In Chapter 16, Krishna has established that ‘faithful followers of sastra are divine’ and that the ‘faithless are demoniac’
But into which category does a man fit, who follows with faith something other than sastra? Is he in goodness, passion or ignorance; where is he situated in the Banyan tree
These defects can be offset by acting, even if within the modes of nature, in Krishna’s service: “Om tat sat”
Conclusion is that when sacrifice, penance and austerity are performed without faith in the Supreme – without a transcendental goal – they are useless in this life and next
— Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Section 1
(17.1–17.7)
THE MODES DETERMINE ONE’S FAITH AND ONE’S WORSHIP
Section overview
Arjuna asks about the situation of one who worships, but not according to sastra
Krishna replies that one who doesn’t follow sastra worships according to the faith dictated by his acquired modes of material nature
SECTION II (17. 8 – 17.10) — FOODS IN THE MODES
Easiest way to discover a person’s situation under the modes is by observing the food he eats
Krishna describes foods in goodness, passion and ignorance
A compound: śāstra (revealed instruction) + vidhi (rule, prescription). The dvandva pivot of the whole chapter — Arjuna asks about those who have set śāstra-vidhi aside. The chapter will argue that without this compass, even fervent worship cannot rise above the lower modes.
utsṛjya—giving up
Gerund from ut + √sṛj — to cast off, to release upward and away. The word is deliberate: not 'never knew' but 'gave up.' Arjuna is asking about those who knowingly discard scripture.
śraddhayā—full faith
Instrumental of śraddhā. Note the paradox Arjuna is naming: the action is done with śraddhā yet without śāstra. The Gītā will not dismiss the śraddhā — it will diagnose its mode.
niṣṭhā—the faith, the standing
From ni + √sthā — 'where one stands.' Not mere belief but the ground one's life rests on. Arjuna is asking about ontology, not opinion: in what mode does such a worshiper actually stand?
sattvam—in goodness
The first of the three guṇas Arjuna names. Listed first because it is the one the worshiper himself would claim — Arjuna is asking Kṛṣṇa to adjudicate the claim, not endorse it.
Arjuna inquired: O Kṛṣṇa, what is the situation of those who do not follow the principles of scripture but worship according to their own imagination? Are they in goodness, in passion or in ignorance?
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Arjuna is unsatisfied with Kṛṣṇa's earlier dismissal of those who ignore scripture (16.23-24). He presses: many people DO worship with sincere faith outside the śāstra — under which mode does their effort actually fall? The question pivots the chapter to a triadic anatomy of faith.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The chapter opens with Arjuna's diagnostic question that controls the entire 28-verse exposition. Key term niṣṭhā (standing, fixed position) signals he is asking about ontological status, not mere emotional tone. By naming the three guṇas in his question, Arjuna implicitly accepts the modes framework of chapters 14 and 16 and asks Kṛṣṇa to apply it to faith itself. Bridges 16.24's śāstra-pramāṇa with the present analysis of śraddhā.
Prose order(अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे कृष्ण! ये शास्त्र-विधिम् उत्सृज्य श्रद्धया अन्विताः (सन्तः) यजन्ते, तेषां निष्ठा तु का — सत्त्वम् आहो रजः (आहो) तमः?
he kṛṣṇa! ye śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya śraddhayā anvitāḥ (santaḥ) yajante, teṣāṃ niṣṭhā tu kā — sattvam āho rajaḥ (āho) tamaḥ?
O Kṛṣṇa, those who, setting aside the injunctions of scripture, worship endowed with faith — what is their standing? Is it goodness, or passion, or ignorance?
Word split(पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
अर्जुनः उवाच
arjunaḥ uvāca
ये शास्त्र-विधिम् उत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धया अन्विताः । तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वम् आहो रजः तमः ॥
ye śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya yajante śraddhayā anvitāḥ | teṣāṃ niṣṭhā tu kā kṛṣṇa sattvam āho rajaḥ tamaḥ ||
In the Fourth Chapter, thirty-ninth verse, it is said that a person faithful to a particular type of worship gradually becomes elevated to the stage of knowledge and attains the highest perfectional stage of peace and prosperity. In the Sixteenth Chapter, it is concluded that one who does not follow the principles laid down in the scriptures is called an asura, demon, and one who follows the scriptural injunctions faithfully is called a deva, or demigod. Now, if one, with faith, follows some rules which are not mentioned in the scriptural injunctions, what is his position? This doubt of Arjuna’s is to be cleared by Kṛṣṇa. Are those who create some sort of God by selecting a human being and placing their faith in him worshiping in goodness, passion or ignorance? Do such persons attain the perfectional stage of life? Is it possible for them to be situated in real knowledge and elevate themselves to the highest perfectional stage? Do those who do not follow the rules and regulations of the scriptures but who have faith in something and worship gods and demigods and men attain success in their effort? Arjuna is putting these questions to Kṛṣṇa.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
1. 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?
Commentary
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.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
1. Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, what is the position of those who give up the rules of scripture but worship with faith. Is this a sattva, or rajas and tamas condition?
Commentary
Responding to the questions of Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa explains various items in sattva, rajas and tamas in the seventeenth chapter.
Those who study the Vedas, and with faith in the scriptures, undertake activities according to its rules are called devas. Those who ignore the Vedas, and act as they please, without following Vedic rules, are called demons or asuras. You have said this in the previous chapter. Now this is my question. Those who, having read and understood the Vedas which are difficult to understand, give up the rules out of laziness or other reasons, and worship the devas and others with faith born of local custom, are in what position? Are they considered among the godly and demonic types previously defined, by ignoring scripture but having faith (and worship)? Have they taken shelter of sattva, rajas or tamas? The word aho is placed in the middle to indicate the two choices: is it sattva, or is it rajas and tamas?
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
The question is very interesting because often the hindu philosophy says that is not exactly what one does that is important, it is the faith that one has in what he is doing. This may seem like a very strange philosophy but faith in what one is doing it is considered very important in contemporary society ‑ faith in oneself. It is quite understood that by having faith in oneself one is going to achieve good results, but not exactly good by the standards of the Bhagavad‑gita. But to a certain extent one can get exactly what he wants. Arjuna is asking what happens if someone actually places his firm conviction, his firm faith in something but it is not as the scriptures dictate, which is the important thing mentioned by Krsna in the end of Chapter Sixteen? Krsna exortes Arjuna to follow the scriptures in order to elevate oneself to the mode of goodness and ultimately to surrender to the Supreme Person in the spiritual world and to avoid those qualities that will lead one into hell. The three gates to hell, lust, greed and anger, Krsna tells Arjuna to avoid.
If one doesn't have faith in the scriptures or doesn't follow them exactly, what is his fate? Is he progressing or going down as a demon because of rejecting the scriptures? This is Arjuna's question.
Krsna answers this question immediatly in Section A and then in Sections B, C, D and E, Krsna relates four basic qualities of a civilized man. In these sections, except for the last one, food, sacrifices, austerities and charity will be describe according to the different modes. If one has a predominant situation in the mode of goodness, he tends to perform his sacrifices, austerities, etc according to that mode and therefore he will tend to go up. And if one is situated in the lower mode of nature he is going to perform his activities in those modes and he will tend to go down.
This Chapter fills up the tree of the material world in relationship to the soul's entanglement within the material world, his entanglement within different material bodies and his transmigration. It fills up the picture and this Chapter completes the basic message of the Bhagavad‑gita by rounding up the different mixtures of the modes of material nature in the world.
Srila Prabhupada has described at different times the three modes of nature as corresponding to different colours. Goodness is compared to yellow, passion to red and ignorance compared to blue. When we take these colours and mix them in different proportions we can make different colour combinations. Three multiplied by three makes nine and nine multiplied by nine makes eighty‑one. It can go further and further in sublte combinations of the material modes that affect any particular soul trapped in this material world. Therefore at times we find someone whose modes basically agree with us but there will be always some differences due to different subtle combinations of shades of the material modes which cause different bodies, characters, situations etc, within the material world.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Arjuna inquires about the situation of those who do not follow the principles of scriptures but worship
according to their own imagination. Are they in goodness, passion or ignorance
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.1 Tu, but; of Krsna, ka, what; is the nistha, state; tesam, of those-whosoever they may be; ye, who; being anvitah, endued; sraddhaya, with faith, with the idea that there is something hereafter; yajante, adore gods and others; utsriya, by ignoring, setting aside; sastra-vidhim, the unjunctions of the scriptures, the injunctions of the Vedas and the Smrtis? Is the state of those who are such sattvam, sattva; aho, or; rajah, rajas; or tamah, tamas? This is what is meant: Does the adoration of gods and others that they undertake come under the category of sattva or rajas or tamas?
By 'those who, endued with faith, adore by ignoring the injunctions of the scriptures' are here meant those who, not finding any injunction which can be characterized as 'enjoined by the Vedas' 'or enjoined by the Smrtis', worship gods and others by merely observing the conduct of their elders. But, on the other hand, those who, though aware of some scriptural injunction, discard them and worship the gods and others in ways contrary to the injunctions, are not meant here by 'those who, ignoring scriptural injunctions, adore৷৷.'
Why?
Because of the alifying phrase, 'being endued with faith'. For, it cannot be imagined that even when they are aware of some scriptural injunction about worship of gods and others, they discard this out of their faithlessness, and yet they engage in the worship of gods and others enjoined by those scriptures by becoming imbued with faith! Therefore, by 'those who, endued with faith, adore by ignoring the injunctions of the scriptures' are here meant those very ones mentioned earlier.
An answer to this estion relating to a general topic cannot be given without splitting it up. Hence,-
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.1 Arjuna said Those who, 'filled with faith but laying aside the injunctions of the Sastras,' engage themselves in sacrifices etc., what is their 'position or basis'? It is Sattva, Rajas or Tamas? Nistha means Sthiti. What is called Sthiti is that state in which one abides, has one's position or basis. Do they abide in Sattva, in Rajas or in Tamas? Such is the meaning of the estion.
Thus estioned, the Lord, for affirming the futility of faith and of sacrifices not enjoined in the Sastras, and in order to show that the triple division in accordance with the Gunas refers only to sacrifices etc., enjoined in the Sastras - expounds here the threefold nature of faith enjoined in the Sastras:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.1 Ye sastra - etc. The estion is this : What is the goal [to be reached] by those persons who faithfully perform their worldly actions by not adhering to the scripural injunction ?
Now in this regard the answer, basing on the faith, is given by the Bhagavat -
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.1 Arjuna said Those who, setting aside the ordinances of the scriptures, perform sacrifice with faith, what is their condition, O Krishna? Is is Sattva, Rajas or Tamas?
Commentary
17.1 ये who? शास्त्रविधिम् the ordinances of the scriptures? उत्सृज्य setting aside? यजन्ते perform sacrifice? श्रद्धया with faith? अन्विताः endowed? तेषाम् their? निष्ठा condition? तु verily? का what? कृष्ण O Krishna? सत्त्वम् Sattva? आहो or? रजः Rajas? तमः Tamas.Commentary This chapter deals with the three kinds of people who are endowed with three kinds of faith. Each of them follows a path in accordance with his inherent nature -- either Sattvic? Rajasic or Tamasic.Arjuna says to Krishna It is very difficult to grasp the meaning of the scriptures. It is still more difficult to get a spiritual preceptor who can teach the scriptures. The vast majority of persons are not endowed with a pure? subtle? sharp and onepointed intellect. The span of life is short. The scriptures are endless. The obstacles on the spiritual path are many. Facilities for learning are not always available.There are conflicting statements in the scriptures which have to be reconciled. Thou hast said that liberation is not possible without a knowledge of the scriptures. An ordinary man? though ignorant of or unable to follow this teaching? does charity? performs rituals? worships the Lord with faith? tries to follow the footsteps of sages and saints just as a child copies letters that have been written out for him as a model? or as a blind man makes hiw way by the aid of another who possesses sight. What faith is his How should the state of such a man be described -- Sattvic? Rajasic or Tamasic What is the fate of the believers who have no knowledge of the scriptures
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.1 Arjuna said But, ['But' is used to present a standpoint distinct from the earlier ones understand from 16.23-4.-S.] O Krsna, what is the state [i.e., where do the rites undertaken by them end?] of those who, endued with faith, adore [Adore-perform sacrifices, distribute wealth etc. in honour of gods and others.] by ignoring the injunctions of the scriptures? Is it sattva, rajas or tamas?
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.1 "Arjuna asked: My Lord! Those who do acts of sacrifice, not according to the scriptures but nevertheless with implicit faith, what is their condition? Is it one of Purity, of Passion or of Ignorance?
Arjuna asks: those who worship with faith but disregard scripture — what is their position? sattva, rajas, or tamas?
Practical Applications
Welcome practical questions about real-world worshipers who don't follow scripture.
Don't rush to dismiss them; ask Kṛṣṇa.
Respect Arjuna's pastoral concern.
Reflection Questions
Whom in my circle worships with faith but disregards scripture?
How does Kṛṣṇa's answer shape my view of them?
Analogy
Imagine a traveler at a crossroads who has thrown away the map yet still walks with conviction — feet moving, face lit by faith. Arjuna's question is for that traveler: where does this road actually lead? Sincerity alone, without scripture's compass, cannot read the terrain.
śrī - bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead saidtri - vidhā—of three kindsbhavati—becomesśraddhā—the faithdehinām—of the embodiedsā—thatsva - bhāva - jā—according to his mode of material naturesāttvikī—in the mode of goodnessrājasī—in the mode of passionca—alsoeva—certainlytāmasī—in the mode of ignoranceca—anditi—thustām—thatśṛṇu—hear from Me .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
śrī - bhagavān uvāca
the Supreme Personality of Godhead said
tri-vidhā bhavati śraddhā
tri - vidhā
of three kinds
bhavati
becomes
śraddhā
the faith
dehināṁ sā svabhāva-jā
dehinām
of the embodied
sā
that
sva - bhāva - jā
according to his mode of material nature
sāttvikī rājasī caiva
sāttvikī
in the mode of goodness
rājasī
in the mode of passion
ca
also
eva
certainly
tāmasī ceti tāṁ śṛṇu
tāmasī
in the mode of ignorance
ca
and
iti
thus
tām
that
śṛṇu
hear from Me .
Important Words
tri - vidhā—of three kinds
The chapter's organizing principle. Kṛṣṇa refuses the modern flattening that treats all faith as equivalent. Faith itself is sorted by the guṇas — sattva, rajas, tamas — and the sorting is structural, not moral.
śraddhā—the faith
Feminine noun from √śrad-dhā, 'to place the heart upon.' Not credulity but the heart's adherence. Kṛṣṇa elevates the diagnostic: śraddhā is not optional — it is the lens through which the soul sees everything else.
dehinām—of the embodied
Genitive plural of dehin — one who bears a deha. The choice of word is precise: as long as one is embodied, faith carries the colour of the body's modal mix. Liberation lies beyond all three flavours, but in the meantime the diagnostic applies.
sva - bhāva - jā—born of one's own nature
Compound: sva-bhāva (one's acquired nature) + jā (born). Faith is not chosen freshly each morning — it is born from the accumulated saṁskāras of past association. This is why Kṛṣṇa will spend the chapter teaching how to reshape that bhāva.
sāttvikī—in the mode of goodness
Feminine adjective qualifying śraddhā. The grammar matters: faith is gendered with the mode it grows in. Kṛṣṇa is preparing the reader to inspect their own śraddhā for its mode-tint.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: According to the modes of nature acquired by the embodied soul, one’s faith can be of three kinds – in goodness, in passion or in ignorance. Now hear about this.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Kṛṣṇa accepts the premise and reframes: faith is not a single thing graded high-to-low, but arises naturally (svabhāva-jā) from the modal constitution of each embodied being. The three modes that color body and mind also color the very faith with which one approaches anything.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Svabhāva-jā ties this chapter to 18.41-44 (varṇa-svabhāva) and to Sāṅkhya doctrine of guṇa-saturation. The point is decisive: śraddhā is not chosen but inherited from one's modal makeup, and therefore can only be re-directed through transformation of those modes (cf. ch. 14). The imperative śṛṇu marks the start of a formal teaching, parallel to 2.39, 7.1, 13.1.
Prose order(अन्वय · Anvaya)
देहिनां सा स्वभाव-जा श्रद्धा त्रिविधा भवति — सात्त्विकी राजसी च एव तामसी च इति; तां शृणु ।
dehināṃ sā svabhāva-jā śraddhā trividhā bhavati — sāttvikī rājasī ca eva tāmasī ca iti; tāṃ śṛṇu |
The faith of embodied beings, born of their inherent nature, is of three kinds — sāttvika, rājasa, and tāmasa. Hear about that (from Me).
Word split(पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
श्रीभगवान् उवाच
śrībhagavān uvāca
त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभाव-जा । सात्त्विकी राजसी च एव तामसी च इति तां शृणु ॥
trividhā bhavati śraddhā dehināṃ sā svabhāva-jā | sāttvikī rājasī ca eva tāmasī ca iti tāṃ śṛṇu ||
√श्रु impv. 2sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice)
hear!
Purport
Those who know the rules and regulations of the scriptures but out of laziness or indolence give up following these rules and regulations are governed by the modes of material nature. According to their previous activities in the mode of goodness, passion or ignorance, they acquire a nature which is of a specific quality. The association of the living entity with the different modes of nature has been going on perpetually; since the living entity is in contact with material nature, he acquires different types of mentality according to his association with the material modes. But this nature can be changed if one associates with a bona fide spiritual master and abides by his rules and the scriptures. Gradually, one can change his position from ignorance to goodness, or from passion to goodness. The conclusion is that blind faith in a particular mode of nature cannot help a person become elevated to the perfectional stage. One has to consider things carefully, with intelligence, in the association of a bona fide spiritual master. Thus one can change his position to a higher mode of nature.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
2. 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.
Commentary
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.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
2. 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.
Commentary
Being asked, the Lord begins to speak. That faith by which one worships the devas and other beings while giving up rules of scripture because of laziness or difficulties, should be understood to arise from virtuous and sinful impressions from previous lives (svabhāva jā). That faith is of three types, arising from states of sattva, rajas and tamas, for the beginningless, unrelenting births of embodied souls in beginningless contact with the three guṇas of prakṛti.
They do not have the spiritual intelligence arising from scripture taught by the devotees which will allow them to change those impressions (svabhāva). Therefore the three types of faith which arise from those impressions appear. Faith born from the scriptures is different. It brings about performance of actions only according to the scriptural directions (not because of impressions of the three guṇas).
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Krishna says: “If one does not follow the Vedas, one will follow the natural instincts which will be in
goodness, passion or ignorance”
Focus of Learning
(a) Who are under the modes – Those who know the rules and regulations of scripture but out of
laziness or indolence give up following these rules are governed by the modes
(b) Basis of acquiring modes – Acquired according to previous activities (Ref. Bg. 13.22)
(c) How to change the influence of the modes – By the help of the bona-fide spiritual master and if
one abides by the rules of scriptures
Consider things carefully
With intelligence
In association with a bona-fide spiritual master
Blind faith in a particular mode of nature cannot help to elevate one to the perfectional stage
(a) Faithful – A person faithful to a particular type of worship (Ref. Bg. 4.39)
Becomes gradually elevated to a stage of knowledge
Attains the highest perfectional stage of peace and prosperity
(b) Demonaic – One who does not follow the principles of scripture is a demon and one who follows is
a demigod (Ref. Bg. 16.23 – 16.24)
(c) Intermediate category: Arjuna inquires about such categories
If one with faith, follows some rules not mentioned in scriptural injunctions, what is his position
Are those who create some God by selecting a human being and placing their faith in him, worshipping in goodness, passion or ignorance
Do such persons attain the perfectional stage of life
Do those who do not follow the rules of scriptures but have faith in something and worship gods and demigods and men attain success in their effort
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION I
When one does not base his faith in sastric injunctions, his faith becomes
based upon his mentality, which is a product of his particular conditioning by the modes
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.2 Sa, that; sraddha, faith, the state about which you ask; dehinam, of the embodied beings; svabhavaja, born of their own nature-by svabhava (nature) is meant that latent impression of virtuous acts etc. acired in the past lives, which becomes manifest at the time of death; what arises out of that is svabhavaja-; is trividha, threefold, of three kinds; sattviki, born of sattva, and related to worship of gods, etc.; rajasi, born of rajas, concerning worship of Yaksas (a class of demi-gods, Kubera and others), Raksas (ogres, Nairrti and others); and tamasi, born of tamas, concerning worship of ghosts, goblins and others. Thus it is of three kinds. Srnu, hear; tam, about it, that faith, as it is being stated.
That (faith) is threefold as follows:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.2 The Lord said 'Threefold is the faith among all' embodied beings. And it arises from their 'inborn nature.' What is called Svabhava is the state unie to one's own nature. It is the special taste or predilection caused by previous subtle impressions, 'Vasanas.' To whatever one's predilection is directed, there faith is born in respect of it. For 'faith' is zeal or eagerness about any means in the belief that it is the way of action to achieve one's own desired object. Vasana (subtle impression), Ruci (taste) and Sraddha (faith) are the alities of the self born from its association with the Gunas. The Sattva and the other Gunas are the alities of the body, the senses, the internal organs and sense-objects. They bring about their alities in the self associated with them. These are the Vasanas. These Gunas can be described only by their effects. These (i.e., Vasanas etc.) originate from experiences with the body etc., having origination in Sattva and other Gunas. Thus faith is threefold as marked by Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Listen about this faith.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.2 Trividha etc. Here the ideas is this :- What is termed scripture is indeed the one which is not created by the intellect soiled by any partisan spirit; further it is of the form of the firmness of the recollection; and it is firmly recollected because of the sovereign freedom of the awareness; likewise it is also of the nature of fruit etc., i.e. the nature of the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate purport of speech, a flow of the pure Self-Consciousness; because of its free course, it starts from the internal nature of awareness and goes as for as the external flow, beginning from the subtlest hymn (Om), down to the series of popular saying well-known in the worldly activities. 'What [the sage] says -
'Also the [injunctions based on] remembrance and the virtuous conduct of the knowers of that [constitute authority]'. (Gautamadharmasutra, I, 2).
