A declaration · reflective in mood · easy to enter
“Without discernment, conduct collapses and truth disappears.”
People of a shadowed nature do not know what should be pursued and what should be withdrawn from. In them, there is no purity, no noble conduct, and no truthfulness.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallywhat should be pursued · and · what should be withdrawn from · and · people · not · know · those of shadowed nature · not · purity · not · also · and · noble conduct · not · truthfulness · in them · exists
A shadowed nature cannot tell right action from wrong withdrawal. It also lacks purity, good conduct, and honesty.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga" (The Divine and Demoniac Natures).
Verse 7 sits in Chapter 16 of the Bhagavad Gita — Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga, "The Divine and Demoniac Natures". The chapter has 24 verses in total.
A group chat turns ugly, and someone keeps feeding it with half-truths, sloppy boundaries, and impulsive replies. The problem is not one mistake — it is a pattern of inner disorder.
Did you like this verse?
It trains you to measure character by discernment and basic self-restraint, not by charm or ambition.
What this verse means
A shadowed nature cannot tell right action from wrong withdrawal. It also lacks purity, good conduct, and honesty.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Krishna continues describing the shadowed temperament to Arjuna. After naming the two kinds of human nature, he now shows how the destructive one behaves: it cannot discern what to do or avoid, and it loses basic integrity.
Why this verse still matters
A group chat turns ugly, and someone keeps feeding it with half-truths, sloppy boundaries, and impulsive replies. The problem is not one mistake — it is a pattern of inner disorder.
“You can judge a person by what they consistently fail to honor: restraint, cleanliness, conduct, and truth.”