11 October 2026 · Dr. Rajesh Takyar
Divine Qualities in Everyday Life
Shri Krishna explains to Arjuna two kinds of tendencies within a person: divine and demonic. They can be recognised through conduct, resolve and the direction of life. What a person wants, and how one acts to obtain it, reveal one’s nature.
The divine qualities include fearlessness, purity of heart, commitment to knowledge, generosity, control of the senses, study, austerity and simplicity. These qualities provide a basis for becoming inwardly well-ordered and living with others within proper bounds.
Non-violence, truthfulness, restraint of anger, renunciation and peace are also part of this endowment. Avoiding backbiting, showing compassion toward beings and keeping away from greed purify one’s conduct.
Patience, forgiveness, purity and freedom from arrogance steady one’s strength. This strength has brilliance, but it does not depend on regarding others as inferior.
By contrast, pretence, conceit, pride, anger, harshness and ignorance are signs of demonic tendencies. Under their influence, a person begins to treat personal desires as supreme. The suffering of others and the limits of ethical conduct matter less.
Shri Krishna says that divine qualities lead toward liberation, while demonic qualities increase bondage. He reassures Arjuna that there is no need for fear, for Arjuna possesses divine qualities.
He then expands on the demonic way of seeing. A person with this outlook does not understand what ought to be done and what should be avoided. Fulfilling one’s wishes becomes the main decision, in place of truth and good conduct.
When enjoyment alone is treated as life’s final goal, desire has no limit. A person thinks that just one more achievement will bring contentment. But each gain makes room for the next demand.
In this way, countless hopes become bonds. Worry and anger grow with them. When an obstacle prevents a desire from being fulfilled, a person begins to see others as opponents. Unjust means to obtain wealth and influence can also seem acceptable.
Shri Krishna describes a state of mind in which a person keeps thinking about how much has already been gained and how much more can be obtained. The person continually declares himself powerful, successful and superior to others. Yet the restlessness within this pride does not end.
This tendency can also enter religious actions. Charity and yajna may become ways of displaying status. The outer act remains, but humility and purity of intention diminish within it.
Through ego, desire and anger, a person disregards the Divine dwelling within oneself and others. Conduct grows harsher, and this itself leads further toward suffering and decline.
Shri Krishna gathers this entire discussion into three gates: desire, anger and greed. They destroy a person’s well-being. Unfulfilled desire keeps one running, anger weakens discernment and greed draws one away from proper limits.
When free from these, one can live in a way that supports one’s welfare. This requires giving up the habit of treating every desire as justified. Decisions about what should and should not be done should rest on discernment and the guidance of sacred teaching.
To recognise oneself is to recognise the direction operating within. Are our actions increasing compassion, truth and restraint, or pride, harshness and craving? Remaining alert to this question is the beginning of change. By making divine qualities part of life, one advances on the path of one’s own well-being. The author has expanded on this in his following book in 62,244 words. (Shrimad Bhagavad Gita — Part 16 — Recognising Oneself)