16.18 Despising what is in their own body Krishna speaks
अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः
मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः
ahankāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ cha sanśhritāḥ
mām ātma-para-deheṣhu pradviṣhanto ’bhyasūyakāḥ
Clinging to the sense of self, to force, arrogance, desire and anger, these envious people despise me, present in their own bodies and in others'.
Explanation
Despising what is in their own body.
The charge is put in an unexpected place: they despise me, present in their own bodies and in others'.
Not blasphemy against a distant God. Given 15.7 — a fragment of my own self becomes the living being — this is contempt aimed at themselves as much as anyone, and the verse says both in one breath.
Word by word
- ahankāram
- egotism
- balam
- strength
- darpam
- arrogance
- kāmam
- desire
- krodham
- anger
- cha
- and
- sanśhritāḥ
- covered by
- mām
- me
- ātma-para-deheṣhu
- within one’s own and bodies of others
- pradviṣhantaḥ
- abuse
- abhyasūyakāḥ
- the demoniac
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