Bhagavad Gita is not a book to be worshipped and kept aside — it is a mirror. It shows you you.
And today, we’ll look at a verse that most people skip — Chapter 16, Verse 4 — where Krishna doesn’t praise human nature, but reveals its shadows.
(Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 4)
दम्भो दर्पोऽभिमानश्च क्रोधः पारुष्यमेव च ।
अज्ञानं चाभिजातस्य पार्थ सम्पदामासुरीम् ॥ ४ ॥
Dambho darpo ’bhimānaś ca krodhaḥ pāruṣyam eva ca,
ajñānaṁ cābhijātasya pārtha sampadām āsurīm.
Arjuna is standing confused, and Krishna says — “Partha, hypocrisy, arrogance, self-conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance — these belong to the demoniac nature.”
Now, listen carefully. He is not talking about rakshasas living in forests or flying in the sky. He is talking about the inner demons — wo asur jo andar baste hain, who live inside every human mind.
Understanding Each Word — Not as Philosophy, but as Psychology
Dambha — The Hypocrisy of the Spiritual Mind
We show one face to the world and live another within. You meet people who say, “I am very spiritual, very calm,” but inside, they are restless, comparing, judging. Ye jo dikhawa hai, ye hi dambha hai. When truth and appearance don’t match, Vishuddha chakra — your throat centre — becomes blocked. Your voice trembles because your truth is stuck inside.
Darpa — The Pride that Blinds You
DARPA is not just arrogance; it’s blindness. A yogi who says, “I know everything,” has already stopped growing. In the ashram, we say, “Jo seekhta hai, woh badhta hai; jo samajhta hai ki seekh liya, woh girta hai.” DARPA shuts the door to new wisdom.
Abhimana — The Attachment to ‘I’ This is the voice that says — “I did it. I am responsible. It’s my effort.” Abhimana is the ego’s favourite disguise — it sounds hardworking, disciplined, but it separates you from the Divine flow. Remember, in yoga, Ahankara is not pride, it’s separation. The belief that “I am the doer” is the root of suffering.
Krodha — Anger as Blocked Energy
Krishna said earlier in Chapter 2 — “Krodhāt bhavati sammohaḥ” — from anger comes delusion. In Ayurveda, anger rises when Pitta dosha (the fire element) is aggravated. Scientifically, this means cortisol shoots up, neurons get damaged, and inflammation begins. Spiritually, the same heat that could rise as Kundalini Agni falls as Krodha Agni. One burns your karma, the other burns your health.
Pāruṣya — Harshness in Speech and Behaviour
Harshness is violence through words. When your prana is disturbed, your tongue becomes a weapon. Even one bitter sentence vibrates through your nervous system before it hurts the other. So, when you speak without awareness, tum khud ko jala rahe ho.
Ajñāna — The Darkness of Forgetting Who You Are
Ajñāna doesn’t mean illiteracy — it means unconsciousness. You may have degrees, wealth, and status, but if you don’t know your Atman, you live in ajñāna. Krishna calls this the seed of Asuric nature — not knowing your own divinity.
Now see how scientific the Gita truly is
Each of these qualities corresponds to a disturbance in your nervous system and pranic balance.
-
Dambha and Darpa — imbalance in the Vishuddha and Ajna chakras.
-
Krodha — excess heat in Manipura chakra.
-
Ajñāna — dullness of Sahasrara.
Even modern psychology agrees — these are expressions of ego-driven neurochemistry.
So Gita was describing what neuroscience now calls ego states, limbic reactivity, and cognitive bias. Krishna was the first psychologist of consciousness.
Daivi vs Asuri — The Two Energies Within
He says, “Daivi Sampad Vimokshāya” — divine qualities lead to liberation. “Asuri Nibandhāya” — demoniac ones bind you.
So it’s not about heaven or hell after death; It’s about the heaven or hell you create within your own body every single day.
When you live in awareness, your breath slows, your prana flows through Sushumna Nadi — this is Daivi Sampad.
When you live in reaction, your breath becomes shallow, Ida and Pingala overfire — This is Asuri Sampad.
A Practical Reflection — How to Transform These Energies
Don’t suppress these traits; observe them. Awareness burns them faster than guilt ever will. If you feel anger, breathe and watch it rise from Manipura. If you feel pride, bow down to someone humbler than you. If you sense hypocrisy, speak one truth aloud — even if it shakes you. Slowly, the same energy that once created bondage becomes your fuel for awakening. The yogic path is alchemy — transforming poison into prasad.
“Jo apne andar ke asur ko pehchan leta hai, wahi sachcha yogi hai.”
“The one who recognises his inner demon becomes divine himself.”
Krishna is not pointing outward — He is pointing inwards. Each of us has both the Asura and the Deva. Your daily awareness decides which one will rule you today.
So don’t fear your darkness — face it. Because the moment light meets shadow, the shadow disappears.
If this talk inspired reflection in you, keep walking the path consciously. You can learn, heal, and practice this wisdom with me:
Connect here:
