त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनम् आत्मनः । कामः क्रोधस् तथा लोभस् तस्माद् एतत् त्रयं त्यजेत् ॥
tri-vidhaṃ narakasyedaṃ dvāraṃ nāśanam ātmanaḥ | kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṃ tyajet ||
Three gates to hell, destructive of the self: kāma, krodha, lobha. Therefore abandon this triad.
Word by word (3)
- tri-vidhaṃ narakasyedaṃ dvāraṃ nāśanam ātmanaḥ
- — this (idam) is the three-fold (tri-vidham) gate (dvāram) to naraka (narakasya), destructive (nāśanam) of the self (ātmanaḥ) — the three together are 'the door to hell'
- kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhaḥ
- — kāma (desire/lust), krodha (anger/wrath), and lobha (greed/avarice) — the specific three gates named; all three have appeared throughout Ch.16
- tasmād etat trayaṃ tyajet
- — therefore (tasmāt) one should abandon (tyajet) this triad (etat trayam) — the practical instruction flowing from the diagnosis
This is the threefold gate to hell, destructive of the self: desire, anger, and greed. Therefore one should abandon these three.
A modern analogy
A house has many rooms but only three main entrance doors. Anyone who wants to prevent disaster only needs to lock three doors — kāma, krodha, lobha. The entire āsurī portrait (V7-20) can be traced back to these three: the nihilistic worldview feeds kāma; blocked kāma generates krodha; sustained kāma becomes lobha. Three locks prevent the entire cascade.
V21 is the pivot from the āsurī portrait to the constructive teaching. After 14 verses of the āsurī's inner life (V7-20), V21 offers the remedy in one verse: abandon these three gates. The placement is strategic: having shown the complete āsurī trajectory (V7-20) and its consequences (naraka, downward births), the chapter now offers the exit. The three gates appear throughout the Gita — Ch.3 V37, Ch.5 V23, Ch.14 V12 — but V21 is their most compact and complete formulation.
The word 'dvāra' (gate) rather than 'cause' is important — a gate implies threshold choice. Kāma, krodha, and lobha are gates that can be entered or not. The āsurī enters all three compulsively (V10-12). The daivī character — with abhaya, dama, and non-covetousness (V1-3) — naturally keeps these gates closed. The teaching of V21 is therefore not about suppression but about cultivating the daivī qualities that make these gates naturally unattractive.
Advaita lens
Kāma, krodha, and lobha are three modes of a single error: taking the not-Self for the Self. Desire reaches outward for a completeness the Self already is; anger defends the false self when thwarted; greed hoards against a lack that was never real. Nāśanam ātmanaḥ does not mean destruction OF the ātman (impossible) but destruction of ACCESS to it — the three gates close off the inward path.
Bhakti lens
The three gates are the three thieves of the heart's attention, each pulling the mind from the Lord toward objects. The bhakta's strategy is not suppression but redirection: let desire become longing for God, let anger burn toward one's own apathy, let greed grow greedy for the Beloved's presence. The same three energies, turned around, become the engines of devotion.
Karma-Yoga lens
The most actionable verse in Ch.16 — a daily diagnostic for the karma-yogi: before any significant decision, check the gate. Is this action driven by kāma (craving), krodha (anger), or lobha (acquisitiveness)? If yes, the action feeds bondage regardless of how it is justified. Tasmād etat trayaṃ tyajet is direct instruction: guard the three gates and action stays clean.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Triple is this, the gate to hell, destructive of the self: lust, wrath, and greed. Therefore these three, one should abandon. [1]
MISSING — V21 not indexed; SH, Ganguli and Telang used as primary. [4]
Threefold is this way to hell, ruinous to the self: lust, anger, and likewise avarice. Therefore one should abandon this triad. [9]
Three-fold is the way to hell, ruinous to the self, viz. lust, wrath, likewise avarice. Therefore these three one should renounce. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
More daivī qualities: ahiṃsā, satya, akrodha, tyāga, śānti, apaiśuna, dayā, aloluptva, mārdava, hrī, acāpala.
Duryodhana lists his greatest champions — and every name carries its own tragic irony.
The sound of righteous forces pierces the hearts of those who know they are on the wrong side.
I would rather be killed than kill them — a statement of love that goes beyond self-preservation.
Better to die with clean hands than to win with blood on them.
Cast off this petty weakness of heart — rise. This is not who you are.