1/XVII. Arjuna said, “Those who endowed with faith, worship gods and others casting aside the injunctions of the scriptures, where do they stand, Krshna, - in Sattva, Rajas or Tamas?”
2/XVII. Sri Bhagavan said, “that untutored innate faith of men is of three kinds – Sattvika and Rajasika and Tamasika. Hear of it from Me.”
3/XVII. “The faith of all men conforms to their mental constitution, Arjuna, This man consists of faith; whatever the nature of his faith, he is verily that.”
4/XVII. “Men of a Sattvika disposition worship gods; those of Rajasika temperament worship demigods and demons; while others, who are men of a Tamasika disposition, worship the spirits of the dead and groups of ghosts.”
5/XVII. “Men who practise dire penance of an arbitrary type not sanctioned by the scriptures, and who are full of hypocrisy and egotism and are obseseed with desire, attachment and pride of power;”
6/XVII. “And who emaciate the elements constituting their body as well as Me, the supreme Spirit, dwilling in their heart, - know these senseless people to have a demoniac disposition.”
7/XVII. “Food also, which is agreeable to different men according to their innate disposition, is of three Kinds. And likewise sacrifice, penance and charity too are of three kinds each; hear their distinction as follows.”
8/XVII. “Foods which promote longevity, intelligence, vigour, health, happiness and cheerfulness, and which are sweet, bland, substantial and naturally agreeable, are dear to the Sattvika type of men.”
9/XVII. “Foods which are bitter, acid, salty, overhot, pungent, dry and burning, and which cause suffering, grief and sickness, are dear to the Rajasika type of men.”
10/XVII. “Food which is half-cooked or half-ripe, insipid, putrid, stale and polluted, and which is impure too, is dear to men a Tamasika disposition.”
11/XVII. “The sacrifice which is offered, as ordained by scriptural injunctions, by men who expect no return and who belive that such sacrifices must be performed, is Satvika in character.”
12/XVII. “Thar sacrifice; however, which is offered for the sake of mere show or even with an eye to its fruit, know it to be Rajasika Arjuna.”
13/XVII. “A sacrifice which has no respect for scriptural injunctions, in which no food is offered, and no sacrificial fees are paid, which is without sacred chant and devoid of faith, is said to be Tamasika.”
14/XVII. “Worship of gods, the Brahmanas, one’s elders and wise men, purity, straightness, continence and harmlessness – this is called bodily penance.”
15/XVII. “Words which cause no annoyance to others and are truthful, agreeable and wholesome, as well as the study of the Vedas and other Sastras and the practice of repetition of the Divine Name – this is known as the austerity of speech.”
16/XVII. “Cheerfulness of mind, placidity, habit of contemplation on God, control of the mind and perfect purity of inner feeling – all this is called austerity of the mind.”
17/XVII. “This threefold penance performed with supreme faith by Yogis expecting no return is called Satvika.”
18/XVII. “The penance which is performed for the sake of renown, honour and worship as well as for any other selfish gain either in all sincerity or by way of ostentation, and yields an uncertain and momentary fruit, has been spoken of here as Rajasika.”
19/XVII. “Austerity which is practised through perversity and is accompanied with self-mortification or is intended to harm others, such austerity has been declared as Tamasika.”
20/XVII. “A gift which is bestowed with a sense of duty on one who is no benefactor when a fit place, suitable time and a deserving person are available, that gift has been pronounced as Satvika.”
21/XVII. “A gift which is bestowed in a grudging spirit and with the object of getting a service in return or in the hope of obtaining a reward, is called Rajasika.”
22/XVII. “A gift which is made without good grace and in a disdainful spirit out of time and place and to undeserving persons, is said to be Tamasika.”
23/XVII. “OM, THATH and SATH – This has been declared as the threefold appellation of the Absolute, who is Truth, Consciousness and Bliss solidified. By That the Brahmanas and the Vedas as well as sacrifices were created at the cosmic dawn.”
24/XVII. “Therefore, acts of sacrifice, charity and austerity as enjoined by sacred precepts are always commenced by noble souls given to the recitation of Vedic chants with utterance of the divine name ‘OM’.”
25/XVII. “With the idea that all this belongs to God, who is denoted by the appellation THATH, acts of sacrifice and austerity as well as acts of charity of various kinds are performed by the seekers of blessedness expecting no return for them.”
26/XVII. “The name of God, SATH, is employed in the sense of truth and goodness. And the word SATH is also used in the sense of a praiseworthy act, Arjuna.”
27/XVII. “And steadfastness in sacrifice, austerity and charity is likewise spoken of as ‘SATH’, and action for the sake of God is verily termed as ‘SATH’.”
28/XVII. “Whatever done by unconcentration as acts of sacrifice, charity and austerity are always commenced as ‘ASATH’.”
--- END OF CHAPTER - XVII ---
-- OM THATH SATH --
