः शान्तिरपैशुनम् ।
दया भूतेष्वलोलुप्त्वं मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलम् ॥2॥

not harming, truth, freedom from anger, letting go, calm, not speaking ill of others, kindness towards living things, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, freedom from restlessness;

तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचमद्रोहो नातिमानिता ।
भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत ॥3॥

vigour, patience, firmness, cleanliness, absence of malice, not thinking too much of oneself: these belong to one born to the divine way, Bharata.

दम्भो दर्पोऽभिमानश्च क्रोधः पारुष्यमेव च ।
अज्ञानं चाभिजातस्य पार्थ सम्पदमासुरीम् ॥4॥

Show, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance belong to one born to the dark way, Partha.

दैवी सम्पद्विमोक्षाय निबन्धायासुरी मता ।
मा शुचः सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातोऽसि पाण्डव ॥5॥

The divine way is held to lead to freedom, the dark way to bondage. Do not grieve, Pandava; you are born to the divine way.

द्वौ भूतसर्गौ लोकेऽस्मिन्दैव आसुर एव च ।
दैवो विस्तरशः प्रोक्त आसुरं पार्थ मे शृणु ॥6॥

There are two kinds of beings created in this world, the divine and the dark. The divine has been told at length; now hear from me about the dark, Partha.

प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च जना न विदुरासुराः ।
न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते ॥7॥

Those of a dark nature know neither what should be done nor what should not. Cleanliness is not found in them, nor good conduct, nor truth.

असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् ।
अपरस्परसम्भूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ॥8॥

They say the world is without truth, without a footing, without a lord, that it came about with no order to it, and that there is no cause for it but desire.

एतां दृष्टिमवष्टभ्य नष्टात्मानोऽल्पबुद्धयः ।
प्रभवन्त्युग्रकर्माणः क्षयाय जगतोऽहिताः ॥9॥

Holding to this view, lost to themselves and of small understanding, they rise up doing cruel things, out to destroy the world and do it harm.

काममाश्रित्य दुष्पूरं दम्भमानमदान्विताः ।
मोहाद्गृहीत्वासद्ग्राहान्प्रवर्तन्तेऽशुचिव्रताः ॥10॥

Clinging to a desire that is never filled, full of show and pride and conceit, having taken up false ideas out of confusion, they go about with unclean vows.

चिन्तामपरिमेयां च प्रलयान्तामुपाश्रिताः ।
कामोपभोगपरमा एतावदिति निश्चिताः ॥11॥

Given over to worry beyond measure, worry that ends only at death, holding the enjoyment of desire to be the highest, they are certain that this is all there is.

आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः ।
ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान् ॥12॥

Bound by a hundred cords of expectation, given over to desire and anger, they struggle to pile up wealth by unjust means, for the enjoyment of desire.

इदमद्य मया लब्धमिमं प्राप्स्ये मनोरथम् ।
इदमस्तीदमपि मे भविष्यति पुनर्धनम् ॥13॥

This I have got today, and this wish of mine I will fulfil next; this much is mine, and this wealth too will be mine.

असौ मया हतः शत्रुर्हनिष्ये चापरानपि ।
ईश्वरोऽहमहं भोगी सिद्धोऽहं बलवान्सुखी ॥14॥

That enemy I have killed, and I will kill the others too; I am the lord, I am the enjoyer, I have arrived, I am strong, I am happy.

आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया ।
यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः ॥15॥

I am rich, I am well born; who else is there like me? I will offer sacrifice, I will give, I will enjoy myself. So they go on, deluded by ignorance.

अनेकचित्तविभ्रान्ता मोहजालसमावृताः ।
प्रसक्ताः कामभोगेषु पतन्ति नरकेऽशुचौ ॥16॥

Led astray by many thoughts, caught in the net of confusion, clinging to the enjoyment of desire, they fall into an unclean hell.

आत्मसम्भाविताः स्तब्धा धनमानमदान्विताः ।
यजन्ते नामयज्ञैस्ते दम्भेनाविधिपूर्वकम् ॥17॥

Thinking much of themselves, stiff-necked, drunk on wealth and status, they perform sacrifices in name only, for show, and not as laid down.

अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः ।
मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः ॥18॥

Given over to ego, force, pride, desire and anger, these fault-finders hate me, who am present in their own bodies and in others'.

तानहं द्विषतः क्रूरान्संसारेषु नराधमान् ।
क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभानासुरीष्वेव योनिषु ॥19॥

These hateful, cruel men, the lowest among people, I cast again and again, in the round of births, into dark wombs, into what is not good.

आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि ।
मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् ॥20॥

Reaching such a birth, Kaunteya, deluded life after life, they do not come to me, and go from there to a lower state still.

त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः ।
कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत् ॥21॥

Desire, anger and greed are the three gates to hell, and they destroy a person. So these three should be given up.

एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः ।
आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥22॥

Freed of these three gates of darkness, Kaunteya, a person works for his own good, and so reaches the highest goal.

यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः ।
न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम् ॥23॥

One who sets aside what the teaching lays down and acts as he pleases reaches neither fulfilment nor happiness nor the highest goal.

तस्माच्छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ ।
ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि ॥24॥

So let the teaching be your measure in settling what should and should not be done. Knowing what it lays down, you should do your work here accordingly.