26 verses
Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, what is the position of those who give up the rules of scripture but act without desire for sense enjoyment. Is this sattva, rajas or tamas?
The Lord said: The faith of embodied beings is of three types, arising from their previous impressions. It is made of sattva, rajas or tamas.
O Arjuna, first hear from Me the situation of those who worship without giving up the rules of scripture. After that I will speak to you about the condition of those who give up the rules of scripture. Hear about the three types of faith which arise from svabhāva--particular impressions from previous experiences.
This faith corresponds to the nature of the internal organ, O descendent of Bharata. Man is made of his faith. He becomes similar to whatever form he worships with faith.
Sattvam here means the heart or internal sense organ (antaḥkaraṇa). There are three types of antaḥkaraṇa: in the mode of sattva, rajas and tamas. Accordingly, those who have sattvic antaḥkaraṇa have sattvic faith. Those with rajasic antaḥkaraṇa have rajasic faith, and those with tamasic antaḥkaraṇa have tamasic faith. He becomes similar to whatever he faithfully worships—deva, asura or Rākṣasa (yac śraddhaḥ).
Those with sattvic nature worship the devas. Those with rajasic nature worship the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas. Those with tamasic nature worship the Pretas and Bhūtas.
The Lord clarifies what He has said. Those with sattvic antaḥkaraṇa, with sattvic faith, with rules of sattvic scripture, worship devatās. Because of having faith in those devatās, they are said to be deva. In the same way, those with rajasic and tamasic antaḥkaraṇas take up such faith, and worship Rākṣasas and Bhūtas or Pretas, and are said to be Rākṣasas and Bhūtas.
Know that those people are demonic in nature who, out of ostentation and pride, filled with attachment, lust and strength to endure, having no discrimination, undergo extreme austerities not prescribed in the scriptures, and afflict the elements in the body and Me residing in the body.
“You asked the question ‘What is the position of those who, giving up the rules of scripture but with faith, and not simply enjoying as much as possible, perform worship?’ Now hear the answer.” The Lord answers in two verses.
They perform austerities which are harmful to living entities (ghoram). The mention of austerities is representative of other acts such a japa and sacrifice as well. They perform all these acts against the rules of scriptures. The absence of whimsical enjoyment and endowment of faith (sraddhānvitāḥ) are understood in this context. But they are endowed with ostentation (dambhaḥ) and pride (ahaḍkāraḥ) because without those two, they could not transgress the rules of scripture. They also have desire for eternal youth, eternal life, kingdom and such things (kāma), attachment to their particular austerity (rāga), and ability to perform the austerity (bala), like that Hiraṇyakaśipu and others. Endowed with these qualities, they starve or cause suffering (karṣyantaḥ) to all elements such as earth (bhūtā-gramam), to Me (mām) and to My aṁśa the jīva, situated in their bodies. Know these people to be also situated on the level of asuras.
The food that people enjoy, their sacrifice, austerity and charity have three divisions also. Please hear about these.
I have described in the previous chapter those who give up scriptural rules and do things according to their desire, and in this chapter I have described those who, according the asuras’ scriptures, worship Yakṣas, Rākṣasas , Pretas and other beings (verses 4); and I have also described those who perform austerities and other acts (which appear religious) with no scripture at all (verses 5 and 6). These all end up as asuric beings. Please consider and understand, in like manner, as much as possible, the categories of deva and asura assumed by foods and other things to be described according to division of the three guṇas. Thirteen verses describe these items.
Foods which prolong life span, increase will, strength, immunity to disease, happiness and appetite, and are tasty, mild, substantial, and beneficial are dear to those in sattva guṇa.
It is well known that sattvic foods increase the life span (āyuḥ). They also increase strength of will (sattva) as well as physical strength, freedom from disease, happiness and delightfulness in eating them. The food should be tasty or juicy (rasyāḥ). Jaggery has taste but is coarse or dry. Sattvic food should thus be mild, with oil (snigdhā). The foam of milk, though tasty and mild, is insubstantial. Sattvic food should be substantial, with long lasting effect in the body (sthirā). Jack fruit and other items are sweet, mild, and substantial, but are not beneficial to the stomach and other organs. Sattvic food should thus also be beneficial to the heart, stomach and other organs (hṛdyā) as well. Thus it is understood that foods such as rice, wheat, other grains, milk and sugar are dear to the sattvic people, because they have all four of the above mentioned qualities. As those foods are dear to them, the foods are understood to be sattvic. However, even if food has those four qualities, if it is impure, the sattvic people do not like it. Thus, purity should be added as a quality of sattvic food. One should compare the description of tamasic food mentioned later. The adjective used to describe tamasic food is amedhya, ritually impure, not to be offered in sacrifice.
