Verse 16.7
प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च जना न विदुरासुराः ।
न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते ॥
Transliteration
pravṛttiṃ ca nivṛttiṃ ca janā na vidurāsurāḥ |
na śaucaṃ nāpi cācāro na satyaṃ teṣu vidyate ||
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3
Translation
The demoniacal know not what to do and what to refrain from; neither purity, nor right conduct nor truth is found in them.
From the owner's sheet · +1 more
People of demonic nature do not understand when to act and when to refrain. Neither purity nor good conduct nor truth is found in them.
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08 · +1 more
Word by word
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08
Explanation
The description of the demonic nature begins with a failure of discernment. Such people do not understand pravṛtti and nivṛtti, the right occasions for engaging in action and for withdrawing from it. Without that sense, they lack purity, good conduct and truthfulness. The verse suggests that moral decline begins with confusion about what is to be done and what is to be avoided. Arjuna himself began in such confusion, but his confusion arose from conscience, not from indifference.
By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08