Bhagavad Gita BG 16.20
Chapter 16, Verse 20 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि । मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् ॥
asurim yonim apanna mudha janmani janmani mam aprapyaiva kaunteya tato yanti adhamam gatim
Meaning
Having entered demonic wombs birth after birth, not attaining Me — they fall into ever lower states, O Arjuna.
Understanding
The trajectory of the demonic through multiple lives: asurim yonim apanna (having entered demonic wombs — the successive births in demonic environments). Mudha (the deluded/foolish ones — mudha = confused, stupefied). Janmani janmani (birth after birth — the repetition emphasizes the accumulated weight). Mam aprapya eva (not attaining Me — aprapya = without reaching; this is the essential tragedy: lifetime after lifetime without reaching the Divine). Tato yanti adhamam gatim (from there they go to ever lower states — adhama = lower, gati = direction of movement, state). The descending trajectory: each demonic birth reinforces the demonic tendencies, deepening the distance from the Divine and the descent. Adhamam gatim — not static damnation but dynamic descent. This is the Gita's most sobering teaching on the consequences of the demonic orientation over multiple lifetimes.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| आपन्नाः | apanna | having entered, having fallen into |
| मूढाः | mudha | the deluded, the confused, the stupefied ones |
| जन्मनि जन्मनि | janmani janmani | birth after birth, in each successive life |
| अप्राप्य | aprapya | not attaining, without reaching (negative gerund) |
| अधमाम् गतिम् | adhamam gatim | into ever lower states, descending direction (adhama = lower) |
| आसुरीम् | āsurīm | demoniac |
| योनिम् | yonim | the womb, the birth |
| आपन्नाः | āpannāḥ | having obtained |
| मूढाः | mūḍhāḥ | the deluded, the foolish |
| माम् | mām a-prāpya eva | without reaching Me |
| कौन्तेय | kaunteya | O son of Kunti |
| ततः | tataḥ | then, thereafter |
| यान्ति | yānti | they go |
| अधमाम् | adhamām gatim | to the lowest destination |
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