Chapter 17: Śraddhā-traya-vibhāga-yoga: / Verse 5

Good and proper austerities will have their purifying and elevating effects all through. If this is missing, then the austerity lacks in propriety, relevance and benevolence. This is what happens in the case of demonic people.

Devoid of basic discretion about the purpose and need of austerity, they blindly take to all kinds of distorted, harmful and degenerative practices, which have no scriptural sanction or support.

Their own passions and greed are the motivation for what they do. They care not to evaluate the outcome of the practice. This gives them all freedom to be harsh and cruel in various ways. As a result, they hurt and harm the elements of their own body. But, alas, they think that they are engaged in powerful austerities. No austerity should bring any kind of gross or subtle imbalance, disharmony or harm to the body and its functions.

Krishna points out that the demonic people not only torment the bodily elements, but also inflict pain and suffering to the indwelling supreme Presence – a fact they neither know nor are prepared to honour, if told. The reason for all this is the predominance of tamas and rajas in them – their refusal to use their intelligence and reason to evaluate matters. As in secular matters, so also in divine and spiritual matters, the spirit of enquiry and examination should always be kept up.

By any action – no matter whether it is austerity, worship, or meditation – there should not be any adverse effect on the body, mind and intelligence. The pursuit should be sublimating, strengthening and rewarding, bestowing joy and clarity in the process.

This fundamental awareness Asuric people miss right through. It is a sheer pity. But no caution or persuasion, however timely and strongly given, is able to change the mindset of those with demonic disposition.