Chapter 16 · The Divine and Demoniac

श्रीकृष्णŚrī Kṛṣṇa speaks

Text 16.17

आत्मसम्भाविता: स्तब्धा धनमानमदान्विता: यजन्ते नामयज्ञैस्ते दम्भेनाविधिपूर्वकम्

ātma-sambhāvitāḥ stabdhā dhana-māna-madānvitāḥ yajante nāma-yajñais te dambhenāvidhi-pūrvakam

Recitation · Text 16.17
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Word-for-Word Śabda-Artha (12 words)

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Purport Overview & Key Insights

Self-important, unbending, filled with the pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform sacrifices in name only, ostentatiously and against the rule. The religion is not absent — it is present and hollow, which is the more precise charge.

✨ Devotional Takeaway:The religion is present and hollow — a more precise charge than its absence.