That scripture, by its own nature, distinguishes what is to be done and what is not to be done, in order to teach what is beneficial and what is not beneficial.
[Further], he whose heart is very tender by nature, because of the excess of the Sattva (i.e., godness) - in whatever way he behaves, that has certainly a scriptural authority. But other person who is made dirty by the Rajas or the Tamas (i.e., desire and ignorance) does not act rightly, even while performing what is enjoined in the scriptures. For, he does not follow the purport (the spirit) of the scripture in its entity. The scripture (or what is enjoined in the scripture) bears fruits only in the case of men of the Sattva (goodness) This has been declared by the scripture itself as :
'He [alone] enjoys the fruit of the scripture (or holy bathing place) whose arms and feet and also mind, learning, austerity and conduct are controlled properly'. (MB, Aranyaka, Ch. 80, verse 30).
Any other person does not enjoy [the fruit], because the rmains unsubdued [in his mind]. Therefore, what is prescribed in the scripture bears fruit in the case of those who have abandoned desire, anger and delusion. This is the purport of the present chapter; and it is being elaborated [throughout]. But it is not explained [in every place by us (Ag.), because the idea is clear enough. But [the concerned verses] are simply written only to remove doubts regarding the readings [of the passages concerned].
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.2 The Blessed Lord said Threefold is the faith of the embodied, which is inherent in their nature the Sattvic (pure), the Rajasic (passionate) and the Tamasic (dark). Do thou hear of it.
Commentary
17.2 त्रिविधा threefold? भवति is? श्रद्धा faith? देहिनाम् of the embodied? सा that (faith)? स्वभावजा (is) inherent in (their) nature? सात्त्विकी Sattvic (pure)? राजसी Rajasic (passionate)? च and? एव even? तामसी Tamasic (dark)? च and? इति thus? ताम् it? श्रृणु hear (thou).Commentary The whole world is made up? as if were? of faith. Faith assumes a threefold aspect under the influence of the three alities. When Sattva is strongly developed? when there is a preponderance of Sattva or purity in a man? it is easy for him to attain Selfrealisation or the knowledge of the Self. If Rajas is predominant? the faith becomes the handmaid of activity. If Tamas or inertia prevails? faith is annihilated.Those who are endowed with Sattvic faith aim at the attainment of liberation. Those who are endowed with Rajasic faith run after inferior duties or worldly activities. Those whose faith is Tamasic are cruel. They kill animals for sacrifice. They invoke the spirits and talk with ghosts. When faith is joined to Sattva? it leads to salvation. When Rajas preponderates? it colours the faith and leads to various activities. When Tamas predominates? the faith results in darkness.Faith acires different alities when it is in company with the mind of man. Mind is a thing of many colours. Just as the water of the Ganga is contaminated by being put in a vessel where lior had been kept? so also a virtuous person is spoiled by bad company or constant association with evil persons. The three Gunas or attributes colour the faith of a man. The mind of a man is governed by the preponderating attribute or ality which manifests itself when the other two alities are suppressed. Faith takes a threefold aspect in accordance with the inherent nature or tendencies of the man. The inclinations of men are moulded according to their ality or inherent nature born of their past Samskaras.As is the tendency? so is the desire as is the desire? so is the action as is the action? so is the birth into another being after death. The body is like the seed of the tree? a perpetual chain. Seed perishes in developing into a tree and the tree again produces the seed. This process or cycle continues eternally. Even so man takes a body? does actions? develops tendencies? dies and puts,on a new body in accordance with the nature or tendencies. This continues till he gets knowledge of the Self by transcending the three Gunas? when ignorance? the root cause of birth and death? is destroyed.Faith is born of the individual nature? i.e.? the Samskaras or the latent impressions of virtuous and vicious actions which were performed in the past births and which manifested themselves at the time of death. In the subconscious mind or the Chitta there is a reservoir of past impressions which are revived through the operation of memory.Sattvic Faith in the worship of gods? which is an effect of Sattva.Rajasic Faith in the worship of the Yakshas and Rakshasas? which is an effect of Rajas.Tamasic Faith in the worship of the disembodied spirits and ghosts? which is an effect of Tamas.Faith is the main support of life. It is not mere intellectual belief or blind acceptance of pet dogmas or doctrines. You must understand clearly its characteristics? just as you recognise a tree from the fruits? the mind of a man from his speech? and the actions of previous birth from worldly pleasures and pains.Svabhavaja Inherent in their nature born of past Samskaras.Tam Of it? referring to the threefold faith.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.2 The Blessed Lord said That faith of the embodied beings, born of their own nature, is threefold-born of sattva, rajas and tamas. Hear about it.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.2 Lord Shri Krishna replied: Man has an inherent faith in one or another of the Qualities -Purity, Passion and Ignorance. Now listen.
Faith is of three kinds — born of one's nature: sattvic, rajasic, tamasic.
Practical Applications
Recognize that faith itself comes in modes.
Diagnose your own faith's mode.
Don't assume all faith is equal.
Reflection Questions
What mode does my faith primarily express?
What evidence?
Analogy
Faith is like the soil a seed falls into. The same Sanskrit prayer chanted from sattvic soil grows into bhakti; from rajasic soil into ambition; from tamasic soil into superstition. Kṛṣṇa is teaching Arjuna to ask not 'do you have faith?' but 'what soil is your faith growing in?'
सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत ।
श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्ध: स एव स: ॥ ३ ॥
sattvānurūpā sarvasya
[sattvaanuroopaa sarvasya]
śraddhā bhavati bhārata
[shraddhaa bhavati bhaarata]
śraddhā-mayo ’yaṁ puruṣo
[shraddhaa-mayo ’yam purusho]
yo yac-chraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ
[yo yach-chraddhah sa eva sah]
Word-for-word
sattva - anurūpā—according to the existencesarvasya—of everyoneśraddhā—faithbhavati—becomesbhārata—O son of Bharataśraddhā—faithmayaḥ—full ofayam—thispuruṣaḥ—living entityyaḥ—whoyat—having whichśraddhaḥ—faithsaḥ—thuseva—certainlysaḥ—he .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sattvānurūpā sarvasya
sattva - anurūpā
according to the existence
sarvasya
of everyone
śraddhā bhavati bhārata
śraddhā
faith
bhavati
becomes
bhārata
O son of Bharata
śraddhā-mayo ’yaṁ puruṣo
śraddhā
faith
mayaḥ
full of
ayam
this
puruṣaḥ
living entity
yo yac-chraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ
yaḥ
who
yat
having which
śraddhaḥ
faith
saḥ
thus
eva
certainly
saḥ
he .
Important Words
sattva - anurūpā—according to the existence
Compound: sattva (here, one's existential constitution) + anurūpā (conforming to). Note that 'sattva' here does not mean only the mode of goodness — it means the very fabric of one's being. Faith is shaped to fit that fabric.
mayaḥ—full of, made of
The decisive suffix in śraddhā-mayaḥ. -maya means 'made of, consisting of.' A person is not someone who happens to have faith — a person *is* his faith. Change the faith, change the person.
puruṣaḥ—the living entity
From pur (city, body) + uṣa (dweller) — 'the one who dwells in the city of the body.' Kṛṣṇa is naming the conscious resident, not the body. It is the dweller, not the dwelling, who is made of faith.
śraddhaḥ—of faith
Possessive form: 'having such-and-such faith.' The verse's punch-line yo yat-śraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ ('whatever his faith, that he is') uses this form. A man is identified by the kind of śraddhā he carries — śraddhaḥ is therefore an identity-marker, not a mere adjective.
O son of Bharata, according to one’s existence under the various modes of nature, one evolves a particular kind of faith. The living being is said to be of a particular faith according to the modes he has acquired.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
An aphoristic key to the whole chapter: one becomes what one believes in. Sattva here is not the mode of goodness but the deep modal-substrate of the individual; faith mirrors that substrate, and the substrate is, in turn, shaped by faith — so a person's faith is functionally identical to who that person is.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The terse formula yo yac-chraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ has become a Sanskrit proverb. Sattva is here read in the broader sense of antaḥkaraṇa or modal-make-up (Śaṅkara), not the technical guṇa. The verse validates faith as both ontologically prior to action AND ontologically constitutive: choose your object of faith carefully — you will become it. Anticipates ch. 18's discussion of svabhāva.
Everyone has a particular type of faith, regardless of what he is. But his faith is considered good, passionate or ignorant according to the nature he has acquired. Thus, according to his particular type of faith, one associates with certain persons. Now the real fact is that every living being, as is stated in the Fifteenth Chapter, is originally a fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Therefore one is originally transcendental to all the modes of material nature. But when one forgets his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and comes into contact with the material nature in conditional life, he generates his own position by association with the different varieties of material nature. The resultant artificial faith and existence are only material. Although one may be conducted by some impression, or some conception of life, originally he is nirguṇa, or transcendental. Therefore one has to become cleansed of the material contamination that he has acquired, in order to regain his relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is the only path back without fear: Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If one is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then that path is guaranteed for his elevation to the perfectional stage. If one does not take to this path of self-realization, then he is surely to be conducted by the influence of the modes of nature. The word śraddhā, or “faith,” is very significant in this verse. Śraddhā, or faith, originally comes out of the mode of goodness. One’s faith may be in a demigod or some created God or some mental concoction. One’s strong faith is supposed to be productive of works of material goodness. But in material conditional life, no works are completely purified. They are mixed. They are not in pure goodness. Pure goodness is transcendental; in purified goodness one can understand the real nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As long as one’s faith is not completely in purified goodness, the faith is subject to contamination by any of the modes of material nature. The contaminated modes of material nature expand to the heart. Therefore according to the position of the heart in contact with a particular mode of material nature, one’s faith is established. It should be understood that if one’s heart is in the mode of goodness his faith is also in the mode of goodness. If his heart is in the mode of passion, his faith is also in the mode of passion. And if his heart is in the mode of darkness, illusion, his faith is also thus contaminated. Thus we find different types of faith in this world, and there are different types of religions due to different types of faith. The real principle of religious faith is situated in the mode of pure goodness, but because the heart is tainted we find different types of religious principles. Thus according to different types of faith, there are different kinds of worship.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
3. 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.
Commentary
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).
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
3. This faith corresponds to the nature of the internal organ, O descendent of Bharata. Man is made of his faith. He becomes similar to whichever form he worships with faith.
Commentary
Though faith itself is a function of sattva guṇa, it becomes three types of faith for the embodied soul possessing an internal organ [Note: The internal organ or antaḥkaraṇa refers to the subtle internal organ consisting of the mind, intelligence, false ego and memory (citta).] whose very nature is to hold the impressions (svabhāva).
The internal organ (sattvam) is composed of three guṇas, and corresponding to that, the faith of all living entities appears. The faith of the internal organ predominated by sattva guṇa is sattvic. The internal organ predominated by raja guṇa is rajasic. The internal organ predominated by tama guṇa is tamasic. The ordinary person (ayam puruṣaḥ), a worshipper who has an object of worship, endowed with one of three types of faith (śraddhamayaḥ), will be faithful to one of three respective types of object—devas, yaksas or pṛetas (yat śraddhaḥ). That worshipper (sa) becomes endowed with the qualities of the deity worshipped (sa eva).
