Verse 16.21
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः | कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत् ||२१||
Transliteration (IAST)
tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśanam ātmanaḥ | kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet ||21||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
There are three gates to hell that lead to the destruction of the self - lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, one should abandon these three.
Commentary
Shankaracharya identifies this as one of the most important practical verses in the Gita, distilling the entire demoniac psychology into three root causes. Kāma (lust) is the desire for what one does not have; krodha (anger) arises when desire is obstructed; lobha (greed) is the desire to retain what one has. Ramanuja notes that 'nāśanam ātmanaḥ' means these destroy one's capacity for self-knowledge. Madhva emphasizes the imperative 'tyajet' - this is not merely descriptive but a direct command.