Vers 16.816.116.216.316.416.516.616.716.816.916.1016.1116.1216.1316.1416.1516.1616.1716.1816.1916.2016.2116.2216.2316.24

They say, "This universe is without truth, without (moral) basis, without a God, brought about by mutual union, with lust for its cause; what else?"

They say the world is without truth, without foundation, without a Lord, not arising from any ordered cause; what else is it but driven by desire?

Krishna presents the worldview of the demonic person. The world, they claim, has no truth in it, no foundation and no governing Lord. It did not arise in any ordered sequence; it is produced by desire alone. Readers have heard in this a description of a purely materialist outlook, though the verse does not name any school. Its main point is that such a view removes any ground for moral restraint, so that desire becomes the only rule of life.