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Thus his faith will be categorized by one of the three modes
Focus of Learning
(a) Association according to the modes – According to a particular type of faith, one associates with
certain persons
(b) Original position of living entity (Ref. Bg. Chapter 15) – Fragmental part and parcel of Supreme
Lord and thus originally transcendental to the modes (nirguna)
(c) Cause of conditioned position – Forgetfulness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus
entangled by different modes, he generates his own position
Resultant artificial faith and existence are only material
(d) Only path back to original position without fear – Krishna consciousness
Although one may be conducted by some impression, or some conception of life, originally he is nirguna, or transcendental
One has to become cleansed of the material contamination that he has acquired, in order to regain his relationship with the Supreme Lord
Guaranteed path of perfection – Krishna consciousness
If one does not take to this path – One surely comes under the modes
(e) Shradha (Faith)
Originally comes of mode of goodness – strong faith is a product of works of material goodness
One’s faith may be in a demigod, some created god or some mental concoction
No works are completely purified in material conditional life
Pure goodness – Only in this state one can understand Supreme Personality of Godhead
Basis of different religious principles
When goodness is contaminated and heart is tainted according to different modes –Results in different types of worship and principles
Real principle of religious faith is situated in the mode of pure goodness
Different types of faith leads to different types of worship – This is the theme for the next verse
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXT 17.3
The real principle of religious faith is situated in the mode of pure goodness, but because the heart is tainted,we find different kinds of religious principles.
Constitutional position of living entity is to have full faith in the Lord based upon realisation.
As that pure faith and attraction from Krishna, becomes diluted, by the enjoying spirit it becomes filtered through the other modes and varieties of religion are created as pure love of God is compromised by various degrees of selfishness.
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.3 O scion of the Bharata dynasty, the sraddha, faith; sarvasya, of all beings; bhavati, is; sattva-anurupa, in accordance with their minds, in accordance with the internal organ which is imbued with particular impression. If this is so, what follows? The answer is: Ayam, this; purusah, person, the transmigrating soul; is sraddhamayah, made up of faith as the dominating factor. How? Sah, he, the individual soul; is eva, verily; sah, that; yah yat-sraddhah,which is the faith of that individual-he surely conforms to his faith.
And, as a conseence, a person's steadfastness in sattva etc. is to be inferred from the grounds of his actions such as worship of gods etc. Hence the Lord says:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.3 'Sattva' means internal organ (i.e., mind). The faith of everyone is according to his internal organ. The meaning is that with whatever Guna his internal organ is conjoined, one's faith corresponds to that Guna (i.e., Guna as object). The term Sattva covers here body, senses etc., already mentioned. Man consists of faith, viz., is the product of his faith. Of whatever faith he is, viz., with whatever faith a man is possessed, that verily he is; he is a transformation of faith of that nature. The purport is this: If the person is associated with faith in auspicious acts he becomes associated with fruit of these auspicious acts. Conseently, attainment chiefly follows one's faith.
Sri Krsna further explains the same subject:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.3 Sattva etc. The word sattva in 'corresponding to one's own sattva' is a synonym of svabhava 'primary nature'. This person i.e., Soul, is necessarily connected with a faith that dominates all [his] other activities. [Hence], he is to be deemed just to be mainly consisting of that.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.3 The faith of each is in accordance with his nature, O Arjuna. The man consists of his faith; as a man's faith is, so is he.
Commentary
17.3 सत्त्वानुरूपा in accordance with his nature? सर्वस्य of each? श्रद्धा faith? भवति is? भारत O Arjuna? श्रद्धामयः consists of (his) faith? अयम् this? पुरुषः man? यः who? यच्छ्रद्धः in which his faith is? सः he? एव verily? सः that (is).Commentary The faith of every person conforms to his inherent nature or natural temperament. Man is imbued with faith. The term Svabhava is the last verse and the word Sattva in the present one are synonymous.A mans character may be judged by his faith. A mans faith shows what his character is. A man is what his faith has made him. A mans conduct in life is moulded or shaped by his faith. His faith will indicate his Nishtha (state of being? conviction). The faith of each man is according to his natural disposition or the specific tendencies or Samskaras or the selfreprodutive latent impressions of the good and bad actions which were performed in the past births. The faith of each man takes its colour and ality from the stuff of his being? his temperament? tendencies or Samskaras.Sattva Nature Natural disposition the mind with its specific tendencies.Each Every living being.Purusha Man The individual soul which is caught up in the wheel of transmigration the soul alified by mind.Sraddhamayah Full of faith Just as the Annamaya Kosa is full of food? just as the Anandamaya Kosa is full of bliss? so also the Antahkarana (mind? intellect? etc.) is full of faith.The man consists of his faith that which his faith is? he is verily that. This theory is only a repetition of the theory propounded in chapter VII? verses 20 and 23? and in chapter IX? verse 25.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.3 O scion of the Bharata dynasty, the faith of all beings is in accordance with their minds. This person is made up of faith as the dominant factor. He is verily what his faith is.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.3 The faith of every man conforms to his nature. By nature he is full of faith. He is in fact what his faith makes him.
According to one's existence under the influence of the modes of nature, one develops a particular kind of faith — a man is made of his faith.
Practical Applications
Recognize: 'a man is made of his faith.' Tend it accordingly.
Audit the mode-source of your faith.
Cultivate sattvic faith deliberately.
Reflection Questions
What is my faith made of?
What would 'shifting its source' require?
Analogy
A man is made of his faith — like a temple is made of the stone it is built from. Change the stone and you change the temple; change the faith and you change the man. The reverse is also true: study a person's faith long enough and you have read his whole structure.
Stories
Ambarīṣa Mahārāja
Though emperor of the whole earth, Ambarīṣa fixed his faith on Viṣṇu and his service. He engaged his mind in remembering Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, his words in describing the Lord's glories, his hands in cleansing the temple, his ears in hearing of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes — every limb tuned to one śraddhā.
The entire Ambarīṣa narrative in Bhāgavatam 9.4 is the demonstration of yo yat-śraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ: a man is what his faith engages, and Ambarīṣa was, through and through, the śraddhā he had cultivated.
yajante—worshipsāttvikāḥ—those who are in the mode of goodnessdevān—demigodsyakṣa - rakṣāṁsi—demonsrājasāḥ—those who are in the mode of passionpretān—spirits of the deadbhūta - gaṇān—ghostsca—andanye—othersyajante—worshiptāmasāḥ—in the mode of ignorancejanāḥ—people .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yajante sāttvikā devān
yajante
worship
sāttvikāḥ
those who are in the mode of goodness
devān
demigods
yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi rājasāḥ
yakṣa - rakṣāṁsi
demons
rājasāḥ
those who are in the mode of passion
pretān bhūta-gaṇāṁś cānye
pretān
spirits of the dead
bhūta - gaṇān
ghosts
ca
and
anye
others
yajante tāmasā janāḥ
yajante
worship
tāmasāḥ
in the mode of ignorance
janāḥ
people .
Important Words
yajante—worship
Present middle from √yaj — to offer, to sacrifice. The middle voice is significant: yajña always reflects back on the doer. You become coloured by what you offer to.
devān—demigods
Plural accusative of deva — 'the shining ones.' Worship in sattva moves toward the realm of light, of order, of the upper administration of the universe — still within material limits, but oriented upward.
yakṣa - rakṣāṁsi—demons
A dvandva compound: yakṣas (wealth-attached semi-divine beings) and rākṣasas (aggressive flesh-eating beings). The rajasic worshiper is drawn to power without ethics — exactly the temperament of these beings.
pretān—spirits of the dead
Past participle of pra + √i — 'the gone-forth.' Those without bodies of their own, hungry, attached, restless. Tamasic worship gravitates here because its own consciousness is already in that key.
bhūta - gaṇān—ghosts
Compound: bhūta (a being, here a disembodied or dark being) + gaṇa (a group, a host). The phrase reveals worship's logic — like attracts like. The tamasic worshiper does not stumble upon ghosts; he is already in their company by mode.
Men in the mode of goodness worship the demigods; those in the mode of passion worship the demons; and those in the mode of ignorance worship ghosts and spirits.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
The first practical application: the object of worship reveals the mode of the worshiper. Devas are bright, ordered, ṛta-aligned powers; yakṣas/rākṣasas embody possessive and aggressive force; pretas and bhūtas are obscure shadow-presences. As faith, so the chosen deity.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
This is a behavioral diagnostic — Kṛṣṇa does not condemn ritual itself but classifies whom one actually turns to. The verse echoes 9.25 (yānti deva-vratā devān…). Note the structural parallel with ch. 9's higher-vs.-lower destinations: here it is recast as guṇa-coloring of the religious impulse. The chapter will run this triadic taxonomy through food, sacrifice, austerity, and gift.
Those in goodness worship the devas; those in passion worship yakṣas and rākṣasas; other people, those in ignorance, worship ghosts of the dead and hosts of spirits.
अन्य (pron. (pronoun)/adj.) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m.
others
तामसाः
tāmasāḥ
तामस (adj.) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m.
those of the mode of ignorance
जनाः
janāḥ
जन (m.) nom.pl. (nominative plural)
people
Purport
In this verse the Supreme Personality of Godhead describes different kinds of worshipers according to their external activities. According to scriptural injunction, only the Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshipable, but those who are not very conversant with, or faithful to, the scriptural injunctions worship different objects, according to their specific situations in the modes of material nature. Those who are situated in goodness generally worship the demigods. The demigods include Brahmā, Śiva and others such as Indra, Candra and the sun-god. There are various demigods. Those in goodness worship a particular demigod for a particular purpose. Similarly, those who are in the mode of passion worship the demons. We recall that during the Second World War a man in Calcutta worshiped Hitler because thanks to that war he had amassed a large amount of wealth by dealing in the black market. Similarly, those in the modes of passion and ignorance generally select a powerful man to be God. They think that anyone can be worshiped as God and that the same results will be obtained. Now, it is clearly described here that those who are in the mode of passion worship and create such gods, and those who are in the mode of ignorance, in darkness, worship dead spirits. Sometimes people worship at the tomb of some dead man. Sexual service is also considered to be in the mode of darkness. Similarly, in remote villages in India there are worshipers of ghosts. We have seen that in India the lower-class people sometimes go to the forest, and if they have knowledge that a ghost lives in a tree, they worship that tree and offer sacrifices. These different kinds of worship are not actually God worship. God worship is for persons who are transcendentally situated in pure goodness. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (4.3.23) it is said, sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam: “When a man is situated in pure goodness, he worships Vāsudeva.” The purport is that those who are completely purified of the material modes of nature and who are transcendentally situated can worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The impersonalists are supposed to be situated in the mode of goodness, and they worship five kinds of demigods. They worship the impersonal Viṣṇu form in the material world, which is known as philosophized Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu is the expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the impersonalists, because they do not ultimately believe in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, imagine that the Viṣṇu form is just another aspect of the impersonal Brahman; similarly, they imagine that Lord Brahmā is the impersonal form in the material mode of passion. Thus they sometimes describe five kinds of gods that are worshipable, but because they think that the actual truth is impersonal Brahman, they dispose of all worshipable objects at the ultimate end. In conclusion, the different qualities of the material modes of nature can be purified through association with persons who are of transcendental nature.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
4. 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.
