Gita 07.15 – Scriptural categorization of non-devotees is living, not frozen
na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ (Bg 7.15)
Word-for-word:
prapadyante — surrender; nara-adhamāḥ — lowest among mankind; māyayā — by the illusory energy; apahṛta — stolen; jñānāḥ — whose knowledge; āsuram — demonic; bhāvam — nature; āśritāḥ — accepting.
Translation:
Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons do not surrender unto Me.
Explanation:
In the previous verse (7.14), Kṛṣṇa stated that those who surrender to Him can cross over the material existence. This naturally raises a question: if surrender enables one to transcend material illusion, why doesn’t everyone surrender? In this verse, Kṛṣṇa provides the answer—there are those who do not surrender to Him (prapadyante) because of their own dispositions and choices. He refers to them as duṣkṛtinaḥ, or miscreants, and classifies them into four categories:
1. mūḍhāḥ — the foolish
2. narādhamāḥ — the lowest among human beings
3. māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ — those whose knowledge has been stolen by illusion
4. āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ — those who have taken shelter of a demoniac mentality
Here, Kṛṣṇa speaks about those who are not ready to surrender to Him. Different ācāryas have explained these four categories in various ways. The essential point is that scriptural knowledge is not merely a historical body of information; it is a living body of wisdom. Although the Bhagavad-gītā was spoken at a particular moment in history, it is not meant only for that time. It is meant for all people, at all times.
For scripture to remain living and relevant, it must be explained in terms that speak to the experiences and realities of each generation. Those who have understood the essence of the Gītā and who strive to live by its teachings help reveal its relevance by presenting its message in ways that resonate with contemporary life.
Therefore, the ācāryas who embody the teachings of the Gītā demonstrate that it is a living scripture. Through their commentaries, they show how the Gītā’s teachings apply to the circumstances and challenges of their own times. Across history, there have always been people who are unwilling to surrender to God. However, depending on time, place, and circumstance, the particular forms of resistance or the specific objections people raise may vary.
For example, in today’s times, the claims of scientism—asserting that science alone can explain the origins of life and the universe—lead many people to doubt scripture and the existence of God. A thousand years ago, there were certainly people who did not surrender to God, but the doubts that troubled them were of a different nature. Two thousand years ago, those doubts would have differed even further.
Although the essential principle remains the same—that some souls wish to surrender to God while others resist—the obstacles that stand between the soul and God take different forms across different ages. Because these obstacles change with time, the ācāryas explain these categories of non-surrender in terms that are relevant to their contemporary audience.
For example, in Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s time, based on the mentality and circumstances of the people then, he explained these four categories of those who do not surrender to Kṛṣṇa in a particular way. This means that the explanation of the term māyayā-apahṛta-jñānāḥ during his period would differ from how it might have been understood in Śrīpāda Rāmānujācārya’s time. In this way, the ācāryas present the meaning of these categories in accordance with time, place, and circumstance.
With respect to these four categories in contemporary times, let us see how Śrīla Prabhupāda explains them.
Mudha: Mudha refers to those who work excessively hard without reflecting on the purpose of their labor—what we would today describe as workaholics, those practically addicted to work.
Śrīla Prabhupāda gives the example of a donkey. The donkey carries heavy loads all day, yet at the end of the day receives only a small bundle of grass—something it could have found anywhere without such effort. Similarly, many people do not pause to reflect: I work so hard, but what is the actual outcome? I need some food to eat, a home to live in, a place to sleep—so why am I exhausting myself so intensely? What deeper gain am I receiving from all this struggle?
Those who never consider these questions, who simply keep laboring without thoughtful reflection, are referred to as mudha.
Narādhamaḥ: The Lord and His devotees are often referred to as narottama or puruṣottama—the highest among human beings. The opposite of uttama (elevated) is adhama (degraded). Thus, narādhamaḥ refers to those who are the lowest among human beings.
