Who is Demonic Person - The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita

Who is Demonic Person - The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita
॥ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥ ॥ ॐ श्री परमात्मने नमः ॥ ॥ अथ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥
 
Shree Krishna has explained in chapters 14, 16 17 and 18 of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita about the different personalities of persons which are caused by the root material i.e. Prakriti (nature) having three attributes viz. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas in varying proportion. The different characteristics viz. state of mind, actions & doership, charity, spiritual duties, food habits, true knowledge, intellect, determination, joy and re-birth spell out about the tamsika person.
 
Tamasika person is characterised by inertia (lethargy, inactivity), darkness, dullness, ignorance, madness, intoxication, lassitude, atheism, addiction to women, drowsiness, sloth, worthlessness, impurity and the like. Tamas element covers the knowledge and impels one to madness (14.9). By overpowering Sattva and Rajas, Tamas prevails (14.10).     Ignorance is the fruit of a Tamasika act (14.16).
 
The Tamas , the deceiver of all those who look upon the body as their own self, as born of ignorance. It binds the soul through carelessness/madness, laziness and sleep (14.8). Hypocrisy, arrogance, prides and anger, harshness and ignorance, these are the marks of him, who is born with demoniac properties.

Knowledge dominated by tamas sees side issues as the whole truth and doggedly holds on to them without due thought, under the prompting of passions; actions dominated by it is undertaken thoughtlessly without estimate of one’s capacity of resources, and is prompted by delusions and cruel motives; the agent dominated by tamas is fickle minded, insolent, exploiting, procrastinating and slipshod in his methods; the intelligence is dominated by it sees unrighteousness as righteousness and takes the wrong side of everything; strength of mind or determination dominated by it is always subject to depression, vacillation, and overbearing insolence; and pleasure dominated by it is from the beginning to the end riddled delusion, lethargy and heedlessness.

The main attributes of Demonic Person are listed as under (in bracket, chapter.verse) (the relevant Sanskrit verses of Bhagavad Gita are mentioned at the bottom):

1. Tamasika state of mind:

With the growth of Tamas, dullness of the mind and senses, disinclination to perform one’s obligatory duties, frivolity, triviality, inertness and delusion etc. appear (14.13). The thoughts of persons possessing a demoniac disposition are as under:  