5-6. 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.
Commentary
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, [Note: According to Baladeva, the Pretas are the spirits of those who have fallen from caste duties, or else a type of Piśāca. The Bhūtas are according to some, the seven mothers, or the followers of Śiva.] and are said to be Rākṣasas and Bhūtas.
“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 (ahaṅkāraḥ) 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.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
4. Those with sāttvika nature worship the devas. Those with rajas nature worship the yakṣas and rakṣasas. Those with tamas nature worship the pretas and bhūtas.
5-6. 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.
Commentary
The results of worshipping with the different faiths are described in this verse. Those persons who with faith born of their previous impressions worship sattvika devas such as Vasu and Rudra without the discrimination of scripture are called sāttvika. Those who worship ṛajasic entities such as Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Kuvera and Nairṛti are in the mode of passion. Those who worship tamasic entities such as pretas and bhūtas are in the mode of ignorance. The pretas are fallen brāhmaṇas who attain an airy body after death in the form of ulāmukhas, kaṭas or pūtanas, according to Manu. The pretas are a type of piśaca (evil spirit) according to others. Ca indicates the seven mothers [Note: These are said to be Brahmānī, Vaiṣṇavī, Maheśvarī, Kaumārī, Vārāḥī, Indrāṇi and Camuṇḍī] and other entities. [Note: The bhūta gaṇas are not explained. According to some commentators they are the followers of Śiva.]
Thus the three types of faith arising from the differing natures due to previous impressions, without following the rules of scripture because of laziness, have been described. It should be understood that by conquering over their natures by association with persons following Vedic principles, these persons sometimes come under the authority of the Vedas.
Bg 17.5, Bg 17.6, Bg 17.5-6
AXaaṣivihTa& gaaer& TaPYaNTae Yae TaPaae JaNaa" )
dM>aahªarSa&Yau¢-a" k-aMaraGabl/aiNvTaa" )) 5 ))
k-zRYaNTa" XarqrSQa& >aUTaGa]aMaMaceTaSa" )
Maa& cEvaNTa" XarqrSQa& TaaiNvṬyaSauriNaêYaaNa( )) 6 ))
aśāstra-vihitaṁ ghoraṁ
tapyante ye tapo janāḥ
dambhāhaṅkāra-saṁyuktāḥ
kāma-rāga-balānvitāḥ
karṣayantaḥ śarīra-sthaṁ
bhūta-grāmam acetasaḥ
māṁ caivāntaḥ śarīra-sthaṁ
tān viddhy āsura-niścayān
aśāstra—not in the scriptures; vihitam—directed; ghoram—harmful to others; tapyante—undergo; ye—those who; tapaḥ—austerities; janāḥ—persons; dambha—with pride; ahaṅkāra—and egoism; saṁyuktāḥ—engaged; kāma—of lust; rāga—and attachment; bala—by the force; anvitāḥ—impelled; karṣayantaḥ—tormenting; śarīra-stham—situated within the body; bhūta-grāmam—the combination of material elements; acetasaḥ—having a misled mentality; mām—Me; ca—also; eva—certainly; antaḥ—within; śarīra-stham—situated in the body; tān—them; viddhi—understand; āsura-niścayān—demons.
In the previous chapter the Lord said that those who do not follow Vedic authority are never freed from lower births. This is confirmed now in two verses.
Endowed with obstinacy (balam), given by Me alone to let them accomplish their deeds, and endowed with desires for sense objects (kāma raga), they perform terrible austerities, giving pain to others, according to their own scriptures, which are contrary to the Vedas (aśāstra vihitam), and make the combination of elements (bhūta gramam) which are basic components of the body (śarīraṁ stham) wither away (karṣayantaḥ), by means of such things as useless fasting, and they also make Me wither away, by offending Me, who am situated within their bodies (antaḥ śarīraṁ stham). They are devoid of discriminating scriptural knowledge (acetasaḥ). Know for certain that these person are demonic (āsura niścayān), who do not follow the injunctions of the Vedas. It is understood that they cannot avoid the unfortunate destinations described in the last chapter.
Those who worship the yakṣas, rakṣas, and pretas with faith arising from their natures, by the very strong mercy of followers of Vedic principles, can have their demonic natures destroyed, by developing faith in the scriptures. [Note: Those with rajasic and tamasic natures and faith would be more likely to indulge in the activities mentioned in the verse. Then they would be classed as asura.] But it is accepted that those who worship the devas, by attaining the mercy of those fixed in Vedic principles, very easily begin to follow the rules of scripture, because of being situated in sattva. [Note: They would not indulge in the practices mentioned in this verse because of their sattvika nature.]
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Krsna begins immediatly explaining that from faith comes worship and according to the modes that affects one's faith one will worship in one way or another.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Different worship according to the modes
Goodness – Worship demigods for a particular purpose
e.g. Brahma, Shiva, Chandra, Indra and Sun god (purport)
Passion – Worship demons
e.g. A man worshiping Hitler during Second World War (purport)
Ignorance – Worship ghosts and spirits
e.g. Worshiping dead spirits, ghosts, sexual service (purport)
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 17.4 & 17.5: Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana explains that Texts 17.2 – 17.4 describe
those who have given up sastra out of laziness or because the required worship was troublesome, yet
faithfully worship the demigods. Texts 17.5 – 17.6, in contrast, describe not those who have whimsically
given up following sastra but those who are against Vedic practices.
Texts 17.5* – 17.6*
COMMON THEME: Defines demons – (4 points)
Undergoes severe austeries and penances not recommended in scriptures
Performs them out of pride and egoism
Impelled by lust and attachment
They are foolish and they torture the material elements of the body as well as the Supersoul dwelling within
Such actions are an insult to the Supreme Personality of Godhead – because acted out of disobedience to the scriptures
Focus of Learning
(a) Different kinds of worshipers are described according to external activities
Scriptural injunctions: Only the Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshipable
Ref. SB 4.3.23 “sattvam vishuddham vasudev sabditam”– Man in pure goodness, worships Vasudeva
Cause of different worships – Those not so conversant / faithful with the scriptures worship differently according to the modes
(b) Impersonalists
Supposed to be in mode of goodness
Worship five kinds of demigods (See SB 6.4.34 purport for further elaboration)
Worship impersonal Vishnu form in the material world, known as philosophized Vishnu
▪ Because they do not ultimately believe in the Supreme Personality of Godhead
▪ They imagine that the Vishnu form is just another aspect of the impersonal
Brahman
Similarly, they imagine that Lord Brahma is the impersonal form in the material mode of passion
Think that actual truth is impersonal Brahman, they dispose of all worshipable objects (e.g. Five gods) at the ultimate end
(c) Conclusion – How to purify different qualities of the material modes of nature
Through association with persons of transcendental nature
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.4 Sattvikah, those having the sattva ality, those steadfast in sattva; yajante, worship; devan, the gods; rajasah, those having rajas; (worship) yaksa-raksamsi, the demi-gods and ogres; and anye, other; janah, people; tamasah, possessed of tamas; yajante, worship; pretan, ghosts; and bhuta-ganan, the hosts of spirits-Sapta-matrkas (the Seven Mothers) and others.
Thus, in the context of abandonment of scriptural injunctions, the states of sattva etc. have been determined through their effects. As regards that, it is only one in thousands who, being established in sattva, becomes devoted to the adoration of gods.
But, to be sure, creatures are mostly rooted deeply in rajas or tamas. How?
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.4 'Those who have abundance of Sattva ality and are conjoined with Sattvika faith worship the gods. The meaning is this: The faith in the worship (sacrifice) of the gods which causes supreme joy unmixed with pain is of Sattvika nature. The Rajasika types worship Yaksas and Raksasas. And the others, i.e., the Tamasika types, worship the departed ancestors and hosts of Bhutas. The faith born of Rajas brings about limited joy mixed with pain, while the faith born of Tamas gives rise to extremely limited joy which verges almost on pain.
Therefore, there is difference in fruits according to the Gunas regarding sacrifices etc., which are enjoined in the Sastras and associated with faith. However, no happiness whatsoever will result from penances, sacrifices etc., not enjoined in the Sastras and therefore antagonistic to My ?ndment. On the contrary, calamity results from them. Sri Krsna proceeds to explain this more fully.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.4 See Comment under 17.6
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.4 The Sattvic or the pure men worship the gods; the Rajasic or the passionate worship the Yakshas and the Rakshasas; the others (the Tamasic or the deluded people) worship the ghosts and the hosts of the nature-spirits.
Commentary
17.4 यजन्ते worship? सात्त्विकाः the Sattvic or pure men? देवान् the gods? यक्षरक्षांसि the Yakshas and the Rakshasas? राजसाः the Rajasic or the passionate? प्रेतान् ghosts? भूतगणान् the hosts of Bhutas or the naturespirits? च and? अन्ये the others? यजन्ते worship? तामसाः the Tamasic? जनाः people.Commentary Lord Krishna? after defining faith? tells Arjuna how this faith determines the object of worship. The nature of the faith (whether it is Sattvic? Rajasic or Tamasic) has to be inferred from its characteristic effects? viz.? the worship of the gods and the like. Each man selects his object of worship according to the ruling Guna of his being. The expression of a mans faith depends on the Guna that is predominant in him. A Sattvic man will give his faith the Sattvic expression? a Rajasic man the Rajasic expression and a Tamasic man the Tamasic expression.Sattvic persons or people with Sattvic faith who are devoted to the worship of the gods? are rare in this world.Yakshas are the brothers of Kubera? the lord of wealth gnomes? the spirits that guard wealth.Rakshasas Beings of strength and power such as Nairrita demons giants gifted with illusive powers.Bhutas Ghosts.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.4 Those having the sattva ality worship the gods; those having rajas, the demi-gods and ogres; and other people possessed of tamas worship ghosts and the hosts of spirits.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.4 The Pure worship the true God; the Passionate, the powers of wealth and magic; the Ignorant, the spirits of the dead and of the lower orders of nature.
Related values & verses
Related values
Dana (Charity / Generosity)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)Yajña (Sacrifice / Spirit of Offering)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Svadhyaya (Self-study & Scripture Study)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)
Sattvic worship demigods; rajasic worship demons and Yakṣas; tamasic worship ghosts and spirits.
Practical Applications
Recognize that the object of worship reveals the mode.
Audit what you actually worship (with your time, attention, money).
Adjust the object accordingly.
Reflection Questions
What do I actually worship by my use of time/attention?
What does that reveal about my mode?
Analogy
What you worship is what you are climbing toward — like a vine, the consciousness eventually reaches the level of its object. Worship demigods and you rise to their region; worship ghosts and you sink to theirs. The object is the ladder; the ladder cannot help being honest about where it ends.
Stories
Dhruva Mahārāja's redirected worship
Wounded by his stepmother's words, the boy Dhruva left for the forest determined to attain a position higher than his father's. Nārada, recognizing the rajasic colour of that determination, did not refuse him but redirected the object: worship not the demigods, not even Brahmā, but Vāsudeva — the source of all positions.
Dhruva took the higher object. His austerity, which began rajasic, was carried by its śāstric object upward into sattva and beyond — until Viṣṇu Himself appeared, and Dhruva discovered he no longer wanted the kingdom he had come for. The object of worship had rebuilt the worshiper.
अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जना: ।
दम्भाहङ्कारसंयुक्ता: कामरागबलान्विता: ॥ ५ ॥
कर्षयन्त: शरीरस्थं भूतग्राममचेतस: ।
मां चैवान्त: शरीरस्थं तान्विद्ध्यासुरनिश्चयान् ॥ ६ ॥
aśāstra-vihitaṁ ghoraṁ
[ashaastra-vihitam ghoram]
tapyante ye tapo janāḥ
[tapyante ye tapo janaah]
dambhāhaṅkāra-saṁyuktāḥ
[dambhaahankaara-samyuktaah]
kāma-rāga-balānvitāḥ
[kaama-raaga-balaanvitaah]
karṣayantaḥ śarīra-sthaṁ
[karshayantah shareera-stham]
bhūta-grāmam acetasaḥ
[bhoota-graamam achetasah]
māṁ caivāntaḥ śarīra-sthaṁ
[maam chaivaantah shareera-stham]
tān viddhy āsura-niścayān
[taan viddhy aasura-nishchayaan]
Word-for-word
aśāstra—not in the scripturesvihitam—directedghoram—harmful to otherstapyante—undergoye—those whotapaḥ—austeritiesjanāḥ—personsdambha—with prideahaṅkāra—and egoismsaṁyuktāḥ—engagedkāma—of lustrāga—and attachmentbala—by the forceanvitāḥ—impelledkarṣayantaḥ—tormentingśarīra - stham—situated within the bodybhūta - grāmam—the combination of material elementsacetasaḥ—having a misled mentalitymām—Meca—alsoeva—certainlyantaḥ—withinśarīra - stham—situated in the bodytān—themviddhi—understandāsura - niścayān—demons .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
aśāstra-vihitaṁ ghoraṁ
aśāstra
not in the scriptures
vihitam
directed
ghoram
harmful to others
tapyante ye tapo janāḥ
tapyante
undergo
ye
those who
tapaḥ
austerities
janāḥ
persons
dambhāhaṅkāra-saṁyuktāḥ
dambha
with pride
ahaṅkāra
and egoism
saṁyuktāḥ
engaged
kāma-rāga-balānvitāḥ
kāma
of lust
rāga
and attachment
bala
by the force
anvitāḥ
impelled
karṣayantaḥ śarīra-sthaṁ
karṣayantaḥ
tormenting
śarīra - stham
situated within the body
bhūta-grāmam acetasaḥ
bhūta - grāmam
the combination of material elements
acetasaḥ
having a misled mentality
māṁ caivāntaḥ śarīra-sthaṁ
mām
Me
ca
also
eva
certainly
antaḥ
within
śarīra - stham
situated in the body
tān viddhy āsura-niścayān
tān
them
viddhi
understand
āsura - niścayān
demons .
Important Words
aśāstra—not in the scriptures
The privative a- prefixed to śāstra. The whole verse hinges on this one syllable: take it away and the same austerity becomes sattvic. The austerity is not condemned for its severity — only for its unmooring.
dambha—with pride, ostentation
Specifically the pride that displays itself — hypocritical showmanship. Not interior arrogance alone but its public performance. Kṛṣṇa names it first because it is usually the seed.
ahaṅkāra—and egoism
Compound: ahaṁ ('I') + kāra ('the making'). The faculty that fabricates the false self. When austerity is offered to that false self instead of to the Lord within, the practice turns demoniac no matter how arduous.
karṣayantaḥ—tormenting
Causative present participle from √kṛṣ — to drag, to wear down. Not just discipline but active dragging-down of the body. The grammar makes it violent, not ascetic.
mām—Me
Accusative of aham. The decisive word. Tapas not in śāstra does not merely harm the body — it tortures Kṛṣṇa Himself, the antaryāmī seated in the heart of that very body (mām antaḥ śarīra-stham). The body being tormented contains its own Lord; that is what makes such austerity not merely foolish but offensive.
āsura - niścayān—demons (in resolve)
Compound: āsura (demoniac) + niścaya (settled resolve). Kṛṣṇa is not classifying their birth — He is classifying their fixed determination. The category is behavioural, and so escapable.
Those who undergo severe austerities and penances not recommended in the scriptures, performing them out of pride and egoism, who are impelled by lust and attachment, who are foolish and who torture the material elements of the body as well as the Supersoul dwelling within, are to be known as demons.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Before classifying ordinary tapas, Kṛṣṇa marks off its pathological extreme: harsh self-mortification neither sanctioned by scripture nor freed of ego is not tapas at all but demonic resolve. Such a person tortures both his own elemental body and the inner Witness who dwells within it.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The dual verse picks up the āsura typology of ch. 16. Key claim: extreme ascetic self-violence is itself violence against the antaryāmin (māṁ ca antaḥ śarīra-stham) — a strong rebuke aimed at kāpālika and certain śramaṇa practices. Note the symmetry: as the demonic worshiper (17.4 tāmasa) chases ghosts, so the demonic ascetic ritualizes ego — both bypass scripture, both fail śraddhā's true object. Sets up the proper sāttvika tapas of 17.14-17.
ye janāḥ aśāstra-vihitaṃ ghoraṃ tapaḥ tapyante, dambha-ahaṅkāra-saṃyuktāḥ kāma-rāga-bala-anvitāḥ, acetasaḥ (santaḥ) śarīra-sthaṃ bhūta-grāmam antaḥ śarīra-sthaṃ mām ca eva karṣayantaḥ — tān āsura-niścayān viddhi |
Those people who perform terrible austerities not prescribed by scripture — yoked to ostentation and egoism, driven by the force of lust and passionate attachment — senseless, torturing the group of elements that constitutes the body and Me also, who dwell within the body — know them to be of demonic resolve.
Word split(पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
अशास्त्र-विहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपः जनाः । दम्भ-अहङ्कार-संयुक्ताः काम-राग-बल-अन्विताः ॥
aśāstra-vihitaṃ ghoraṃ tapyante ye tapaḥ janāḥ | dambha-ahaṅkāra-saṃyuktāḥ kāma-rāga-bala-anvitāḥ ||
There are persons who manufacture modes of austerity and penance which are not mentioned in the scriptural injunctions. For instance, fasting for some ulterior purpose, such as to promote a purely political end, is not mentioned in the scriptural directions. The scriptures recommend fasting for spiritual advancement, not for some political end or social purpose. Persons who take to such austerities are, according to Bhagavad-gītā, certainly demoniac. Their acts are against the scriptural injunctions and are not beneficial for the people in general. Actually, they act out of pride, false ego, lust and attachment for material enjoyment. By such activities, not only is the combination of material elements of which the body is constructed disturbed, but also the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself living within the body. Such unauthorized fasting or austerities for some political end are certainly very disturbing to others. They are not mentioned in the Vedic literature. A demoniac person may think that he can force his enemy or other parties to comply with his desire by this method, but sometimes one dies by such fasting. These acts are not approved by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He says that those who engage in them are demons. Such demonstrations are insults to the Supreme Personality of Godhead because they are enacted in disobedience to the Vedic scriptural injunctions. The word acetasaḥ is significant in this connection. Persons of normal mental condition must obey the scriptural injunctions. Those who are not in such a position neglect and disobey the scriptures and manufacture their own way of austerities and penances. One should always remember the ultimate end of the demoniac people, as described in the previous chapter. The Lord forces them to take birth in the wombs of demoniac persons. Consequently they will live by demoniac principles life after life without knowing their relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If, however, such persons are fortunate enough to be guided by a spiritual master who can direct them to the path of Vedic wisdom, they can get out of this entanglement and ultimately achieve the supreme goal.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa comments:
It has been stated in the previous chapter that those who are neglectful of Vedic authority (veda-
bāhya) can never be delivered from their bad fate. Now this is corroborated in the two texts beginning
aśāstra- [texts 5–6]. There are those who execute austerities, in defiance of the Vedas, which are enjoined in
their own concocted scriptures, and are horrible and cause distress to other living beings. These people are
characterized by hankering for sense gratification and by their stubborn insistence that “We can accomplish
everything on our own.” They abuse the physical elements that compose their bodies. They emaciate their
bodies by unnecessary fasting and so on. By their neglect, they also torment Me, the Supersoul dwelling
within their bodies. They are oblivious—devoid of understanding how to discriminate according to scripture.
You should know such persons, who are outside the scope of Vedic authority, to be demons. Thus it is im-
plied that the bad fate of such persons is unavoidable.
What conclusion can we draw from this? Those who worship Yakṣas and Rākṣasas according to their
natural faith may receive the potent mercy of Vedic authorities, and then, by developing some faith in the
revealed scriptures, their demoniac nature may subside. But those who worship demigods are factually in the
mode of goodness, so by the mercy of saintly association it will be easier for them to develop faith in scrip-
tural authority.
While reading these descriptions of the effects of the modes of nature on a person’s worship and
activities—and the following descriptions of food, sacrifices, austerities and charity—we naturally
place ourselves and others into categories of goodness, passion or ignorance.
Individuals are not, however, neatly influenced by only one mode. Rather, they are influenced by
unique and individual combinations of modes. The three modes of nature are thus compared to
colors: goodness to yellow, passion to red, and ignorance to blue. Nine colors are created by mix-
ing each color with the remaining two colors. By again mixing each of those nine with the other
eight colors, eighty-one varieties occur. We could continuing mixing colors again and again until an
unlimited palette of colors is created. Similarly, the three modes can be mixed into three, nine and
eighty-one combinations, or mixed again to form even more subtle combinations. Indeed, each
conditioned soul acquires an individually tailored body and set of circumstances in the material
world. At times, therefore, we find a person whose modes basically agree with ours, yet who is still
different from us. Our modes may correspond with another’s in terms of nine, or even eighty-one
shadings, but the more subtle shadings of modes between individuals must certainly exist.
Bhagavad Gita Notes
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.5 Ye, those; janah, persons; who tapyante, undertake, perform; ghoram, severe; tapah, austerity, productive of pain to oneself as also to creatures; asastra-vihitam, not sanctioned by the scriptures; they, being dambh-ahankara-samyuktah, given to ostentation and pride; and kama-raga-bala-anvitah, impelled by the strength of passion and attachment, or possessed of passion, attachment and strength [Kama-raga can also mean desirable objects and the desire to enjoy them.]-.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.5 - 17.6 'Those men who perform terrible pernances not enjoined by the Sastras' - this is illustrative of sacrifices etc., of a similar nature. Those who perform sacrifices, etc., sacrifices which are not enjoined by the Sastras and demand much exertion, those who are possessed of 'ostentation and conceit and are goaded by sensual desire, attachment and passion' - they torture the group of elements such as earth etc., in their bodies. They also torture the individual self which is a part of Myself and is within their bodies. Those who perform such sacrifices etc., know them to be demoniacal in their resolves. The resolve of demons is demoniac resolve. The demons are those who act contrary to My ?ndments. Since they act contrary to My ?ndments, they do not have even a iota of joy, but as stated earlier, they fall a prey to a multitude of calamities. 'They fall into a foul Naraka' (16.16).
