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Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 16.8
असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् ।
अपरस्परसम्भूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ॥ ८ ॥
asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te
jagad āhur anīśvaram
aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ
kim anyat kāma-haitukam
They say that this world is unreal, with no foundation, no God in control. They say it is produced of sex desire and has no cause other than lust.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
The demonic say the world is unreal, has no foundation or controlling God, and comes only from lust.
Prabhupāda explains that they see everything as matter and deny the soul, but Kṛṣṇa directs the material world.
Learn from Kṛṣṇa’s words rather than accepting unsupported theories about creation.
Demoniac philosophy is explained here
World is unreal with no God in control
No cause other than lust and thus this world is produced of sex desire
World is unreal with no God in control
No foundation: Creation is by chance
No cause other than lust and thus this world is produced of sex desire
Lust as the cause – Living beings are a combination of matter produced from sex life
No existence of soul – All is matter, no difference between matter and spirit
Life is a dream – They say life is a dream but they are very expert in enjoying the dream
Thus not acquire knowledge but get implicated in the dreamland
No Superior controller – Do not believe that material nature is under control of Supreme Lord (Ref. Bg. 9.10 “mayadhyaksena prakatih…”)
No standard understanding of scriptures – They say that one interpretation of scripture is as good as other
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 16.8 & 16.9: The next ten verses (Texts 16.9 – 16.18) explain the abominable activity performed by those possessing this philosophy and mentality
Krishna wants to assure Arjuna that he possesses divine and not demoniac qualities
Describes the activities, mentality and qualities of those with demoniac tendencies
Krishna repeatedly casts these mischievous demons into demoniac, abominable species
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Key ideas: daivī-sampat, dharma.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does BG 16.8 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to character & ethics?
Choose one virtue to practice consciously today.
Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.
Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.