Bhagavad-gītā 16.4
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
दम्भो दर्पोऽभिमानश्च क्रोधः पारुष्यमेव च।अज्ञानं चाभिजातस्य पार्थ सम्पदमासुरीम्।।16.4।।
dambho darpo ’bhimānaśh cha krodhaḥ pāruṣhyam eva cha ajñānaṁ chābhijātasya pārtha sampadam āsurīm
Ostentation, arrogance and self-conceit, anger as also harshness and ignorance, belong to one who is born, O Pârtha, for an Asurika state.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| dambhaḥ | hypocrisy |
| darpaḥ | arrogance |
| abhimānaḥ | conceit |
| cha | and |
| krodhaḥ | anger |
| pāruṣhyam | harshness |
| eva | certainly |
| cha | and |
| ajñānam | ignorance |
| cha | and |
| abhijātasya | of those who possess |
| pārtha | Arjun, the son of Pritha |
| sampadam | qualities |
| āsurīm | demoniac |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through dambhaḥ (hypocrisy), cha (and), and āsurīm (demoniac). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to divine and destructive dispositions. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 16.4.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Compare divine and destructive dispositions, their actions and consequences without converting the lists into weapons for judging others.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Ostentation, arrogance and self-conceit, anger as also harshness and ignorance, belong to one who is born, O Pârtha, for an Asurika state
- 2
dambhaḥ: hypocrisy
- 3
cha: and
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Cover
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Teach
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 16.4, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 16.4 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 16.4 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 16.4 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 16.4, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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