Bhagavad Gita 16.21
Spoken by Krishna ★ Essential verse · Verse 21 of 24
त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनम् आत्मनः । कामः क्रोधस् तथा लोभस् तस्माद् एतत् त्रयं त्यजेत् ॥
tri-vidhaṃ narakasyedaṃ dvāraṃ nāśanam ātmanaḥ | kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṃ tyajet ||
Three gates to hell, destructive of the self: kāma, krodha, lobha. Therefore abandon this triad.
Word by word (3)
- tri-vidhaṃ narakasyedaṃ dvāraṃ nāśanam ātmanaḥ
- — this (idam) is the three-fold (tri-vidham) gate (dvāram) to naraka (narakasya), destructive (nāśanam) of the self (ātmanaḥ) — the three together are 'the door to hell'
- kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhaḥ
- — kāma (desire/lust), krodha (anger/wrath), and lobha (greed/avarice) — the specific three gates named; all three have appeared throughout Ch.16
- tasmād etat trayaṃ tyajet
- — therefore (tasmāt) one should abandon (tyajet) this triad (etat trayam) — the practical instruction flowing from the diagnosis
This is the threefold gate to hell, destructive of the self: desire, anger, and greed. Therefore one should abandon these three.
A modern analogy
A house has many rooms but only three main entrance doors. Anyone who wants to prevent disaster only needs to lock three doors — desire (kāma), anger (krodha), and greed (lobha). The entire demonic portrait drawn across the preceding verses can be traced back to these three: the nihilistic worldview feeds desire; blocked desire generates anger; sustained desire becomes greed. Three locks prevent the entire cascade.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Triple is this, the gate to hell, destructive of the self: lust, wrath, and greed. Therefore these three, one should abandon. [1]
MISSING — V21 not indexed; SH, Ganguli and Telang used as primary. [4]
Threefold is this way to hell, ruinous to the self: lust, anger, and likewise avarice. Therefore one should abandon this triad. [9]
Three-fold is the way to hell, ruinous to the self, viz. lust, wrath, likewise avarice. Therefore these three one should renounce. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
The enemy is desire and anger, born of rajas — all-devouring, all-sinful. Know this as your internal enemy.
More daivī qualities: ahiṃsā, satya, akrodha, tyāga, śānti, apaiśuna, dayā, aloluptva, mārdava, hrī, acāpala.
Duryodhana lists his greatest champions — and every name carries its own tragic irony.
I would rather be killed than kill them — a statement of love that goes beyond self-preservation.
Better to die with clean hands than to win with blood on them.
Cast off this petty weakness of heart — rise. This is not who you are.
Verse 21 of 24 · back to Chapter 16