Chapter 17: Three Kinds of Faith

श्रद्धात्रयविभागयोग · 28 verses. Arjuna asked, "My Lord, what is the condition of those who perform acts of sacrifice not according to the scriptures, but with implicit faith? Is it one of purity, passion, or ignorance?"

17.1 Arjuna asked, "My Lord, what is the condition of those who perform acts of sacrifice not according to the scriptures, but with implicit faith? Is it one of purity, passio…
17.2 Lord Shri Krishna replied: Man has an inherent faith in one or another of the qualities—purity, passion, and ignorance. Now, listen.
17.3 Every person's faith conforms to their nature. By nature, they are full of faith. They are, in fact, what their faith makes them.
17.4 The pure worship the true God; the passionate, the powers of wealth and magic; the ignorant, the spirits of the dead and lower orders of nature.
17.5 Those who practice austerities not commanded by scripture, who are enslaved to hypocrisy and egotism, who are carried away by the fury of desire and passion,
17.6 They are ignorant and torment the organs of the body, harassing Me who lives within. Know that they are devoted to evil.
17.7 The food that people enjoy is also threefold, like the ways of sacrifice, austerity, and almsgiving. Listen to the distinction.
17.8 The foods that prolong life, increase purity, vigour, health, cheerfulness, and happiness are those that are delicious, soothing, substantial, and agreeable; these are lo…
17.9 Those in whom passion is dominant like foods that are bitter, sour, salty, overly hot, pungent, dry, and burning. These produce unhappiness, repentance, and disease.
17.10 The ignorant love food that is stale, not nourishing, putrid, and corrupt; the leftovers of others, and unclean.
17.11 Sacrifice is pure when it is offered by one who does not covet the fruit of it, when it is done according to the commands of scripture, and with implicit faith that the s…
17.12 Sacrifice which is performed for the sake of its results, or for self-glorification - that, O best of Aryans, is the product of passion.
17.13 Sacrifice that is contrary to scriptural command, that is unaccompanied by prayers or gifts of food or money, and is without faith—that is the product of ignorance.
17.14 Worship of God and the Master; respect for the preacher and the philosopher; purity, rectitude, continence, and harmlessness—all of these constitute physical austerity.
17.15 Speech that hurts no one, that is true, pleasant to listen to, and beneficial, and the constant study of the scriptures—this is austerity of speech.
17.16 Serenity, kindness, silence, self-control, and purity—these are the austerities of the mind.
17.17 These threefold austerities, performed with faith and without thought of reward, can truly be considered pure.
17.18 Austerity coupled with hypocrisy, or performed for the sake of self-glorification, popularity, or vanity, comes from passion, and its result is always uncertain and tempo…
17.19 Austerity done under delusion, and accompanied with sorcery or the infliction of pain upon oneself or another, may be assumed to spring from ignorance.
17.20 The gift that is given without thought of recompense, believing it should be made, in an appropriate place, at an opportune time, and to a deserving person—such a gift is…
17.21 That which is given for the sake of the results it will produce, or with the hope of recompense, or grudgingly—that may truly be said to be the outcome of passion.
17.22 And that which is given at an inappropriate place or time or to one who is undeserving, or with disrespect or contempt - such a gift is the result of ignorance.
17.23 Om Tat Sat is the triple designation of the Eternal Spirit, by which the Vedic Scriptures, ceremonials, and sacrifices were ordained of old.
17.24 Therefore, all acts of sacrifice, gifts, and austerities prescribed by the scriptures are always begun by those who understand the Spirit with the word "Om."
17.25 Those who desire deliverance begin their acts of sacrifice, austerity, or gift with the word "Tat", without thought of reward.
17.26 Sat' means Reality or the highest Good, and also, O Arjuna, it is used to denote an action of exceptional merit.
17.27 Conviction in sacrifice, austerity, and giving is also called Sat. So too, an action done only for the Lord's sake.
17.28 Whatever is done without faith, whether it be sacrifice, austerity, gift, or anything else, is called Asat, for it is the negation of Sat, O Arjuna! Such an act has no si…

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