Hare Krsna-
Below we have listed several verses in the chapter of Bhagavad Gita called the divine and the demoniac. It is important for everyone, especially devotees of the Lord to become familiar with and be able to recognize these demoniac qualities both in ourselves and others as well. For ourselves we should know if we are progressing towards purity and for others especially those in leadership positions , we should be able to recognize those who are demoniac in nature, and never follow them. Some may argue-how can “devotees” have demoniac qualities? If we are not pure devotees, then we still have some traces/tinges of asuric or demoniac behavior patterns.
Lord Krsna is giving us fair warnings about how to go about our business in this dangerous place called the material world. And after you read this short Bhagavad Gita list of verses and purports (some abbreviated to keep the volume down) you will see at the end how psychologists list psychopathic and sociopathic behaviors, which are very similar to what Krsna gives us in His Bahgavad Gita.
Damaghosa das
BG 16.4 Translation–Arrogance, pride, anger, conceit, harshness and ignorance-these qualities belong to those of demonic nature, O son of Pṛthā.
PURPORT–In this verse, the royal road to hell is described. The demoniac want to make a show of religion and advancement in spiritual science, although they do not follow the principles. They are always arrogant or proud in possessing some type of education or so much wealth. They desire to be worshiped by others, and demand respectability, although they do not command respect. Over trifles they become very angry and speak harshly, not gently. They do not know what should be done and what should not be done. They do everything whimsically, according to their own desire, and they do not recognize any authority. These demoniac qualities are taken on by them from the beginning of their bodies in the wombs of their mothers, and as they grow they manifest all these inauspicious qualities.
BG 16.6-O son of Pṛthā, in this world there are two kinds of created beings. One is called the divine and the other demonic. I have already explained to you at length the divine qualities. Now hear from Me of the demoniac.
PURPORT-…Those who are born with divine qualities follow a regulated life; that is to say they abide by the injunctions in scriptures and by the authorities. One should perform duties in the light of authoritative scripture. This mentality is called divine. One who does not follow the regulative principles as they are laid down in the scriptures and who acts according to his whims is called demoniac or asuric. There is no other criterion but obedience to the regulative principles of scriptures. It is mentioned in Vedic literature that both the demigods and the demons are born of the Prajāpati; the only difference is that one class obeys the Vedic injunctions and the other does not.
BG 16.7-Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in them.
PURPORT–…Therefore it is stated here that the demons do not know the scriptural rules, nor do they have any inclination to follow them. Most of them do not know them, and even if some of them know, they have not the tendency to follow them. They have no faith, nor are they willing to act in terms of the Vedic injunctions.
BG 16.9-Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who have no intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to destroy the world.
PURPORT–The demoniac are engaged in activities that will lead the world to destruction. The Lord states here that they are less intelligent. The materialists, who have no concept of God, think that they are advancing. But, according to Bhagavad-gītā, they are unintelligent and devoid of all sense. They try to enjoy this material world to the utmost limit and therefore always engage in inventing something for sense gratification. Such materialistic inventions are considered to be advancement of human civilization, but the result is that people grow more and more violent and more and more cruel, cruel to animals and cruel to other human beings. They have no idea how to behave toward one another.
BG 16.10-The demoniac, taking shelter of insatiable lust, pride and false prestige, and being thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean work, attracted by the impermanent.
PURPORT-The demoniac mentality is described here. The demons’ lust is never satiated. They will go on increasing and increasing their insatiable desires for material enjoyment. Although they are always full of anxieties on account of accepting non permanent things, they still continue to engage in such activities out of illusion. They have no knowledge and cannot tell that they are heading the wrong way.Accepting nonpermanent things, such demoniac people create their own God, create their own hymns and chant accordingly. The result is that they become more and more attracted to two things-sex enjoyment and accumulation of material wealth. The word aśuci-vratāḥ, unclean vow, is very significant in this connection. Such demoniac people are only attracted by wine, women, gambling and meat eating; those are their aśuci, unclean habits. Induced by pride and false prestige, they create some principles of religion which are not approved by the Vedic injunctions. Although such demoniac people are most abominable in the world, still, by artificial means, the world creates a false honor for them. Although they are gliding toward hell, they consider themselves very much advanced.
BG 16.11-12-They believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their anxiety. Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.
PURPORT–The demoniac accept that the enjoyment of the senses is the ultimate goal of life, and this concept they maintain until death. .. Their plans for life are never finished, and they go on preparing plan after plan, all of which are never finished.
BG 16.13-15–The demoniac person thinks: “So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I have killed him; and my other enemy will also be killed. I am the lord of everything, I am the enjoyer, I am perfect, powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice.” In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance.