Now, Sri Krsna, resuming the subject, details the differences according to the Gunas with reference to sacrifice, etc., enjoined by the Sastras. To begin with, he describes three kinds of food, since the growth of Sattva etc., has its source in food, as Srutis declare thus: 'For my dear, the mind consists of food' (Cha. U., 6.5.4) and 'when the food is pure, the man becomes pure' (Cha. U., 7.26.2).
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.5 See Comment under 17.6
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.5 Those men who practise terrific austerities not enjoined by the scriptures, given to hypocrisy and egoism, impelled by the force of lust and attachment.
Commentary
17.5 अशास्त्रविहितम् not enjoined by the scriptures? घोरम् terrific? तप्यन्ते practise? ये who? तपः austerity? जनाः men? दम्भाहङ्कारसंयुक्ताः given to hypocrisy and egoism? कामरागबलान्विताः by the force of lust and attachment.Commentary There are some who think that the mortification of the body is the proper means to attain the goal of life. They do this in order to attract the people and get money for the gratification of their senses. They stand on one leg with raised hands. This is not real Tapas. This is Tamasic Tapas. Bodily torture will not bring emancipation. These men are not acainted with even the first elements of the scriptures. They mock at the religious practices of the wise? elderly persons and jeer at learned men. They are puffed up with the vanity of their own greatness. They are proud of their wealth. They perform unauthorised austerities. These persons do severe austerities contrary to the scriptures on the strength of desire and attachment.They take even the lives of children to propitiate their deity. Instead of killing their egoism? they kill many innocent animals in the name of sacrifice but in reality they kill them to satisfy their own palate. Most horrible indeed They speak ill of the scriptures and wander about in the forest of delusion and infatuation. They follow the dictates of passion. They inflict pain on themselves and on others. They practise austerities which cause pain to themselves and to other living beings. Pitiable indeed is their lot. They are doomed to destruction.Kamaragabalanvitah may also be interpreted as possessed of lust? attachment and power.Dambha Ostentation The man of Dambha is desirous that all people should take him for a virtuous man and so he expresses to others his righteous nature. In reality he is not virtuous. He pretends to be what he is not.Ahankara Egoism The egoistic man thinks and feels that he is superior to others in the possession of all virtuous alities.Raga Extreme attachment to sensual objects.Bala Great power of enduring severe pain on account of Raga for sensual objects (pain that accrues from exertion in attaining and preserving the objects).Kama Lust Desire for any object.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.5 Those persons who, given to ostentation and pride, and possessed of passion, attachment and strength, undertake severe austerities not sanctioned in the scriptures;
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.5 Those who practise austerities not commanded by scripture, who are slaves to hypocrisy and egotism, who are carried away by the fury of desire and passion,
Those who undergo severe austerities not authorized by scripture — driven by pride and ego, with lust and attachment — torture the bodily organs and Me within the body; know them as demoniac.
Practical Applications
Don't admire austerities not authorized by scripture.
Recognize that ego-driven austerity is demoniac.
Honor scripture's standard of austerity.
Reflection Questions
Where have I admired ego-driven austerity?
What scripture-authorized practice fits my path?
Analogy
An austerity not lit by scripture is like a fire kindled inside the house — it consumes the very rooms it claims to purify. Pride pours the oil, ego strikes the match, and the body and the Lord within it both burn. True tapas is fire kept in the hearth where śāstra has laid the stones.
Stories
Hiraṇyakaśipu's austerity
Hiraṇyakaśipu performed austerities so severe that ant-hills covered his body and the heat of his tapas scorched the universe. But the austerity was for one purpose: to defeat death and rule creation. It was unauthorized by śāstra in its aim, driven by dambha and ahaṅkāra, fueled by kāma and rāga.
Bhāgavatam shows the result: Brahmā gave him the boons he asked for, but the inner Lord — the same Lord whose body he was tormenting from within — eventually emerged from a pillar to end the project. Hiraṇyakaśipu is Kṛṣṇa's living illustration of āsura-niścayān: the demon-resolve described in this very verse.
Rāvaṇa's ten heads
Rāvaṇa too undertook fierce tapas — by one tradition cutting off his own heads in offering until Brahmā stopped him. The penance was real; the boons were genuine. But the aim was conquest, the fuel was pride, and the body being tortured housed the Supersoul whom Rāvaṇa was already in mounting opposition to.
The Rāmāyaṇa records the end: Rāma's arrow, every austerity-acquired boon notwithstanding. Tapas without śāstra-vidhi does not fail to produce results — it produces the wrong ones.
āhāraḥ—eatingtu—certainlyapi—alsosarvasya—of everyonetri - vidhaḥ—of three kindsbhavati—there ispriyaḥ—dearyajñaḥ—sacrificetapaḥ—austeritytathā—alsodānam—charityteṣām—of thembhedam—the differencesimam—thisśṛṇu—hear .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
āhāras tv api sarvasya
āhāraḥ
eating
tu
certainly
api
also
sarvasya
of everyone
tri-vidho bhavati priyaḥ
tri - vidhaḥ
of three kinds
bhavati
there is
priyaḥ
dear
yajñas tapas tathā dānaṁ
yajñaḥ
sacrifice
tapaḥ
austerity
tathā
also
dānam
charity
teṣāṁ bhedam imaṁ śṛṇu
teṣām
of them
bhedam
the differences
imam
this
śṛṇu
hear .
Important Words
āhāraḥ—eating
From ā + √hṛ — 'that which is taken in, drawn toward oneself.' Not merely food but everything one ingests — including sight, sound, and association. The chapter's diagnostic begins here because intake is the most intimate of activities.
tri - vidhaḥ—of three kinds
The chapter's refrain. Kṛṣṇa re-establishes the threefold scheme now applied not to faith but to the four pillars of dharmic life — food, yajña, tapas, dāna. The classification is structural, not optional.
priyaḥ—dear
From √prī — to please. The diagnostic is not 'what food is good' in abstract but 'what food is dear to whom.' Preference reveals mode. You are what you find delicious.
yajñaḥ—sacrifice
From √yaj — to offer. The first of the three classical pillars Kṛṣṇa announces He will analyse: what one offers up. The chapter will dedicate three verses (11–13) to the threefold mode-analysis of yajña.
dānam—charity
From √dā — to give. The third of the three pillars: what one gives away. Treated in verses 20–22. Kṛṣṇa announces here that giving, like sacrifice and austerity, is mode-coloured — not a universal good.
Even the food each person prefers is of three kinds, according to the three modes of material nature. The same is true of sacrifices, austerities and charity. Now hear of the distinctions between them.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Having classified faith and worship, Kṛṣṇa extends the triadic frame to four daily and ritual domains in which śraddhā concretely manifests: what one eats, sacrifices, undertakes as discipline, and gives away. The chapter's middle (vv. 8-22) systematically walks each domain through the modes.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
This is a programmatic verse — an outline statement. The triad āhāra-yajña-tapas-dāna will recur in 17.24-25 as the canonical set of dharmic acts to be performed with oṁ-tat-sat. Note that food is included alongside the three classic ritual categories: in Vaidic anthropology, eating IS itself a yajña (cf. 3.13-14), so its modal coloring matters as much as that of formal worship.
Prose order(अन्वय · Anvaya)
सर्वस्य प्रियः आहारः तु अपि त्रिविधः भवति, तथा यज्ञः तपः दानं च (त्रिविधाः भवन्ति); तेषाम् इमं भेदं शृणु ।
sarvasya priyaḥ āhāraḥ tu api trividhaḥ bhavati, tathā yajñaḥ tapaḥ dānaṃ ca (trividhāḥ bhavanti); teṣām imaṃ bhedaṃ śṛṇu |
Even the food that everyone finds palatable is of three kinds — and likewise sacrifice, austerity, and gift. Hear this distinction among them.
√श्रु impv. 2sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice)
hear!
Purport
In terms of different situations in the modes of material nature, there are differences in the manner of eating and performing sacrifices, austerities and charities. They are not all conducted on the same level. Those who can understand analytically what kind of performances are in what modes of material nature are actually wise; those who consider all kinds of sacrifice or food or charity to be the same cannot discriminate, and they are foolish. There are missionary workers who advocate that one can do whatever he likes and attain perfection. But these foolish guides are not acting according to the direction of the scripture. They are manufacturing ways and misleading the people in general.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
7. The food that people enjoy, their sacrifice, austerity and charity have three divisions also. Please hear about these.
Commentary
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.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
7. The food the people enjoy, their sacrifice, austerity and charity have three divisions also. Please hear about these.
Commentary
As there are three different faiths, so people have three types of food and other items. As with faith of the person, edibles like rice, dear to all people (sarvasya priyaḥ), are of three types. Similarly, sacrifices and other items are of three types. The three types of four of these items are described: food, sacrifice, austerity and charity.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
When reading this we begin naturally to place ourselves and others, in some positions in the material world according to the modes of material nature and try to understand what our tendencies are.
There are people almost purely in the mode of goodness, there are also people who are completly demoniac, but most people fall in between with some particular, unique combination of the modes of material nature. By understanding one's situation in the modes, one can learn to prescribe for himself a gradual process.
In this Chapter we see the middle picture and yet we want to elevate ourselves, obviously because the mixtures of passion and ignorance tend to push us towards lust, anger and gree which are the gates to hell. We want to avoid this, we want to elevate ourselves. Here we place ourselves naturally in one or another of the combinations of the different modes through understanding our tendencies by understanding food, sacrifices, austerities and charity in the modes.
And then,in the concluding section (F) Krsna explains the purpose of His explanation of the divisions of faith.
[B. FOODS IN THE MODES (17. 8‑10)
Foods in goodness increase one's life, health and happiness. Such foods are juicy, fatty and wholesome. Foods in passion are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot and pungent. They bring distress, misery, and disease. Foods in ignorance are cooked more than three hours before being eaten, are decomposed, putrid, and consist of remnants and untouchable things.]
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
One can make out the mode of faith by observing the activities of eating, sacrifice, austerity and
charity
Wise – Those who know and discriminate based on these activities
Foolish – Those who consider all kinds of food, sacrifice etc. to be the same and does not discriminate
e.g. Missionary workers who guide that:
Whatever one likes one can do and attain perfection
No need of scriptures, one can manufacture one’s own ways
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.7 Aharah, food; api tu, also; which is priyah, dear; sarvasya, to all [Here Ast. adds praninah (creatures).-Tr.] who eat it; bhavati, is; trividhah, of three kinds; so also yajnah, sacrifices; similarly, tapah, austerity; tatha, so also; danam, charity. Srnu, listen; to imam, this; bhedam, classification; tesam, of them, of food etc., which is going to be stated.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.7 Even the food which is dear to the host of all beings is of three kinds because of the association of the three Gunas consisting of Sattva etc. Similarly, sacrifices also are of three kinds. So too austerity and charity. Listen about this distinction, which is being described, about foods, sacrifices, austerities and gifts according to differences of Sattva etc.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.7 See Comment under 17.10
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.7 The food also which is dear to each is threefold, as also sacrifice, austerity and almsgiving. Hear thou the distinction of these.
