Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 7, Verse 15
न मां दुष्कृतिनो मूढाः प्रपद्यन्ते नराधमाः।
माययापहृतज्ञाना आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः।।
माययापहृतज्ञाना आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः।।
na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
also searched as "na mam dushkritino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah"
Translation
The evil-doers, the foolish, the lowest of men, those persons deprived of knowledge by delusion (Maya) and those who are dominated by a demoniac nature - they do not seek refuge in Me.
Vāṇi's rendering
The wicked and deluded do not turn to me — their knowing stolen by illusion, their nature leaning to darkness.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नna | not |
| माम्mām | to me |
| दुष्कृतिनःduṣkṛtinaḥ | those who do harm, the wicked |
| मूढाःmūḍhāḥ | the deluded, the dulled in mind |
| प्रपद्यन्तेprapadyante | turn, come for refuge |
| नराधमाःnarādhamāḥ | the lowest among men |
| माययाmāyayā | by illusion (joins with the next word by sandhi) |
| अपहृतज्ञानाःapahṛta-jñānāḥ | whose knowing has been carried off |
| आसुरम्āsuram | dark, demonic |
| भावम्bhāvam | nature, disposition |
| आश्रिताःāśritāḥ | having taken shelter in, leaning upon |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 Verse 15 mean?
Krishna describes those who never turn toward him. Their knowing has been carried off by māyā, and their nature leans toward darkness. It is not a sentence passed on them; it is a description of how the turning fails. Nobody is refused. Some simply never approach, and never notice that they did not.
What is the meaning of na mam dushkritino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah?
Four words for those who stay away: the harm-doers, the dulled, the lowest, the ones whose wisdom illusion has stolen. Krishna lists them without heat. The harsh terms name a condition, not a caste of people — and the condition can lift the moment the turning happens.
Does Krishna reject anyone in this verse?
No. Read it carefully: they do not come to him. The refusal is not his. Krishna is stating who fails to approach, not who is turned away. The previous verse promised that whoever comes crosses the illusion, and that promise is not withdrawn here for anyone.
Who are the asuras Krishna mentions here?
Not mythological demons. Āsuraṁ bhāvam is a leaning, a disposition — cruelty made comfortable, untruth made ordinary. It grows in a person the way a habit grows, without announcement. That is why Krishna pairs it with stolen knowing. The nature darkens first, and the seeing goes with it.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Krishna has just said that whoever turns to him crosses the illusion. Here he names those who never turn. Notice he does not call them punished, or barred, or damned. He describes a condition: knowing stolen, nature leaning down. The wicked are not kept out; they simply do not come. That is the whole tragedy of it — the door is open and they walk past. And this is not a list of other people. Some mornings you are the one who does not turn, and it feels like nothing at all, only a day going by. Notice the not-turning.