BG 16.16-Thus perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network of illusions, one becomes too strongly attached to sense enjoyment and falls down into hell.
PURPORT-The demoniac man knows no limit to his desire to acquire money. That is unlimited. He only thinks how much assessment he has just now and schemes to engage that stock of wealth farther and farther. For that reason, he does not hesitate to act in any sinful way and so deals in the black market for illegal gratification. He is enamoured by the possessions he has already, such as land, family, house and bank balance, and he is always planning to improve them. He believes in his own strength, and he does not know that whatever he is gaining is due to his past good deeds. He is given an opportunity to accumulate such things, but he has no conception of past causes. He simply thinks that all his mass of wealth is due to his own endeavor. A demoniac person believes in the strength of his personal work, not in the law of karma. According to the law of karma, a man takes his birth in a high family, or becomes rich, or very well educated, or very beautiful because of good work in the past. The demoniac thinks that all these things are accidental and due to the strength of his personal ability. He does not sense any arrangement behind all the varieties of people, beauty, and education. Anyone who comes into competition with such a demoniac man is his enemy. There are many demoniac people, and each is enemy to the others. This enmity becomes more and more deep-between persons, then between families, then between societies, and at last between nations. Therefore there is constant strife, war and enmity all over the world.
Each demoniac person thinks that he can live at the sacrifice of all others.
Bg 16-17-Self-complacent and always impudent, deluded by wealth and false prestige, they sometimes perform sacrifices in name only without following any rules or regulations.
PURPORT-Thinking themselves all in all, not caring for any authority or scripture, the demoniac sometimes perform so-called religious or sacrificial rites. And since they do not believe in authority, they are very impudent. This is due to illusion caused by accumulating some wealth and false prestige.Sometimes such demons take up the role of preacher, mislead the people, and become known as religious reformers or as incarnations of God. They make a show of performing sacrifices, or they worship the demigods, or manufacture their own God. Common men advertise them as God and worship them, and by the foolish they are considered advanced in the principles of religion, or in the principles of spiritual knowledge. They take the dress of the renounced order of life and engage in all nonsense in that dress. Actually there are so many restrictions for one who has renounced this world. The demons, however, do not care for such restrictions. They think that whatever path one can create is one’s own path; there is no such thing as a standard path one has to follow. The word avidhi-pūrvakam, meaning disregard for the rules and regulations, is especially stressed here. These things are always due to ignorance and illusion.
bg16-18-Bewildered by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, the demon becomes envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in his own body and in the bodies of others, and blasphemes against the real religion.
PURPORT-A demoniac person, being always against God’s supremacy, does not like to believe in the scriptures. He is envious of both the scriptures and of the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is caused by his so-called prestige and his accumulation of wealth and strength. He does not know that the present life is a preparation for the next life. Not knowing this, he is actually envious of his own self, as well as of others. He commits violence on other bodies and on his own. He does not care for the supreme control of the Personality of Godhead because he has no knowledge. Being envious of the scriptures and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he puts forward false arguments against the existence of God and refutes the scriptural authority. He thinks himself independant and powerful in every action. He thinks that since no one can equal him in strength, power, or in wealth, he can act in any way and no one can stop him. If he has an enemy who might check the advancement of his sensual activities, he makes plans to cut him down by his own power
Psychology Today Magazine
How to tell a sociopath from a psychopath-Understanding important distinction between criminal sociopaths and psychopaths
by Scott Bonn Phd
Many forensic psychologists, psychiatrists and criminologists use the terms sociopathyand psychopathy interchangeably. Leading experts disagree on whether there are meaningful differences between the two conditions. I contend that there are clear and significant distinctions between them.
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), released by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013, lists both sociopathy and psychopathy under the heading of Antisocial Personality Disorders (ASPD). These disorders share many common behavioral traits which lead to the confusion between them. Key traits that sociopaths and psychopaths have in common, include:
- A disregard for laws and social mores
- A disregard for the rights of others
- A failure to feel remorse or guilt
- A tendency to display violent behavior
In addition to their commonalities, sociopaths and psychopaths also have their own unique behavioral characteristics, as well.
Sociopaths tend to be nervous and easily agitated. They are volatile and prone to emotional outbursts, including fits of rage. They are likely to be uneducated and live on the fringes of society, unable to hold down a steady job or stay in one place for very long. It is difficult but not impossible for sociopaths to form attachments with others. Many sociopaths are able to form an attachment to a particular individual or group, although they have no regard for society in general or its rules. In the eyes of others, sociopaths will appear to be very disturbed. Any crimes committed by a sociopath, including murder, will tend to be haphazard, disorganized and spontaneous rather than planned.
