The Divine and the Demonic

There are always two kinds of living beings in the creation-the divine and the demonic. Just as every state has two kinds of citizens-those who abide by the laws and those who do not-the state of the universe is filled with two kinds of living beings: those who abide by its natural laws and those who try to defy them. The former are called divine; the latter, demonic.

In other words, a demon need not be a huge monster with ten heads and a thousand arms, nor a little red fiend with a pitchfork. Of course, there may very well be demons with grotesque features and supernatural powers, but the demons who live among us generally appear quite ordinary. Your mailman might be a demon. So might your grocer, your congressman, or anyone else you know. For that matter, so might you.

How, then, can we tell whether a person is divine or demonic? By observing his qualities. The Bhagavad-gita clearly explains which qualities are divine and which demonic. The good qualities include truthfulness, fearlessness, charity, self-control, austerity, and simplicity. They also include nonviolence, cleanliness, gentleness, modesty, and steady determination. These are all spiritual qualities that anyone can appreciate. Other good qualities are compassion, tranquility, renunciation, vigor, forgiveness, and fortitude. A good person should also be free from anger, greed, envy, and the passion for honor. Purification of one's existence, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, aversion to faultfinding, and study of the revealed scriptures are also good qualities. According to the Bhagavad-gita, these are the best human qualities. Anyone decorated with even a few of them could well be considered saintly or godly, therefore they are called divine qualities.

The demonic qualities are just the opposite. Arrogance, pride, anger, conceit, harshness, ignorance-these qualities indicate a demonic person. Such persons are averse to the principles of religion and to the cultivation of spiritual knowledge. They are lustful, and they think that life's only aim is to gratify the senses. They are unclean, dishonest, envious, and mischievous. Such are the qualities that degrade the demons.