त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मन: |
काम: क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत् || 21||
tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśhanam ātmanaḥ
kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet
tri-vidham—three types of; narakasya—to the hell; idam—this; dvāram—gates; nāśhanam—destruction; ātmanaḥ—self; kāmaḥ—lust; krodhaḥ—anger; tathā—and; lobhaḥ—greed; tasmāt—therefore; etat—these; trayam—three; tyajet—should abandon
Translation:
Three are the gateways of this hell leading to the ruin of the self— lust, wrath, and greed. Therefore let man renounce these three.
Commentary:
The Lord reiterates what has been said already. Kama, krodha, and lobha form the triple opening into Hell. They are the three evils (Dushtatrayam) which directly lead man into the lower worlds. When these gates are shut by dispassion, love and detachment, there is no fear for man. The demonical qualities so elaborately described so far, are epitomised and classified into three essential evils 1. Desire, 2. Wrath, 3. Greed. Desire is to be conquered by dispassion, wrath by love, greed by discrimination and detachment. There is hope for the awakened souls who have become conscious of the evils in them, and the horrible future that awaits them if they do not destroy these evils. Striving for purity and the higher way of life they shall shut down the gateway to Hell. These evils lurking in the heart like thieves in darkness should be detected by the torch-light of knowledge and should be driven out with the help of the Divine qualities.
Related Articles:
- Control of Anger – Bhagavad Gita
- Swami Vivekananda’s Quotes On Anger
- The Story of How Totapuri Gave up Anger
Question: What are the three gateways to Hell?
Answer: They are 1. Kama, 2. Krodha, 3. Lobha.
Question: How do they injure the Jiva?
Answer: They are self-destructive.
Question: What then should the spiritual aspirants do?
Answer: They should abandon these three evils.
Question: What are the evils of demonical nature?
Answer: Kama, Krodha and Lobha are the fundamental evils of the Asuric nature.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 16 🔻 (24 Verses)
