Vedic Q&AAnswered according to Bhaktivedanta Siddhānta

Which verse in gita speak about lust anger and greed and what does it speak about ?

✨Vedic Scholar Answer
Verified against Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
The Bhagavad-gītā identifies lust, anger, and greed as the three primary gates leading to hellish conditions and the degradation of the soul. In BG 16.21, Lord Kṛṣṇa explicitly states: "There are three gates leading to this hell – lust, anger and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul." This verse underscores that these qualities are not merely negative emotions but destructive forces that bind the living entity to material existence and obstruct spiritual progress. The purport explains that the beginning of demoniac life arises when one seeks to satisfy lust, and when obstructed, anger and greed follow, pulling the soul further away from divine consciousness. Furthermore, the process by which lust develops is elaborated in BG 2.62: "While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises." This verse traces the psychological chain reaction—sense contemplation leads to attachment, attachment gives rise to lust, and unfulfilled lust manifests as anger. Together, these verses teach that to advance spiritually, one must curb these impulses through intelligence, detachment, and engagement in the loving service of Kṛṣṇa, thereby purifying the mind and cultivating godly qualities as described in BG 16.1-3. Only by renouncing lust, anger, and greed can one attain liberation and eternal peace.

Canonical Verse Citations (4)

“While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.”

“There are three gates leading to this hell – lust, anger and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.”

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Fearlessness; purification of one’s existence; cultivation of spiritual knowledge; charity; self-control; performance of sacrifice; study of the Vedas; austerity; simplicity; nonviolence; truthfulness; freedom from anger; renunciation; tranquillity; aversion to faultfinding; compassion for all living entities; freedom from covetousness; gentleness; modesty; steady determination; vigor; forgiveness; fortitude; cleanliness; and freedom from envy and from the passion for honor – these transcendental qualities, O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.”

“Being purified by his intelligence and controlling the mind with determination, giving up the objects of sense gratification, being freed from attachment and hatred, one who lives in a secluded place, who eats little, who controls his body, mind and power of speech, who is always in trance and who is detached, free from false ego, false strength, false pride, lust, anger, and acceptance of material things, free from false proprietorship, and peaceful – such a person is certainly elevated to the position of self-realization.”

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