Bhagavad Gita 7.15
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 15 of 30
न मां दुष्कृतिनो मूढाः प्रपद्यन्ते नराधमाः | मायायापहृतज्ञाना आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः ||१५||
na māṃ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ | māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṃ bhāvam āśritāḥ || 15 ||
The evildoer, the deluded, the lowest of men, those whose knowledge māyā has stolen — these do not take refuge in Me.
Word by word (3)
- na māṃ duṣkṛtinaḥ mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ
- — the evildoers, the deluded, the lowest of men — they do not take refuge in Me · na = not. māṃ = Me (accusative). duṣkṛtinaḥ = evildoers, those who act badly (duṣ = bad, wrong; kṛtina = doer — one who does bad, who has built up a pattern of wrong action). mūḍhāḥ = the deluded, the confused (from √muh — the same root as moha of V13; mūḍha = one who is thoroughly confused, who has lost their way). prapadyante = take refuge (the same verb as V14's positive case: those who DO take refuge cross māyā; V15 gives those who do NOT). narādhamāḥ = lowest of men (nara = man; adhama = lowest — those who have degraded their human potential, who have lost the higher orientation that makes the human birth valuable per V7.3).
- māyayā apahṛta-jñānāḥ — āsuram bhāvam āśritāḥ
- — whose knowledge has been stolen by māyā — and who resort to the asura-nature · māyayā = by māyā (instrumental — through the agency of māyā). apahṛta = stolen, taken away (apa + √hṛ = to carry away, to steal; apahṛta = stolen, removed). jñānāḥ = whose knowledge (genitive plural compound — 'whose jñāna has been carried away'). āsuram = pertaining to asuras (demi-divine beings known for power without wisdom, strength without dharma, ego without humility; in the Gita, 'āsura' represents the ego-centered orientation opposed to the 'daivī' divine orientation). bhāvam = nature, orientation, tendency. āśritāḥ = taking refuge in, resorting to (āśraya = shelter; āśrita = one who has taken shelter in). The counterpart to V14: while those who take refuge in the Divine (daivī bhāva) cross māyā, those who take refuge in the āsura-bhāva (ego-centered, power-seeking orientation) cannot take refuge in the Divine.
- four categories — duṣkṛtina, mūḍha, narādhama, apahṛta-jñāna
- — four descriptions of those who cannot take refuge — conditions that block prapatti · V15 describes four conditions that prevent V14's prapatti (complete refuge): (1) duṣkṛtina = wrong action pattern — the accumulated weight of wrong actions creates a cognitive and motivational orientation away from the Divine; (2) mūḍha = deep confusion — the moha of V13 at its most extreme, where orientation is completely lost; (3) narādhama = lowest of men — having degraded the human potential to its lowest expression, losing the upward orientation toward liberation; (4) māyayāpahṛta-jñāna = knowledge stolen by māyā — the most specific: māyā has actively removed the discriminating knowledge that would enable refuge. All four describe states where the orientation toward the Divine is blocked — either by accumulated wrong action, deep confusion, degradation of human potential, or direct māyā-obstruction of knowledge. V15 is not a condemnation but a diagnosis: these are the conditions in which prapatti becomes unavailable.
They do not turn to Me — the evildoers, the deluded, the lowest of men, whose discernment māyā has stolen, who cling to a demonic nature.
A modern analogy
Someone deeply addicted to a destructive substance: their knowledge of its harm has been 'stolen' by the addiction (māyayāpahṛta-jñāna); they act against their own deep values (duṣkṛtina); they are confused about what they want (mūḍha); they may have degraded their potential in various ways (narādhama). In this state, the refuge of genuine recovery is unavailable — not because it doesn't exist but because the cognitive and motivational conditions that would enable taking it have been disabled. This verse's four categories are the spiritual equivalent of this state.
What it does NOT mean
This verse is NOT a permanent condemnation. It describes current conditions, not fixed destinies. The four categories are diagnostic descriptions of states that block prapatti — not labels for permanent classes of people. Even those in these conditions can, through the turning the previous verse describes, move toward refuge. It is a warning and a diagnosis, not a verdict.
Take with you
- The verse's most actionable category is māyayāpahṛta-jñāna (knowledge stolen by māyā): if the discriminating knowledge that would enable spiritual orientation has been suppressed by guṇa-absorption, the first task is to restore that knowledge — through study (śravaṇa), reflection (manana), and contact with wisdom traditions. This is why jñāna practice is necessary.
- This verse and the previous one together give a complete map: the previous gives the positive path (refuge → crossing); this one gives the negative (absence of refuge → cannot cross). The practical application: identify which of these four conditions might be operative in your own practice. The identification itself is the beginning of the reversal.
- The āsura-bhāva (demoniac orientation) here is not about supernatural evil but about the ego-centered orientation that places the self's power and gratification above all else. This orientation, when dominant, makes refuge impossible because refuge requires the ego's relinquishment — precisely what the āsura-bhāva resists.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
The evildoers, the deluded, the lowest of men — those whose knowledge has been stolen by māyā and who resort to the āsura-nature — do not take refuge in Me. [1]
They do not devote themselves to Me — the evil-doers, the deluded, the lowest of men, deprived of discrimination by Maya, and following the way of the Asuras. [4]
The wicked, the foolish, the lowest of mankind, bereft of wisdom by illusion and following a demoniacal way of life — they turn not to Me. [5]
Four kinds of wicked men do not worship me: the deluded, the degraded, the deluded in mind, and those who follow after what is demoniacal. [6]
Nay, but the sinful and the ignorant, the vile, whose knowledge is swept off by the windy storms of Passion — these seek not Me; they live in flesh and ill. [7]
The evil-doers, the ignorant, the lowest of men, who are deprived of knowledge by illusion, and who follow the path of the demoniac, do not take refuge in me. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
This divine māyā of Mine, made of the guṇas, is hard to cross — but those who take refuge in Me alone do cross it.
Four kinds of virtuous persons worship Me: the distressed, the seeker, the ends-seeker, and the wise.
Six āsurī qualities: dambha, darpa, abhimāna, krodha, pāruṣya, ajñāna — all rooted in ego-assertion and ignorance.
With mind attached, practising yoga, taking refuge in Me — hear how you shall know Me fully, without doubt.
The final daivī qualities: tejas, kṣamā, dhṛti, śauca, adroha, nātimānitā — belonging to one born to divine nature.
My delusion is gone — dispersed by Your compassionate words on the Self and its deep mysteries.
Verse 15 of 30 · back to Chapter 7