Gita 16.15
Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga
आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया | यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः ||१५||
āḍhyo'bhijanavān asmi ko'nyo'sti sadṛśo mayā | yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ ||15||
In essence: Drunk on wealth and lineage, the demoniac boasts 'Who is my equal?' and performs sacrifice and charity not from devotion but from delusion, seeking social prestige rather than spiritual merit.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "Is pride in family heritage always wrong? Shouldn't we honor our ancestors?"
Guru: "Honoring ancestors is different from deriving ego-identity from lineage. One can gratefully acknowledge inheritance without superiority. The problem is 'abhijanavān asmi'—'I AM of noble birth'—making birth the foundation of identity. You did not choose your birth; it is grace, not achievement. To be grateful is wisdom; to be proud is confusion."
Sadhak: "But religious acts are supposed to be good. How can performing sacrifice be demoniac?"
Guru: "The Gita is emphatic that outer action without inner alignment is hollow. Chapter 17 will detail sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic sacrifice. Here, the motivation is ego-display: 'I shall sacrifice (and everyone will see my piety), I shall give (and everyone will praise my generosity), I shall rejoice (at the social status this brings).' The divine spirit of yajña—offering everything to the Divine—is absent. The form remains; the essence is replaced."
Sadhak: "How do I purify my own religious or charitable acts?"
Guru: "Ask before each act: For whom am I doing this? If the answer involves others' opinions, recognition, or self-image, the act is mixed. Purify by practicing anonymous giving, secret prayer, unwitnessed service. When no one will know, and you still do it, the action approaches purity."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Examine your sources of self-worth. Do wealth or background feature prominently? Ask: 'If I lost my wealth or my family name meant nothing, would I still know my worth?' The answer reveals how much identity is invested in externals.
Perform one act of anonymous giving or service. Feel the difference when no recognition is possible. Notice if there's disappointment that no one will know. This disappointment reveals the ego-investment in 'being seen as generous.'
Review the day's religious or charitable acts. What motivated them? Were there moments of genuine offering versus moments of display? Don't judge harshly—just see clearly. Clarity itself begins to purify.