The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran

╭ chapter sixteen
as well as others. They are arrogant and have many insatiable
selfish desires, and they do not hesitate to do anything that
will get them what they want. Krishna grants that they may
attain their desires, enjoying wealth and power, but their destination
is hell – a hell of their own making, often in this very
life, as their karma bears fruit.
One of the least likable characteristics of “demonic” personalities
is their sense of self-importance. They like to give
gifts ostentatiously and offer ritual sacrifices; this legitimizes
their wealth and makes them feel respectable and esteemed.
They like being generous if it will make them look good.
Krishna does not disguise his aversion to cruel people. He
tells Arjuna that he arranges for them to be born again and
again in a harsh world. Such souls cannot seem to purify their
sinful hearts; repeating the same selfish ways, they sink lower
and lower. This is a bleak picture, which the Gita dwells on
only in this chapter. But even here, amidst the gloom, Krishna
will not say that such a soul is eternally damned. It may be
that such a sinful creature is condemned to birth after birth
in harsh, unfavorable circumstances, sinking into more and
more hellish states of mind; but the cycle goes on, the choice
to change direction is always open, and the Atman itself can
never be stained.
Lust, anger, and greed are the three doors to hell that
Arjuna must at all costs not enter. The person who enters will
╭ 236