Bhagavad-gītā 16.21

Explain simply

Speaker: Śrī Kṛṣṇa

त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः ।
कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत् ॥२१॥

tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ
dvāraṁ nāśanam ātmanaḥ
kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas
tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet

Word for word (synonyms)

tri-vidham
three kinds of
narakasya
hellish
idam
this
dvāram
gate
nāśanam
destructive
ātmanaḥ
of the self
kāmaḥ
lust
krodhaḥ
anger
tathā
as well as
lobhaḥ
greed
tasmāt
therefore
etat
these
trayam
three
tyajet
must give up

Translation

There are three gates leading to this hell—lust, anger, and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.

Purport

The beginning of demoniac life is described herein. One tries to satisfy his lust, and when he cannot, anger and greed arise. A sane man who does not want to glide down to the species of demoniac life must try to give up these three enemies which can kill the self to such an extent that there will be no possibility of liberation from this material entanglement.

What this verse teaches

The study note for this verse is in editorial review.

Gita for Life
Anger
This verse in a ladder 1
The threefold gate of ruin Bhagavad-gītā 16.21–22

The way down

  1. three gates leading to this hell 16.21
  2. lustangergreed 16.21
  3. the degradation of the soul 16.21

The way up

  1. escaped these three gates of hell 16.22
  2. performs acts conducive to self-realization 16.22
  3. gradually attains the supreme destination 16.22

All ladders of the Gītā

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.