Osho’s Commentary

Now listen to the qualities of the demonic nature. Dambha, hypocrisy—to show what you are not, to wear masks until you forget your own original face. Darpa, arrogance. Abhimana, pride. Osho makes a beautiful distinction: arrogance is pride in what you are not; pride is pride in what you are. But both are demonic, because the root is the same—the ego, which feels, “I am.” And ignorance, agyan. This is not a lack of scholarship. It is the lack of self-knowing. Ravana was a great scholar, but he was ignorant of his own self. And then Krishna gives the greatest reassurance to Arjuna. He says, “The divine wealth leads to liberation, the demonic to bondage. But do not grieve, Arjuna, for you are born with a divine destiny.” Why does he say this? Because Arjuna’s very conflict, his confusion, his compassion for his kinsmen, his reluctance to enter this futile war—all these are signs of a divine nature stirring within him. A truly demonic person would have no such questions. He would simply fight. Arjuna’s hesitation is sacred. His tears are a sign of a tender heart. Krishna is telling him, “Your very problem is the proof that you belong to the divine.”