Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 7

प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च जना न विदुरासुराः । न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते

pravṛttiṃ ca nivṛttiṃ ca janā na vidurāsurāḥ | na śaucaṃ nāpi cācāro na satyaṃ teṣu vidyate

Translation

Neither action nor inaction do the demoniac men know; neither purity nor good conduct nor truth is found in them.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

pravṛttim

forthgoing

ca

and

nivṛttim

return

ca

and

janāḥ

men

na

not

viduḥ

know

āsurāḥ

demoniacal

na

not

śaucam

purity

na

not

api

also

ca

and

ācāraḥ

right conduct

na

not

satyam

truth

teṣu

in them

vidyate

is

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

They do not know what acts they should perform to achieve the end of man, nor from what acts they should abstain to avert evil. Not only do they not know 'action and inaction'; there is neither purity nor good conduct nor truth in them. Indeed, the demons are persons who are wanting in purity and good conduct, who are hypocrites and liars.