Verse 16.9

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 16.9:

एतां दृष्टिम् अवष्टभ्य नष्टात्मानोऽल्प-बुद्धयः ।
प्रभवन्त्य् उग्र-कर्माणः क्षयाय जगतोऽहिताः ॥ ९ ॥

etāṃ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya naṣṭātmāno'lpa-buddhayaḥ |
prabhavanty ugra-karmāṇaḥ kṣayāya jagato'hitāḥ || 9 ||

etām–this; dṛṣṭim–philosophy; avaṣṭabhya–taking shelter; naṣṭa-ātmānaḥ–without knowledge of the soul (in the bodily conception of life); alpa-buddhayaḥ–of meagre intelligence; prabhavanti–take birth; ugra-karmāṇaḥ–engaged in cruel activities, etc.; kṣayāya–for the destruction;jagataḥ–of the world; ahitāḥ–the harmful demons [the impersonalist nihilistic philosophers who write speculative commentaries on the Vedānta-sūtra].

Since they are bereft of knowledge of the soul, foolish demons consider the body to be the self. Accepting shelter of this demoniac view, they take birth solely for the destruction of this world and engage in cruel activities for that purpose.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

In this way, some of these demons have become completely lost. Some have very little intelligence, and others engage in wicked acts, are frivolous and are destined for hell. For this reason, Śrī Bhagavān is speaking eleven consecutive verses, the first of which begins here with etām. Avaṣṭabhya means ‘taking shelter’.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Demons are bereft of know-ledge of the self, or ātma-jñāna. They invent various types of machines on the pretext of advancing human civilization. An abundance of weapons and apparatus are being devised to kill the maximum amount of people in the minimum amount of time, even those in distant continents. The demons are quite proud of such inventions, which can destroy this world at any moment. Demoniac society has no faith in Īśvara or the Vedas, and therefore works to destroy the world, not to produce peace and happiness for society.