What distinguishes a human being from an animal is the capacity and inclination to inquire into spiritual truths (athāto brahma-jijñāsā). To the extent that a person lacks interest in higher, spiritual purpose and remains content with merely pursuing the basic animal functions of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, they fail to realize their true human potential. Such a person may possess a human body, but lives with an animalistic consciousness. In this sense, they are called narādhamaḥ—human in form, but having neglected the very essence of what makes human life valuable.
Those who have no interest in spiritual life, or who repeatedly experience suffering at the material level yet simply conclude, “This is just how life is; nothing can be done,” fall into this category. They resign themselves to material existence without seeking anything higher. By living in this way, they remain stuck and continue to be bound. The narādhamaḥ deprive themselves by never cultivating or striving for spiritual understanding. They allow themselves to be deluded by the endless attractions and distractions of the world.
Such individuals may show great enthusiasm for worldly news and gossip—what happened in a movie, who is involved in what affair, which scandal has taken place and where. Their curiosity and excitement seem limitless in these areas. Yet, when it comes to spiritual topics—discussions about God, the soul, or transcendence—there is no interest at all. This absence of spiritual aspiration is what characterizes them as narādhamaḥ.
Māyayā apahṛta-jñānāḥ: These are people whose knowledge has been stolen by illusion. They do have jñāna (knowledge); they may be very learned, intellectually sharp, and even philosophically inclined. But the essential purpose of their knowledge—to understand and approach the Supreme—has been taken away by māyā. Their learning does not lead them closer to Kṛṣṇa; instead, it becomes a cause of further misunderstanding and misdirection. Thus, although they possess knowledge, that knowledge does not illuminate—it blinds.
Asuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ: Those who have taken shelter of a demoniac disposition, openly opposed to God. While māyayā-apahṛta-jñānāḥ are those who have knowledge but fail to grasp its purpose, Kṛṣṇa later clarifies in the same chapter jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (7.19): the goal and perfection of knowledge is surrender to the Absolute, to Kṛṣṇa, to Vāsudeva. Not realizing this, such people may use their learning for countless pursuits, yet they do not use it to understand the Absolute Truth, to draw closer to Him, or to surrender to Him.
While the first three categories express a non-devotional disposition, the fourth—āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ—reflects an anti-devotional mentality. These people are not just indifferent toward God; they are explicitly opposed to Him. The previous categories might neglect or be apathetic toward the Supreme Lord, but here the attitude is one of active antagonism.
The expression ‘āsuraṁ bhāvam’ refers to a demoniac disposition, but we should not imagine demons as caricatures with horns and fangs. Rather, the term points to a mentality — a way of thinking and living that is opposed to the Divine. Kṛṣṇa does not say ‘āsuraṁ rūpam’ here. So a person need not have a grotesque form to be demoniac. One may appear entirely human and still be a demon by mentality. Such individuals never consider surrender; rather, they nourish the desire to defy God. They imagine that they can challenge, overpower, or even replace Him.
This was the mentality of Hiraṇyakaśipu. He sought to take revenge against Viṣṇu for killing his brother Hiraṇyākṣa, and therefore undertook severe austerities to obtain boons from Brahmā, aiming to become immortal and ultimately kill Viṣṇu and usurp His position.
Similarly, āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ refers to those who do not surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Even today, there are demoniac people who are explicit campaigners of atheism. They are militantly atheistic, preaching atheism aggressively. They go about vigorously blaspheming God and seeking to undermine faith—not always through physical violence, though that too occurs—but more commonly through intellectual violence, by desecrating the ideals and icons of faith. Such people are truly āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ—they are sheltered in a demoniac nature—and they remain firmly unwilling to surrender to the Lord.
Because these individuals—and the other categories described in this verse—do not surrender to the Lord, they remain in illusion. No matter how militant their posture or how proud and satisfied they may outwardly appear, internally they remain unfulfilled and unhappy. Their misery persists because they continue to live under the sway of illusion. And illusion invariably brings tribulation. Unless and until they develop humility and surrender to the Lord, they will continue to remain entangled in illusion, suffering the consequences that such entanglement naturally brings.
Thank you.
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