Gita 16.17

Chapter 16: Divine & Demonic

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Gita 16.17
आत्मसम्भाविताः स्तब्धा धनमानमदान्विताः। यजन्ते नामयज्ञैस्ते दम्भेनाविधिपूर्वकम्॥

ātma-sambhāvitāḥ stabdhā dhana-māna-madānvitāḥ yajante nāma-yajñais te dambhenāvidhi-pūrvakam

"Self-conceited, stubborn, filled with the pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform sacrifice in name only, hypocritically, without following proper rules."

What This Means:

Full of self-importance and stubbornness, drunk on wealth-pride, they perform religious rituals just for show, hypocritically, without proper understanding or procedure.

Going Deeper:

'Ātma-sambhāvitāḥ'—self-conceited (high self-regard). 'Stabdhāḥ'—stubborn, stiff-necked. 'Dhana-māna-mada-anvitāḥ'—filled with intoxication of wealth and honor. 'Yajante nāma-yajñaiḥ'—sacrifice in name only. 'Dambhena avidhi-pūrvakam'—hypocritically, without proper method. Their religion is performance, not transformation.

How To Apply This:

Is your spiritual practice genuine or for show? Do you meditate to transform or to tell others you meditate? Authentic practice may be invisible; performative practice seeks audience.

Key Sanskrit Terms:

ātma-sambhāvitāḥ= self-conceitedstabdhāḥ= stubbornnāma-yajñaiḥ= sacrifice in name onlydambhena= hypocritically