Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 16, Verse 18
अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः।मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः।।
ahankāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ ca sanśritāḥ
mām ātma-para-deheṣu pradviṣanto ’bhyasūyakāḥ
also searched as "ahankaram balam darpam kamam krodham ca sanshritah"
Translation
Depending on their egoism, power, and pride, as well as their desires and wrath, these malicious men hate Me in their own bodies and in those of others.
Vāṇi's rendering
Clutching ego, force, insolence, craving, and anger, they end up hating me — in themselves and in everyone else.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अहङ्कारम्ahaṅkāraṁ | the I-making, ego |
| बलम्balaṁ | force, strength used as leverage |
| दर्पम्darpaṁ | insolence, swagger |
| कामम्kāmaṁ | craving |
| क्रोधम्krodhaṁ | anger |
| चca | and |
| संश्रिताःsaṁśritāḥ | taking refuge in, clinging to (all the above) |
| माम्mām | me — Krishna, the knower seated within |
| आत्म-पर-देहेषुātma-para-deheṣu | in their own body and in the bodies of others |
| प्रद्विषन्तःpradviṣantaḥ | hating, holding in contempt (sandhi: pradviṣanto + abhyasūyakāḥ) |
| अभ्यसूयकाःabhyasūyakāḥ | carpers, those who cannot bear another's good |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 Verse 18 mean?
It names five things a person can take shelter in — ego, force, insolence, craving, anger — and says what shelter in them costs. The one who clings there comes to resent Krishna seated in every body, beginning with his own. Cruelty outward and cruelty inward are the same movement, wearing two faces.
What does ahankaram balam darpam kamam krodham ca sanshritah mean?
Saṁśritāḥ means taken refuge in. These five are not merely faults here; they are what such a person leans on for safety. Ego for identity, force for security, insolence for standing, craving for direction, anger for strength. Lean on them long enough and they become the whole house you live in.
Why does Krishna say they hate him in their own bodies too?
Because Krishna is the knower within every body, including theirs. Contempt aimed at others does not stop at others; it turns inward on the same one it was aiming at. Self-loathing and cruelty are not opposites. They are one habit, and it makes no exception for you.
Is this verse describing other people or me?
The Gītā is not handing you a list of villains to identify. Arjuna is shown these traits so he can find them where they actually live — near, small, familiar. Ask which of the five you reached for this week. The answer tells you whose company you will find unbearable next.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Notice where the hating starts. Krishna does not say they hate him in heaven or in temples; he says they hate him in bodies — their own first, then everyone else's. The five things clutched here — ego, force, insolence, craving, anger — all require a target, and the nearest target is always oneself. Contempt is not selective. Whoever holds another cheap is already holding himself cheap, and calls it strength. Arjuna is being shown the anatomy of cruelty, not a class of villains. Check what you are gripping today. What you grip decides who you will find yourself unable to bear.