In Bhagavad Gita 16.19, Krishna says those cruel, hateful and lowest of people, doing evil, he repeatedly casts into demonic wombs in the cycles of worldly existence.
Sanskrit Verse
श्रीभगवानुवाच · The Blessed Lord said
तानहं द्विषतः क्रूरान्
संसारेषु नराधमान्
क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभान्
आसुरीष्वेव योनिषु ॥ १६-१९ ॥
tānahaṃ dviṣataḥ krūrān
saṃsāreṣu narādhamān
kṣipāmyajasramaśubhān
āsurīṣveva yoniṣu
English transliteration taanaham dvishatah krooraan
samsaareshu naraadhamaan
kshipaamyajasramashubhaan
aasureeshveva yonishu ॥ 16.19 ॥
Translation / Meaning
Those cruel haters, the lowest of people, who do evil, I repeatedly cast into demonic wombs in the cycles of worldly existence.
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तान् tān | them |
| अहम् aham | I |
| द्विषतः dviṣataḥ | haters |
| क्रूरान् krūrān | cruel |
| संसारेषु saṃsāreṣu | in the cycles of worldly existence |
| नराधमान् narādhamān | the lowest of people nara (people) + adhamān (lowest) |
| क्षिपामि kṣipāmi | cast |
| अजस्रम् ajasram | repeatedly |
| अशुभान् aśubhān | doers of evil |
| आसुरीषु āsurīṣu | demonic |
| एव eva | indeed |
| योनिषु yoniṣu | into wombs |
Word-wise Chanting
- tā–na–haṃ dvi–ṣa–taḥ krū–rān– 8 syllables taa-na-ham dvi-sha-tah kroo-raan-
- saṃ–sā–re–ṣu na–rā–dha–mān | 8 syllables sam-saa-re-shu na-raa-dha-maan
- kṣi–pām–ya–jas–ra–ma–śu–bhān– 8 syllables kshi-paam-ya-jas-ra-ma-shu-bhaan-
- ā–su–rīṣ–ve–va yo–ni–ṣu || 16-19 8 syllables aa-su-reesh-ve-va yo-ni-shu
How to read this
How to chant: each line is one pāda (quarter-verse); chant it in one breath. The hyphen (-) divides the syllables, inside a word and across a sandhi join, so every pāda shows its 8 syllables (11 in triṣṭubh verses). A consonant cluster is divided after its first consonant (kar-ma, vet-ti): that syllable is held longer. Mark above a syllable: guru, long (two beats); laghu, short (one beat). | closes the half-verse, || the verse; the number is the syllable count of the pāda.
Deeper Explanation – Chapter 16 Verse 19
Context
Krishna describes the consequences of the demonic nature (16.16–16.20).
Meaning
Those who are krūra, cruel, and full of hatred are born again and again in āsurī yonis, in conditions that match their nature. Commentators explain this as the impersonal working of karma, which the Divine administers: each being receives what its own actions have shaped.
This is not divine revenge but the natural consequence of cultivating cruelty. We become what we practise. The same law offers hope: cultivating kindness leads upward.
In Practice
Choose kindness over cruelty in one interaction today, knowing that you are shaping your future self.
Related Verses
Continue Your Study
This verse belongs to Chapter 16: Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga (Divine and Undivine Qualities). Read the chapter overview, browse every verse of the Gita, or return to the chapter-by-chapter guide. For a reading plan, see how to study the Bhagavad Gita and the study resources.