We become what we choose

tānahaṃ dviṣataḥ krurānsaṃsāreṣu narādhamānkṣipāmyajasramaśubhānāsurīṣveva yoniṣu

Those cruel, hateful ones, the lowest among people, I cast again and again into demonic births in the cycle of lives.

What it means

This is a hard verse. Krishna says those who keep choosing cruelty and hatred are cast again and again into births of the same nature. Most teachers read this as karma at work, not revenge. We become what we practise. Krishna simply lets the law of consequence run its course. And it never says anyone's birth shows their worth.

The story

Arjuna hears a sober truth. Choices harden into character, and character shapes destiny. The door to change, though, is never locked, as the next verses show.

In your life

Maybe you know someone who chose bitterness for years and became unrecognisable. Choices become who we are. Make one kind choice today on purpose.