The divine and demoniacal

Fearlessness, purity of being, steadfastness in knowledge and yoga; giving, self-control, yajña, study of sacred texts, austerity, uprightness;

Non-injury, truth, freedom from anger, renunciation, tranquility, freedom from slander, compassion toward beings, freedom from covetousness, gentleness, modesty, freedom from restlessness;

Vigor, forgiveness, endurance, purity, freedom from malice, freedom from excessive pride—these belong to one born for a divine state, Bharata's descendant.

Hypocrisy, arrogance, self-conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance belong to one born, Pārtha, for a demonic state.

The divine state is held to lead to liberation, the demonic to bondage. Do not grieve, Pāṇḍava—you are born for a divine state.

There are two kinds of created beings in this world—the divine and the demonic. The divine has been described at length; hear from me now, Pārtha, of the demonic.

Those of demonic nature know neither what to do nor what to avoid. Neither purity nor good conduct nor truth is found in them.

They say: "The universe is without truth, without a foundation, without a lord, arisen from nothing but mutual union, its only cause desire—what else could it be?"

Holding to this view, these ruined souls of feeble understanding and fierce deeds arise as enemies of the world, working for its destruction.

Clinging to insatiable desire, filled with hypocrisy, pride, and arrogance, seizing on false notions through delusion, they act with impure intent.

Beset by immeasurable anxieties that end only in death, holding the gratification of desire as supreme, certain that this is all there is—

Bound by a hundred bonds of hope, devoted to desire and anger, they strive by unjust means to amass wealth for their own sensual enjoyment.

"This I have gained today; this desire I will fulfill. This is mine, and this wealth too will be mine in the future.

"That enemy I have already killed, and I will kill others too. I am the lord, I am the enjoyer, I am accomplished, powerful, and happy.

"I am wealthy and well-born. Who else is my equal? I will offer sacrifice, I will give gifts, I will rejoice." So they speak, deluded by ignorance.

Bewildered by countless preoccupations, wrapped in the net of delusion, addicted to the gratification of desire, they fall into a foul hell.

Self-important, stubborn, filled with the pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform sacrifices in name only, out of ostentation, disregarding proper rule.

Given over to egotism, force, insolence, desire, and anger, these malicious ones despise me dwelling within their own bodies and the bodies of others.

These hateful, cruel, and vile doers of evil, the lowest among men, I hurl again and again, in these cycles of existence, into demonic wombs alone.

Falling into demonic wombs, deluded birth after birth, never reaching me, they descend, son of Kunti, to a still lower state.

Threefold is this gate of hell that destroys the self—desire, anger, and greed. One should therefore abandon these three.

The man who has escaped these three gates of darkness, son of Kunti, does what is good for himself, and so reaches the highest goal.

But whoever discards the ordinance of scripture and acts driven by desire attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest goal.

Therefore let scripture be your authority in determining what should be done and what should not be done. Knowing what the ordinance of scripture declares, you should act accordingly here.