1. They possess neither purity (external or internal) nor good conduct nor even truthfulness (16.7).
2. Such persons believe that this world is without any foundation, absolutely unreal and Godless brought forth by mutual union of the male and female and hence conceived in lust (16.8).
3. Cherishing insatiable desires and embracing false doctrines through ignorance, these persons are of impure conduct move in this world, full of hypocrisy, pride and arrogance (16.10).
4. They believe that this much has been secured by me today and now I shall realize this ambition. So much wealth is already with me and yet again this shall be mine (16.13).
5. That enemy has been slain by me and I shall kill those others too. I am the lord of all, the enjoyer of all power, I am endowed with all occult powers, and am mighty and happy (16.14).
6. They believe that they are wealthy and own a large family and nobody matches them; they will sacrifice to gods, will give alms, they will make merry (16.15).
7. Thus, deluded by ignorance, enveloped in the mesh of delusion and addicted to the enjoyment of sensuous pleasures, their mind bewildered by numerous thoughts, these persons of devilish disposition fall into the foulest hell (16.16).
8. Given over to egotism, brute force, arrogance, lust and anger etc., and calumniating others, they despise Me (the in-dweller), dwelling in their own bodies, as in those of others (16.18).
9. Those haters, sinful, cruel and vilest among men, I cast again and again into demoniacal wombs in this world (16.19).
10. Failing to reach Me, those stupid persons are born life after life in demoniac wombs and then verily sink down to a still lower plane (16.20).
11. Charity: Charity which is made without good grace and in a disdainful spirit, out of time and place, and to undeserving persons, (for drinking wine, eating meat, stealing, and inferior task etc.) is said to be Tamasika (17.22).
12. Spiritual duties:
    1. The persons, who are of Tamasika disposition, worship the spirits of the dead and ghosts (17.4).
    2. Persons, who practise severe penance of an arbitrary type, not sanctioned by the scriptures, and who are full of hypocrisy and egotism and are, obsessed with desire, attachment and pride of power and who torture the elements constituting their body as well as the Supreme Spirit, dwelling in their body are Tamsika (17.5, 17.6).
    3. A sacrifice, which is not in conformity with scriptural injunctions, in which no food is offered, and no sacrificial fees are paid, which is without sacred chant of hymns and devoid of faith, is said to be Tamasika (17.13). Penance which is resorted to out of foolish obstinacy and is accompanied by self-mortification (humiliation), or is intended to harm others, such penance has been declared as Tamasika (17.19).
13. Actions & Doership: The actions of persons possessing a demoniac disposition are as under: 
    1. Whatever is done indifferently, with evil motives, thoughtlessly, and in a grumbling spirit is tamas. Such conduct is futile in respect of person’s higher evolution.
    2. Lacking piety (piousness) and self-control, uncultured, arrogant, deceitful, inclined to rob others of their livelihood, slothful (lethargic), despondent and procrastinating-such a doer is called Tamasika (18.28).
    3. That action which is undertaken through sheer ignorance, without regard to consequences or loss to oneself, injury to others and one’s own resourcefulness, is declared as Tamasika (18.25).
    4. Do not know what right-activity is and what right abstinence from activity is.
    5. Such persons of vile (aweful) disposition and terrible deeds are enemies of mankind, bent on destruction of the world (16.9).
    6. Cherishing insatiable desires and embracing false doctrines through ignorance, these persons are of impure conduct move in this world, full of hypocrisy, pride and arrogance (16.10).
    7. They remain devoted to the enjoyment of sensuous pleasures, self-care and are firm in their belief that this is the highest limit of joy (16.11).
    8. They are held in bondage of hundreds of ties of expectation and wholly giving themselves up to lust and anger, they strive to amass by unfair means hordes of money and other objects for the enjoyment of sensuous pleasures (16.12).
    9. Intoxicated by wealth and honour, those arrogant and haughty men perform sacrifices only in name for ostentation, without following the sacred rituals (16.17).
14. Food habits: Food which is ill-cooked or not fully ripe, insipid, putrid, stale and polluted, and which is impure too, is dear to men of Tamasika (17.10).
15. True Knowledge: knowledge which clings to one body as if it were the whole, and which is irrational, has no real grasp of truth and is trivial has been declared as Tamasika (18.22).
16. Intellect: The intellect wrapped in ignorance, which imagines even Adharma to be Dharma, and sees all other things upside-downóthat intellect is Tamasika (18.32).
17. Determination: The perseverance by which an evil minded person does not give up sleep, fear, anxiety, sorrow and vanity as well, that perseverance is Tamasika (18.35).
18. Joy: That which overwhelms the Self during its enjoyment as well as in the end-derived from sleep, indolence (laziness) and obstinate error, such delight has been called Tamasika (18.39).
19. Re-birth - The person who has expired during the preponderance of Tamas is reborn in the species of the deluded creatures such as insects and beasts etc. (14.15).

Reference:

1. Bhagavad Gita, by Swami Sivananda, a divine life society publication
2. Srimad-Bhagavad Gita, by Swami Tapasyananda, Sri Ramakrishna math, Mylapore, Madras – 600004.   
3. https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_giitaa/bhagvadnew.html?lang=sa
4. The Bhagavad Gita, Gita press, Gorakhpur:

