प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च जना न विदुरासुराः ।
न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते ॥
न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
आसुरी प्रकृतिवाले मनुष्य प्रवृत्ति और निवृत्तिको नहीं जानते और उनमें न बाह्यशुद्धि, न श्रेष्ठ आचरण तथा न सत्यपालन ही होता है ॥
English
People of a shadowed nature do not know what should be pursued and what should be withdrawn from. In them, there is no purity, no noble conduct, and no truthfulness.
What this verse means
A shadowed nature cannot tell right action from wrong withdrawal. It also lacks purity, good conduct, and honesty.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Krishna continues describing the shadowed temperament to Arjuna. After naming the two kinds of human nature, he now shows how the destructive one behaves: it cannot discern what to do or avoid, and it loses basic integrity.
Why this verse still matters
A group chat turns ugly, and someone keeps feeding it with half-truths, sloppy boundaries, and impulsive replies. The problem is not one mistake — it is a pattern of inner disorder.
The takeaway
You can judge a person by what they consistently fail to honor: restraint, cleanliness, conduct, and truth.
Word-by-word translation
प्रवृत्तिं (what should be pursued) / च (and) / निवृत्तिं (what should be withdrawn from) / च (and) / जना (people) / न (not) / विदुः (know) / असुराः (those of shadowed nature) / न (not) / शौचं (purity) / न (not) / अपि (also) / च (and) / आचारः (noble conduct) / न (not) / सत्यं (truthfulness) / तेषु (in them) / विद्यते (exists)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16: Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga — The Divine and Demoniac Natures, which contains 24 verses.