16.20
Chapter 16, Verse 20
आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि। मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम्৷৷
asurīṅ yōnimāpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani. māmaprāpyaiva kauntēya tatō yāntyadhamāṅ gatim৷৷
Translation
So reborn, they spend life after life, enveloped in delusion. And they never reach Me, O Prince, but degenerate into still lower forms of life.
Translation — Purohit Swami
Commentary
असुरीम् demoniacal, योनिम् womb, आपन्नाः entering into, मूढाः deluded, जन्मनि जन्मनि in birth after birth, माम् Me, अप्राप्य not attaining, एव still, कौन्तेय O son of Kunti (Arjuna), ततः than that, यान्ति (they) fall into, अधमाम् lower, गतिम् condition (path or goal). Commentary: These degraded Asuras are cast into the demoniacal wombs. They are reduced to the very lowest condition or the most appalling state. They are cast into utter darkness. They fall into lower and yet lower wombs in response to their own satanic desires and actions and their extreme Tamasic nature. From the birth of a tiger, they will get the birth of a serpent from a serpents they will get the birth of a wormfrom that they will get the birth of a tree, etc. In Sanskrit the suffix Tara denotes comparative degree and Tama is superlative degree. These people get Nikrishtatama Yonis (the lowest wombs).They do not reach Me as their minds are filled with impurities, as they do not tread the path of righteousness in accordance with the injunctions of the scriptures. The diabolical nature is inimical to spiritual progress. Therefore, you will have to annihilate the evil tendencies by cultivating divine alities and the practice of regular meditation. Then and only then will you attain liberation.
Commentary — Swami Sivananda
Sanskrit and transliteration of the Bhagavad Gita. Corpus compiled from the vedabase and the IIT Kanpur Gita Supersite.