Bhagavad Gita BG 7.15

Chapter 7, Verse 15 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation

न मां दुष्कृतिनो मूढाः प्रपद्यन्ते नराधमाः । मायायापहृतज्ञाना आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः ॥

na mam dushkrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah mayayapahrta-jnana asuram bhavam ashritah

Meaning

Evil-doers, the foolish, the lowest of men, and those whose knowledge has been stolen by maya — those who are of demonic nature — do not surrender to Me.

Understanding

Verse 7.16 will describe the four types of devotees who DO seek Krishna (the distressed, the seeker of wealth, the seeker of knowledge, and the jnani); this verse first identifies the four types who do NOT surrender to Him. The verse names them precisely: (1) Dushkrtinah — evil-doers, those who consistently accumulate negative karma; (2) Mudhah — the foolish/deluded, those whose discrimination is clouded; (3) Naradhamah — the lowest of men, those who have a human birth but live below its dignity; (4) Mayayapahrta-jnana — those whose knowledge has been stolen (apahrta) by maya. This fourth category is philosophically significant: these are not stupid people — they may be brilliant — but maya has robbed (apahrta = robbed away) their power of discernment. 'Asuram bhavam ashritah' — they have taken refuge in the demonic tendency: ego-identification, denial of a higher reality, material-reductionist worldview. The verse is not condemnation but diagnosis — the conditions that prevent surrender. Each can be overcome through satsanga and grace.

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