 
Chapter: 14
तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् । प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥ १४-८॥ सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत । ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत ॥ १४-९॥ रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत । रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा ॥ १४-१०॥ अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च । तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥ १४-१३॥ रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते । तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते ॥ १४-१५॥ कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् । रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥ १४-१६॥
Chapter: 16
प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च जना न विदुरासुराः । न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते ॥ १६-७॥ असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् । अपरस्परसम्भूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ॥ १६-८॥ एतां दृष्टिमवष्टभ्य नष्टात्मानोऽल्पबुद्धयः । प्रभवन्त्युग्रकर्माणः क्षयाय जगतोऽहिताः ॥ १६-९॥ काममाश्रित्य दुष्पूरं दम्भमानमदान्विताः । मोहाद्गृहीत्वासद्ग्राहान्प्रवर्तन्तेऽशुचिव्रताः ॥ १६-१०॥ चिन्तामपरिमेयां च प्रलयान्तामुपाश्रिताः । कामोपभोगपरमा एतावदिति निश्चिताः ॥ १६-११॥ आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः । ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान् ॥ १६-१२॥ इदमद्य मया लब्धमिमं प्राप्स्ये मनोरथम् । इदमस्तीदमपि मे भविष्यति पुनर्धनम् ॥ १६-१३॥ असौ मया हतः शत्रुर्हनिष्ये चापरानपि । ईश्वरोऽहमहं भोगी सिद्धोऽहं बलवान्सुखी ॥ १६-१४॥ आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया । यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः ॥ १६-१५॥ अनेकचित्तविभ्रान्ता मोहजालसमावृताः । प्रसक्ताः कामभोगेषु पतन्ति नरकेऽशुचौ ॥ १६-१६॥ आत्मसम्भाविताः स्तब्धा धनमानमदान्विताः । यजन्ते नामयज्ञैस्ते दम्भेनाविधिपूर्वकम् ॥ १६-१७॥ अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं च संश्रिताः । मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः ॥ १६-१८॥ तानहं द्विषतः क्रूरान्संसारेषु नराधमान् । क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभानासुरीष्वेव योनिषु ॥ १६-१९॥ आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि । मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् ॥ १६-२०॥
Chapter: 17
अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जनाः । दम्भाहङ्कारसंयुक्ताः कामरागबलान्विताः ॥ १७-५॥ कर्षयन्तः शरीरस्थं भूतग्राममचेतसः । मां चैवान्तःशरीरस्थं तान्विद्ध्यासुरनिश्चयान् ॥ १७-६॥ यातयामं गतरसं पूति पर्युषितं च यत् । उच्छिष्टमपि चामेध्यं भोजनं तामसप्रियम् ॥ १७-१०॥ विधिहीनमसृष्टान्नं मन्त्रहीनमदक्षिणम् । श्रद्धाविरहितं यज्ञं तामसं परिचक्षते ॥ १७-१३॥ मूढग्राहेणात्मनो यत्पीडया क्रियते तपः । परस्योत्सादनार्थं वा तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥ १७-१९॥ अदेशकाले यद्दानमपात्रेभ्यश्च दीयते । असत्कृतमवज्ञातं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥ १७-२२॥ )
Chapter: 18
यत्तु कृत्स्नवदेकस्मिन्कार्ये सक्तमहैतुकम् । अतत्त्वार्थवदल्पं च तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥ १८-२२॥ अनुबन्धं क्षयं हिंसामनपेक्ष्य च पौरुषम् । मोहादारभ्यते कर्म यत्तत्तामसमुच्यते ॥ १८-२५॥ अयुक्तः प्राकृतः स्तब्धः शठो नैष्कृतिकोऽलसः । विषादी दीर्घसूत्री च कर्ता तामस उच्यते ॥ १८-२८॥ अधर्मं धर्ममिति या मन्यते तमसावृता । सर्वार्थान्विपरीतांश्च बुद्धिः सा पार्थ तामसी ॥ १८-३२॥ यया स्वप्नं भयं शोकं विषादं मदमेव च । न विमुञ्चति दुर्मेधा धृतिः सा पार्थ तामसी ॥ १८-३५॥ यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः । निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥ १८-३९॥