16.1 Krishna, the messenger, conveyed the word of God: Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and discipline, charity, self-restraint, sacrifice to God alone, study of scripture, austerity and uprightness;

16.2 harmlessness, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, peacefulness, freedom from slander, compassion toward creatures, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty and steadiness;

16.3 vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, freedom from malice and from excessive pride – these belong to one born to the godly nature, O Bharata.

16.4 Hypocrisy, arrogance, self-conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance belong to one born to the ungodly nature, O son of Pritha.

16.5 The godly nature leads to liberation, the ungodly to bondage. Do not grieve, O son of Pandu: you are born to the godly nature.

16.6 There are two kinds of beings in this world, the godly and the ungodly. The godly have been described at length; now hear from Me of the ungodly.

16.7 The ungodly know neither what to do nor what to refrain from; neither purity nor right conduct nor truth is found in them.

16.8 They say the world is without truth, without foundation, without a God; that it arises from mutual union alone, driven by lust and nothing else.

16.9 Holding this view, these lost souls of little understanding, of cruel deeds, come forth as enemies of the world for its destruction.

16.10 Given over to insatiable desire, full of hypocrisy, pride and arrogance, holding wrong views through delusion, they act with impure resolves.

16.11 Clinging to boundless cares that end only in death, holding the gratification of desire as the highest aim, convinced that this is all,

16.12 bound by a hundred ties of hope, given over to lust and anger, they strive to amass wealth by unjust means for the satisfaction of their desires.

16.13 'This I have gained today; this desire I shall fulfil; this wealth is mine, and that too shall be mine;

16.14 that enemy I have slain, and others too I shall slay; I am the lord, I enjoy, I am successful, mighty and happy;

16.15 I am rich and well-born; who else is like me? I will sacrifice, I will give, I will rejoice' – so they say, deluded by ignorance.

16.16 Bewildered by many thoughts, caught in the net of delusion, addicted to the gratification of desires, they fall into a foul Hell.

16.17 Self-conceited, stubborn, filled with the pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform sacrifices in name only, with hypocrisy and contrary to the scripture's command.

16.18 Given over to egotism, power, insolence, lust and anger, these malicious ones hate Me, who am near to them and to all others.

16.19 These cruel haters, the worst of men, I cast down; their reward, through their own deeds, is degradation in this world and the punishment of the hereafter.

16.20 Having fallen into this degradation, deluded life after life of their days on earth, never reaching Me, O son of Kunti, they go at the Resurrection to the lowest state.

16.21 Threefold is the gate of this Hell, destructive of the soul: lust, anger and greed; therefore one should abandon these three.

16.22 The man who is released from these three gates of darkness, O son of Kunti, does what is good for his soul and then goes to the highest goal.

16.23 He who casts aside the commandments of scripture and acts under the impulse of desire attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest goal.

16.24 Therefore let the scripture be your authority in deciding what should and should not be done; knowing what the revealed command declares, you should do your work here.