Foods that are excessively bitter, sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning, and which produce pain while eating, sorrow afterwards and finally disease, are dear to the rajasic person.
In this list the adjective “extremely” should be added to each quality. Very bitter food (kaṭu) means such food as nīma. Very sour, very salty and very hot foods are well known. Very sharp foods (tīkṣṇa) are turmeric root and other items, or pepper. Very drying foods (rūkṣa) are hing and kodrava. Burning foods (vidāhinaḥ) are those that cause internal heat, such as burned chick peas. These cause suffering (duḥkha), lamentation (śoka), and disease (āmayam). The word “suffering” here refers to suffering when eating, causing pain to the tongue, throat or other organ. “Lamentation” means afterward, in the future, those foods cause despair. Āmaya means disease.
Stale food, food without taste, bad-smelling or rotten food, leftovers from others, and impure foods are dear to the tamasic person.
Yāta yāmam means food which has remained three hours (yāmam) after cooking, or in other words, that which has become cold after cooking. Gata-rasam means food from which the natural taste is missing, or has been extracted, or such items as the skin and seed of the ripe mango. Puti means bad smelling. Paryuṣitam means over-ripe. Ucchiṣṭam refers to the leftovers other than that from the guru or other similar persons. Amedyam means inedible items such as kalañja. From reviewing the list of foods, one should conclude that those interested in their own welfare should partake of sattvic foods. The Vaiṣṇavas however reject any food not offered to the Lord, even if it is sattvic food. Food offered to the Lord is dear to the devotees who are beyond the guṇas. This is understood from the Bhāgavatam.
That sacrifice which is performed according to scripture, without desire for material results, with the mentality that it should be performed because of scriptural injunction, is sattvic.
With this verse the Lord begins to speak of the three types of sacrifice. That is sattvic sacrifice which is performed according to the rules, with no desire for results. What would be the impetus for sacrifice if there were no desire for results? The mind is fixed in performing the sacrifice with the idea that it should be done because the scriptures prescribe it thus (yaṣṭavyam eva iti).
Know that the sacrifice performed with intention of enjoying the result, or for ostentation, is rajasic, O best of Bharata’s lineage.
They say that the sacrifice which is contrary to scripture, with no food given in charity, without proper mantras, in which the priests are not paid, and which is performed without faith, is tamasic.
Asṛṣṭa annam means without giving food in charity.
Sattvic austerity of the body consists of worship of devas, brāhmaṇas, guru and the wise, as well as purity, sincerity, celibacy and non-violence.
Speaking of three types of austerity, first the Lord speaks of three types of sattvic austerity in three verses.
Speech which does not disturb others, which is true, agreeable and beneficial, and as well, the recitation of the Vedas, is sattvic austerity of speech.
Anudvega-karam means that in calling out to other persons who have done harm to oneself, one does not cause any disturbance to them.
Sattvic austerity of the mind consists of tranquility, gentleness, silence, control of the mind, and purity of the heart.
When these three types of austerity are undertaken with full faith, and without longing for results, they are said to be sattvic.
The three types of austerity are those of body, words, and mind (tat tri-vidham).
Austerity undertaken for praise from others and for respect from others, or undertaken for show alone, is said to be rajasic. It is temporary and uncertain.
The austerity performed with ostentation, for the purpose of verbal respect by others who will say he is a great man, for the purpose of gaining bodily respect from others by having them stand up when he approaches, and for the purpose of gaining mental respect from others which will manifest in the future as gifts of money and other things, is rajasic austerity. Its results are very temporary (calam) if they appear at all, and it is uncertain (adhruvam) that they will appear.
Austerity performed out of foolishness, inflicting pain on oneself, or for the purpose of harming others, is tamasic austerity.
Mūòha-graheṇa means to be performed out of foolishness. Parasya utsadana artha m means performed with the intention of harming others.
That charity performed with the conviction that is should be given, and given to a proper person who cannot repay, at the proper place and time, is known as sattvic charity.
