Bhagavad Gita · Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga YogaChapter 16, Shloka 20 (16.20)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि
मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम्
॥ 16.20 ॥
āsurīṃ yonimāpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani
māmaprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yāntyadhamāṃ gatim
Translation
"O Kaunteya, having entered demonic wombs, deluded birth after birth, not attaining me, they go to a state lower still."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. mām aprāpyaiva iti na matprāptau kācid api āśaṅkā asti? ataḥ macchiṣṭasādhumārgam aprāpya ity arthaḥ — there is no question of their reaching the Lord at all; the meaning is — not finding the right path that I have taught.
Ramanujacharya. asti bhagavān vāsudevaḥ sarveśvaraḥ iti jñānam aprāpya — not attaining the knowledge that "the Lord exists".
Shridhara Swami. matprāptyupāyaṃ sanmārgam apy aprāpya — not finding even the right path that leads to me.
Madhusudana Saraswati. He raises the question: nanu teṣām api krameṇa bahūnāṃ janmanām ante śreyo bhaviṣyati — will they too not reach the good after many births? And he answers it in the negative; "not attaining me" = madupadiṣṭaṃ vedamārgam aprāpya — not finding the path I have taught.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.