Chapter XVI · Śloka 20
आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि ।
मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् ॥
मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् ॥
āsurīṃ yonim āpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani |
mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yānty adhamāṃ gatim ||
mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yānty adhamāṃ gatim ||
Entering demoniac wombs birth after birth, the deluded ones, not attaining Me, O son of Kuntī, sink to the lowest state.
The trajectory described here is a downward spiral: each rebirth in demoniac conditions deepens delusion and makes the path to Kṛṣṇa harder to find. Aprāpya ('not attaining Me') is the definitive loss — not temporary suffering but the forfeit of the highest goal.