Illustration for Bhagavad Gita chapter 16 verse 19
Chapter 16 · Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga

Natural Consequence · What Cruelty Draws In

तानहं द्विषतः क्रूरान्संसारेषु नराधमान् । क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभानासुरीष्वेव योनिषु ॥

tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān saṁsāreṣu narādhamān kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān āsurīṣv eva yoniṣu

Meaning

"These cruel haters, the lowest of men, I constantly cast into demoniac wombs in the cycles of this world."

Explanation

This verse can read as harsh, but it's better understood as natural consequence rather than external punishment — persistent cruelty and hatred simply keep drawing a person into more of the same.

Today's Life Lesson

Remember today that cruelty tends to draw more of the same into your life — kindness is also its own kind of magnet.

More verses to reflect on