One should be convinced that the gift should be given (dātavam iti). It is understood here that there is no desire for personal gain.
That gift given with expectation of reciprocation, with desire for results, given unwillingly, is said to be rajasic.
Parikliṣṭam (reluctance) means that one repents after giving the charity, thinking “Why is it necessary to give so much money?” Or it can mean that though not desiring to give, one gives charity only because the guru or someone else ordered him to do so. Or it can mean to use inauspicious items, since one did not do the charity willingly.
Charity given with disregard and as a result, with discourtesy, to an undeserving person at the wrong place and time, is said to be tamasic charity.
The result of disregard (avajñatam) is offence (asat-kṛtam).
The three words oṁ tat sat were revealed by the ancient sages. Brahman in the form of these three sounds created the brāhmaṇas, the Vedas and sacrifice. Therefore,
sacrifices, austerities, charity and other works of the present seekers of Brahman are always started with the uttering of oṁ.
The three types of austerity, sacrifice, charity, foods and faith have been described generally for all human beings. However, among the sattvic people there are also the seekers of Brahman. All of their sacrifices, charities, austerities and food indicate Brahman. That is explained in this verse.
The three words oṁ tat sat, indicating Brahman, have been revealed by the sages (smṛtaḥ). Among those words, oṁ is well known in all the śrutis as the name of Brahman. The word tat is well known to designate the cause of the universe, and is also known to signify the obliterator of what is not tat-- the material world. Sat is defined in the śrutis as that which exists before everything else (eternal): sad eva saumyam agre asīt. (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.4) Since the brāhmaṇas, sacrifices and the Vedas were created (vihitāḥ) in ancient times by Brahman itself (tena) in the form of these sounds oṁ tat sat, the sacrifices, austerities, charity and other works of the present seekers of Brahman are started uttering (udāhṛtya) the name of Brahman, oṁ.
Uttering tat, persons aspiring for liberation performed sacrifice, austerity and charity without seeking results.
Uttering the word tat (tad iti), udāhṛtya being understood from the previous verse, they perform activities such as charity. Anabhisandhaya means without seeking results.
The word sat is used in relation to Brahman and also to the seekers of Brahman. Thus the word sat is used in performing all auspicious activities.
Because the word sat indicating Brahman is present in the most excellent or auspicious things, it should be used in all auspicious activities whether material or spiritual. That is explained in two verses.
The word sat indicates Brahman (sad bhāve) and the seekers of Brahman (sādhu bhāve).
Being the goal of sacrifice, austerity and charity, sat is situated in those works, which are called sat. Any work dedicated to Brahman is called sat.
Sat is situated (sthitiḥ) in sacrifice and other works since it is the goal of those works. Any work suitable for serving Brahman (tad-arthīyam) such as cleaning the Lord’s temple, is called sat.
O son of Pṛthā, whatever is offered in the fire, whatever is given in charity, whatever is undertaken as austerity, but which is done without faith, is called asat since it bears no result now or in the next life.
“I have heard about sat actions (those indicating Brahman). What about asat actions?”
Whatever oblation is offered, whatever charity is given, whatever austerity is undertaken, whatever other actions is performed, is asat if performed without faith. If there is no faith, whatever oblations are offered are actually not offered, whatever charity is given is actually not give, whether austerity is performed is actually not given, and whatever is done is actually not done. Everything is asat, since one obtains no results in the next world (pretya) or in this world (iha).
This chapter describes how sattvic actions of various types, performed with faith, lead to liberation.
Thus the commentaries on the seventeenth chapter of the Gītā have been completed for the pleasure of the devotees’ hearts, by the mercy of the ācāryas.
In the seventeenth chapter according to the questions of Arjuna, the Lord gives a description of the sattvic, rajasic and tamasic things.
“After describing the asuric persons, You concluded by saying that, giving up the injunctions of scripture, they do as they like and do not attain happiness in this life or the next. I have a question about this.” Thus Arjuna speaks this verse.
You have spoken of those who give up scriptural authority and act out of personal desire (kāma-kāritāḥ). But what is the foundation (niṣṭhā) of those who give up the rules of scripture, and according to their inclination perform worship, such as tapa-yajña, jñāna-yajña or japa-yajña, but with faith, without desire to enjoy as they like (śraddhayānvitāḥ)? Is it sattva, rajas or tamas? Please tell me that. Āho is an interrogative particle.