Psychopaths, on the other hand, are unable to form emotional attachments or feel real empathy with others, although they often have disarming or even charming personalities. Psychopaths are very manipulative and can easily gain people’s trust. They learn to mimic emotions, despite their inability to actually feel them, and will appear normal to unsuspecting people. Psychopaths are often well educated and hold steady jobs. Some are so good at manipulation and mimicry that they have families and other long-term relationships without those around them ever suspecting their true nature.
When committing crimes, psychopaths carefully plan out every detail in advance and often have contingency plans in place. Unlike their sociopathic counterparts, psychopathic criminals are cool, calm, and meticulous. Their crimes, whether violent or non-violent, will be highly organized and generally offer few clues for authorities to pursue. Intelligentpsychopaths make excellent white-collar criminals and “con artists” due to their calm and charismatic natures.
The cause of psychopathy is different than the cause of sociopathy (1). It is believed that psychopathy is the largely the result of “nature” (genetics) while sociopathy is more likely the result of “nurture” (environment). Psychopathy is related to a physiological defect that results in the underdevelopment of the part of the brain responsible for impulse controland emotions. Sociopathy, on the other hand, is more likely the product of childhoodtrauma and physical/emotional abuse. Because sociopathy appears to be learned rather than innate, sociopaths are capable of empathy in certain limited circumstances but not in others, and with a few individuals but not others.
Psychopathy is the most dangerous of all antisocial personality disorders because of the way psychopaths dissociate emotionally from their actions, regardless of how terrible those actions may be. Many prolific and notorious serial killers, including the late Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy, and the incarcerated Dennis Rader (“Bind, Torture, Kill” or BTK) are unremorseful psychopaths. Psychopathic killers view their innocent victims as inhuman objects to be tormented and exterminated for their own amusement or even sexual gratification.
Contrary to popular mythology, most serial killers are not mentally ill in either a clinical or legal sense nor are they “evil” geniuses. At least 40 percent of all serial killers are unrepentant psychopaths. See my related article on that topic.
References-(1) Bouchard, T.J., Jr., Lykken, D.T., McGue, M., Segal, N.L. and Tellegen, A. 1990.”Sources of human psychological differences: The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart.” Science 250 (4978), pp. 223–228.
Various Grades of Bhakti --Naradiya Purana 1.15.38-51 visnau samarpitarh sarvarh sdttvikarh saphalarh bhavet hari-bhakti para nfnarh sarva-papa-prandsini [Lord Vishnu, incarnated as Dharma, religiosity personified, said to the sagacious king Bhagirath:] Everything dedicated to Lord Vishnu attains success and goodness. It is transcendental devotion to Lord Hari that is the destroyer of all sins of human beings. sa bhaktir dasadhajneyd pdpdranya-davopamd tdmasai rdjasais caiva sattvikais ca nrpottama O best among kings! That devotional service which is like a great fire for a forest of sins is understood to be divided into ten types according to [the broad categories of] tamasi-bhakti, devotion in the mode of ignorance, rajasi-bhakti, devotion in the mode of passion, and sattviki-bhakti, devotion in the mode of goodness. [Translator's Note : These ten categories are as follows: (1) adhamd-tamasi-bhakti, low-level devotion in the material mode of ignorance; (2) madhyamd-tamasi-bhakti, intermediate devotion in the material mode of ignorance; (3) uttamd-tamasi-bhakti, superior devotion in the material mode of ignorance; (4) adhamd-rajasi-bhakti, low-level devotion in the material mode of passion; (5) madhyamd-rajasi-bhakti, intermediate devotion in the material mode of passion; (6) uttamd-rajasi-bhakti, superior devotion in the material mode of passion; (7) adhamd-sattviki-bhakti, low-level devotion in the material mode of goodness; (8) madhyamd-sattviki-bhakti, intermediate devotion in the material mode of goodness; (9) uttamd-sattviki-bhakti, superior devotion in the material mode of goodness; (10) uttamottamd-bhakti, topmost devotion devoid of the material modes.] yac cdnyasya vindsdrtham bhajanam srl-pater nrpa sd tdmasy adhamd bhaktih khala-bhdva-dhardyatah 0 King! That devotional service towards the Lord of Sri, Lakshmi, which is performed for revengefully destroying someone, is known as adhama-tamasi- bhakti, low-level