Gita 16.4
Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga
दम्भो दर्पोऽभिमानश्च क्रोधः पारुष्यमेव च | अज्ञानं चाभिजातस्य पार्थ सम्पदमासुरीम् ||४||
dambho darpo'bhimānaś ca krodhaḥ pāruṣyam eva ca | ajñānaṁ cābhijātasya pārtha sampadam āsurīm ||4||
In essence: The demoniac nature can be summarized in six qualities, all rooted in ignorance: pretense, pride, conceit, rage, cruelty, and blindness to truth.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "Only six qualities define demoniac nature while twenty-six define divine nature. Does this mean good is more complex than evil?"
Guru: "Consider light and darkness. Light has many colors, wavelengths, intensities—endless variety. Darkness is simply the absence of light. It has no complexity of its own. Similarly, virtue is creative, generative, multifaceted. Vice is merely the absence or distortion of virtue—fundamentally simple, stemming from one root."
Sadhak: "That root is ignorance—ajñāna?"
Guru: "Exactly. Everything else follows. If you knew your true nature as infinite, eternal, complete—would you need to pretend to be important (dambha)? Would you be arrogant about temporary possessions (darpa)? Would you hold an inflated self-image (abhimāna)? Would you rage when that image was challenged (krodha)? Would you need to hurt others to feel powerful (pāruṣya)?"
Sadhak: "No... all of that comes from feeling small, inadequate, threatened."
Guru: "Which is ignorance of your true nature. The separate ego feels small because it is small—a fiction, a contraction in consciousness. Its strategies—inflation, aggression, pretense—are all attempts to compensate for its fundamental inadequacy. They cannot work because they are based on a false premise."
Sadhak: "So the solution to demoniac tendencies is not moral improvement but self-knowledge?"
Guru: "Both. Self-knowledge dissolves the root. Moral improvement clears the path to self-knowledge. They support each other. Krishna is not moralizing—he is describing cause and effect. Choose your path by understanding where each leads."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Before engaging the world, do an honest self-check: 'Am I carrying any pretense today? Any need to appear special? Any residual anger from yesterday?' Don't judge yourself but simply notice. Set an intention to respond to today's challenges without adding the extra layer of ego-defense.
When you feel the arising of pride, anger, or the urge to be harsh, pause. These are not enemies but teachers—they show where ego is still gripping. Ask: 'What am I protecting? What am I afraid of?' The demoniac qualities are defensive responses to perceived threats. Recognize the fear beneath them, and they lose their compulsive power.
Review instances where you acted from pretense, arrogance, or anger. Without self-flagellation (which is itself pride in reverse), simply see clearly. Ask: 'What ignorance was operating? What did I forget about my true nature?' End with compassion for yourself—you are a work in progress, and honest recognition is major progress.