Verso 16.916.116.216.316.416.516.616.716.816.916.1016.1116.1216.1316.1416.1516.1616.1716.1816.1916.2016.2116.2216.2316.24

Holding this view, these ruined souls of small intellect and fierce deeds, come forth as the enemies of the world for its destruction.

Holding to this view, these ruined souls of small understanding, doers of cruel deeds, rise up as enemies of the world for its destruction.

Holding fast to this view, such people lose their inner bearings, naṣṭātman, ruined in self. Their understanding becomes small, their deeds cruel, and they become enemies of the world, working toward its destruction. The verse links belief and behaviour directly: a picture of the world without truth or order leads to actions that harm it. In the setting of the Kurukshetra war, the description also recalls the forces of greed and injustice that drove the conflict in the first place.