devotion in the material mode of ignorance, for it consists of rogue-like tendencies. yo rcayet kaitava-dhiya svairinl sva-patimyathd ndrdyanamjagannatharh tdmasi madhyamd tu sd One who worships Lord Jagannath, also known as Narayan, with a deceitful heart, like an unchaste wife worshiping her husband, performs madhyama-tamasi-bhakti, intermediate devotion in the material mode of ignorance. deva-pujd par din drstvd mdtsaryddyo rcayed dharim sd bhaktih prthivi-pdla tdmasi cottamd smrtd 0 maintainer of the earth! Seeing the demigod worship of others, one who worships Lord Hari with a feeling of competitive enviousness is understood to be performing uttama-tamasi-bhakti, superior devotion in the material mode of ignorance. dhana-dhdnyddikamyas tu prdrthayann arcayed dharim sraddhayd paraydyuktah sd rdjasy adhamd smrtd Equipped with higher faith, one who worships Lord Hari, praying for money and material resources, is understood to be performing adhama-rajasi-bhakti, low-level devotion in the material mode of passion. yah sarva-loka-vikhydta-kirtim uddisya mddhavam arcayet parayd bhaktyd sd madhyd rdjasimatd Through higher devotion, one who worships Lord Madhav while desiring material fame in all the worlds is said to be performing madhyama-rajasi-bhakti, intermediate devotion in the material mode of passion. sdlokyddi padamyas tu samuddisy arcayed dharim sd rdjasy uttamd bhaktih klrtitd prthivi-pate 0 Lord of the earth! One who worships Lord Hari with a desire to attain liberation such as salokya, residing on the same planet as the Lord, is said to be performing uttama-rajasi-bhakti, superior devotion in the material mode of passion. yas tu. sva-krta-pdpdndm ksaydrtham prdrcayed dharim sraddhayd parayopetah sd sdttviky adhamd smrtd Equipped with higher faith, one who worships Lord Hari expertly only to diminish his sins is said to be performing adhama-sattviki-bhakti, low-level devotion in the material mode of goodness. harer idarh priyam iti susrusdm kurute tuyah sraddhayd sarhyuto bhuyah sdttviki madhyamd tu sd Equipped with faith, one who performs service because he has heard [from somewhere] that such and such service is dear to Lord Hari [but does not apply much intellect and realization] is said to be performing madhyama-sattviki-bhakti, intermediate devotion in the material mode of goodness. vidhi-buddhydrcayedyas tu ddsavac chri-patim nrpa bhaktindm pravard sd tu uttamd sdttviki smrtd 0 King!, One who worships the Lord of Sri, Lakshmi, like a servant, with an intelligence equipped with scriptural rules and regulations, performs the topmost type of devotion in the material modes, known as uttama-sattviki-bhakti, superior devotion in the material mode of goodness. mahimdnam harer yas tu kincit krtvd priyo narah tan mayatvena santustah sd bhaktir uttamottamd [Finally], knowing thoroughly the glories of Lord Hari, that human who performs anything dear to Lord Hari while being fully satisfied due to being absorbed in spontaneous devotion is said to be performing uttamottama-bhakti, topmost devotion devoid of the material modes. aham eva paro visnur mayi sarvam idarh jagat iti yah satatam pasyet tarn vidydd uttamottamam One who constantly realizes that I, Vishnu, am the only transcendental Lord and that the entire world is resting upon me, is to be known as the topmost [devotee]. evarh dasa-vidhd bhaktih samsdrac-cheda-kdrini tatrdpi sattviki bhaktih sarva-kdma-phala-pradd These are the ten types of devotion, [and any one of them is] capable of destroying material existence. Yet devotional service in the mode of goodness is the one which can fulfill all of one's [material and spiritual] desires. — Translated by Hari Parshad Das from the NdradTya-mahd-purdna published by Khemraj Shrikrishna Das. Printed at the Venkateshwar Steam Press, Mumbai. Vikram Samvat 1980 (~ 1923 A.D.) More than the Lord From the Prapannamrta of Sri Anantacharya srimad-bhdgavatdrcanam bhagavatah pujd-vidher uttamam sn-visnor avamdnandd guru-tar am sri-vaisnavollanghanam tirthdd acyuta-pddajdd guru-taram tlrtham tadiydnghrijam tasmdn nityam atandrito bhava satdm tesdm samdrddhane The topmost form of worshiping the Supreme Lord is the worship of his pure devotee. More dangerous than defying Lord Vishnu is to defy a vaisnava. More potent than the water emanating from the Lord's feet is the water emanating from his dear devotee's lotus feet. Therefore always be alert and engage in the dedicated worship of those devotees dear to the Lord. (Chapter 65, verse 86.) — Translated by Hari Parshad Das from the Prapannamrta edited by Srinivas Nrsimhacharya (Balaji Swami). Published by Khemraj Shrikrishnadas. Printed at the Venkateshwar Steam Press, Mumbai. Vikram Samvat 1964 (~ 1907 A.D.)
