143 - Guiding Ourselves Towards Divine Qualities| Swami Tattwamayananda

16th Chapter: Verses 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8<br /><br />Gita’s conclusion is that the essence of spirituality is about becoming a good human being. This is emphasized in the 9th chapter, in the 12th chapter and in the 16th chapter. The qualities described in these chapters should be imbibed and should express themselves in our everyday interaction with fellow beings.<br /><br />In the 13th verse of the 9th chapter, Lord Krishna says that the one who is dedicated to God should have these divine qualities and should be broad minded.<br />The commentators of the 16th chapter divide human types into three categories. The first group is endowed with Daivi Sampat – those who have divine spiritual characteristics and are naturally inclined to do good. At the other extreme is the third group, those endowed with Raakshasi Sampat – they are evil and cannot do any good by their very nature. In between is the second group – those endowed with Asuri Sampat – they are neither evil, not divine; they have temptations, and are still striving to be spiritual. There is a long list of such people in the world, and such people should be watchful of what they feed to their mind – by doing noble deeds, they can evolve spiritually.<br /><br />A long list of undesirable characteristics is given in the 4th verse as a red flag to help humans to avoid following the path of Asuri Sampat or Raakshasi Sampat.<br /><br />The 2nd verse says that a spiritually evolved person practices ahimsa (non-violence) in thoughts, words and deeds. According to Gita, Ahimsa means avoiding any conscious or deliberate thought/word/deed that can directly or indirectly cause harm to others.<br /><br />The 3rd verse lists the following characteristics of a person endowed with Daivi Sampat: Boldness, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, and absence of provide.<br /><br />A devotee of God is in a state of perfect inner contentment. He has the strength of mind, the will power, the determination to withstand the problems of life and not be shaken by them. Stren