Commentary
17.7 आहारः food? तु indeed? अपि also? सर्वस्य of all? त्रिविधः threefold? भवति is? प्रियः dear? यज्ञः sacrifice? तपः austerity? तथा also? दानम् almsgiving? तेषाम् their? भेदम् distinction? इमम् this? श्रृणु hear.Commentary Each Every being that eats.Imam This That which is going to be described.Tesham Their Of food? etc.According to the Gunas? a mans taste for a particular food is determined. There are three kinds of food that a man can eat.All foods have different properties. Different foods exercise different effects on different compartments of the brain or the mind. A confection of sparrow? meat? fish? eggs? onion and garlic excites passion. Fruits? barley? etc.? render the mind calm and serene. The nature of food greatly influences the being of a man. Man feels a desire for particular foods according to his Guna or temperament.The body is the instrument by which man accomplishes all his purposes in the world. It is the horse that takes him to his destination or goal (Moksha). Therefore it should be kept clean? strong and healthy. The body is a mould prepared by the mind for its activities. There is an intimate connection between the body and the mind. The nature and condition of the body has a vital effect upon the mind and activities. Therefore the materials or foods that build the body and the mind should be pure? wholesome? nutritious? substantial and bland.Everything in this world is threefold. The food is either Sattvic? Rajasic or Tamasic according to its,character and effect upon the body and the mind. You can find out the nature or temperament of a man from the nature of the food he takes. You can find out your own nature? whether you are Sattvic? Rajasic or Tamasic? from your predilection to particular food and then abandon the Rajasic and the Tamasic foodstuffs and take to the Sattvic diet.Why is there also a triple division in sacrifice? austerity and charity Because this threefold division is according to the nature of the Gunas. You can find out and abandon the Rajasic and the Tamasic ones and take recourse exclusively to the Sattvic ones.The practice of Krichhra and Chandrayana Vratas that produce emaciation of the body and the senses is austerity. Tapas means meditation also. It produces Brahmatejas or divine splendour and glow on the face.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.7 Food also, which is dear to all, is of three kinds; and so also are sacrifices, austerity and charity. Listen to this classification of them.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.7 The food which men enjoy is also threefold, like the ways of sacrifice, austerity and almsgiving. Listen to the distinction.
Even foods are of three kinds, dear to each of the three classes; sacrifice, austerity, and charity are also of three kinds.
Practical Applications
Recognize that food, sacrifice, austerity, and charity all come in modes.
Don't reduce 'good food' to one universal standard.
Identify the mode of each.
Reflection Questions
Which of the four (food / sacrifice / austerity / charity) is most off-mode in my life?
What recalibration is needed?
Analogy
Even the spoon you eat with carries a colour. Food, sacrifice, austerity, charity — Kṛṣṇa is about to dip each into the three dyes of the modes and hold them up to the light. Nothing in human life is mode-neutral; the spiritual eye learns to see the tint.
āyuḥ—duration of lifesattva—existencebala—strengthārogya—healthsukha—happinessprīti—and satisfactionvivardhanāḥ—increasingrasyāḥ—juicysnigdhāḥ—fattysthirāḥ—enduringhṛdyāḥ—pleasing to the heartāhārāḥ—foodsāttvika—to one in goodnesspriyāḥ—palatable .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
āyuḥ-sattva-balārogya-
āyuḥ
duration of life
sattva
existence
bala
strength
ārogya
health
sukha-prīti-vivardhanāḥ
sukha
happiness
prīti
and satisfaction
vivardhanāḥ
increasing
rasyāḥ snigdhāḥ sthirā hṛdyā
rasyāḥ
juicy
snigdhāḥ
fatty
sthirāḥ
enduring
hṛdyāḥ
pleasing to the heart
āhārāḥ sāttvika-priyāḥ
āhārāḥ
food
sāttvika
to one in goodness
priyāḥ
palatable .
Important Words
āyuḥ—duration of life
From √av — to protect, to sustain. The first mark of sattvic food: it lengthens, not because of nutritional accounting but because it does not strain the body's systems. Sattva is preservative.
sattva—existence, being
Here in compound — not 'the mode of goodness' but 'existence itself.' Sattvic food strengthens the very fabric of being, not merely a function of it.
rasyāḥ—juicy
From rasa — juice, essence, taste, mood. Sattvic foods are full of rasa: alive, not dried out. The Gauḍīya line is sensitive to this word — rasa is the highest theological category, and even at the food-level its trace is present.
snigdhāḥ—fatty
From √snih — to be sticky, oily, affectionate. Note the second meaning: the same root produces words for tenderness. Sattvic fat (ghee, oil) is not the dry austerity often confused with sattva but a warm, nourishing wetness.
hṛdyāḥ—pleasing to the heart
From hṛd — the heart. The decisive test of sattvic food is not the tongue's verdict but the heart's. Does the meal leave the heart pleased — or restless, dulled, ashamed? The instrument of measurement is interior.
Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Sāttvika food is identified functionally by what it does: extends life, builds essence and strength, keeps the body healthy, the mind happy, the heart content. Six positive outcomes plus four sensory qualities (juicy, smooth, durable, heart-pleasing) make a precise diagnostic.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Compare Caraka-saṁhitā Sūtra 27 on the categorization of foodstuffs. The metric is decisively consequentialist — not what a food IS chemically but what it grows in the eater. Sthira (sustaining) signals slow-release nourishment; hṛdya marks compatibility with the antaḥkaraṇa. Such food does not merely feed the body but stabilizes the meditative mind required for the higher tapas of 17.14-17.
Foods that increase lifespan, vital essence, strength, health, happiness, and contentment, and that are succulent, oily, sustaining, and pleasing to the heart — are dear to the sāttvika.
8. 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.
Commentary
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.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
8. 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.
Commentary
This verse speaks of sattvic food. Sattvic food increase life (ayuḥ), will power (sattva), strength of the body (bala), sense of satisfaction (sukha), and dearness to it (prīti). Foods which increase these qualities, and are endowed with attractive qualities mentioned in the last line, such food as milk with sugar or wheat and rice, are dear to (priyāḥ), and selected by those in the mode of goodness. The word juicy or tasty (rasyāḥ) excludes foods without juice like chick peas. The word mild (snigdha) excludes course foods like raw sugar. The word substantial (sthira) excludes foods such as milk foam. The word beneficial (hṛdyā) excludes foods like jack fruit. Items which are not beneficial for the stomach and appetite are called ahṛdya. It should be understood that all these foods should also be pure. This is because, in mentioning the foods in the mode of ignorance the world amedhya, meaning impure, will be used.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Foods in the mode of goodness – Juicy, fatty, wholesome and pleasing to the heart
Result
Increase the duration of life and purify one’s existence
Also gives strength, health, happiness and satisfaction
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.8 Aharah, foods; ayuh-sattva-bala-arogya-sukha-priti-vivardhanah, that augment life, firmneess of mind, strength, health delight; [Life-a brilliant life; firmness of mind or vigour; strength-ability of body and organs; happiness-pleasure of mind; delight-great joy even at seeing other persons prosperous.] and which are rasyah, succulent; snigdhah, oleaginous; sthirah, substantial, lasing in the body for long; [Beneficial to the body for long.] and hrdyah, agreeable, to one's liking; are sattvika-priyah, dear to one endowed with sattva.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.8 To a man endowed with Sattva, foods preponderating in Sattva become dear. The foods preponderating in Sattva promote longevity. Again they promote intellectual alertness. 'Sattva', means internal organ, viz., knowledge which is the effect of the internal organ is here meant by the term Sattva. For the Sattva is the cause of growth of knowledge, as declared in: 'From Sattva arises knowledge' (14.17). Even as the food preponderant in Sattva is the cause of the growth of knowledge, likewise, they promote strength and health; they also promote pleasure and happiness. As the time of assimilation they, by themselves, promote happiness, viz, by the performance of actions which cause happiness. They are sweet, viz., abundant in sweet juices. They are mixed with oil, viz., wholly oily. They are substantial, viz., they originate substantial effects. They are agreeable viz., they appear to the eye in beautiful forms. Food of this kind, full of Sattva-guna, is dear to the person characterised by Sattva.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.8 See Comment under 17.10
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.8 The foods which increase life, purity, strength, health, joy and cheerfulness (good appetite), which are savoury and oleaginous, substantial and agreeable, are dear to the Sattvic (pure) people.
Commentary
17.8 आयुःसत्त्वबलारोग्यसुखप्रीतिविवर्धनाः those which increase Ayus (life)? Sattva (purity)? Bala (strength)? Arogya (health)? Sukha (joy)? Priti (cheerfulness and good appetite)? रस्याः savoury? स्निग्धाः oleaginous? स्थिराः substantial? हृद्याः agreeable? आहाराः the foods? सात्त्विकप्रियाः are dear to Sattvic (pure).Commentary Pure food increases the vitality and strength of those who eat it. It augments the energy of the mind also.Sattva Cheerfulness purity inner? moral and spiritual strength and courage that keep the mind steady even in great distress.Bala Strength absence of fatigue even in doing difficult work.Priti Absence of retching good appetite.Rasyah Sweet and juicy.Sthirah Substantial which can last long in the body vitalising but not difficult to digest.Hridyah The mere sight of the food is very pleasing to the mind and it is free from odour of smoke or burnt condition.Sattvic food produces cheerfulness? serenity and mental clarity and helps the aspirants to enter into deep meditation and maintain mental poise and nervous eilibrium. It supplies the maximum energy to the body and the mind. It is very easily assimilated and absorbed.A Sattvic man relishes juicy food and other foods which are attractive in form? soft to touch and pleasant to taste? which are small in bulk but great in nourishment like the words from the lips of a spiritual preceptor. Sattvic food is highly conducive to health.Eat that food which will develop Sattva in you. Milk? butter? fresh? ripe fruits? almonds? green Dal? barley? Parwal? Torai? Karela? plantains? etc.? are Sattvic. Abandon fish? meat? liors? eggs? etc.? ruthlessly if you want to increase Sattva and attain Selfrealisation. The mind is formed of the subtle portion of the food. जैसा अन्न वैसा मन As is the food so is the mind says a Hindi proverb. If you take Sattvic food? the mind also will be Sattvic. The seven elements (Dhatus) of the body (Chyle? blood? flesh? fat? bone? marrow and semen) are formed out of food.Ideas or concepts are generated in the mind corresponding to these seven elements. As is the constitution of these elements? so is the constitution of the mind. Just as water is rendered hot when the pot that contains it is placed over the fire? so also the nature and constitution of the mind is according to the nature and constitution of the food or the seven elements.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.8 Foods that augment life, firmless of mind, strength, health, happiness and delight, and which are succulent, oleaginous, substantial and agreeable, are dear to one endowed with sattva.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.8 The foods that prolong life and increase purity, vigour, health, cheerfulness and happiness are those that are delicious, soothing, substantial and agreeable. These are loved by the Pure.
Related values & verses
Related values
Prema (Divine Love)Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Dana (Charity / Generosity)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Kritajnata (Gratitude)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Yajña (Sacrifice / Spirit of Offering)
Foods dear to those in sattva increase life span, purify, give strength, joy, satisfaction — fresh, juicy, fatty, wholesome.
Practical Applications
Cultivate a sattvic diet — fresh, juicy, fatty (in healthy form), wholesome.
Track the after-feel of meals; sattva leaves you light and clear.
Don't romanticize over-restriction.
Reflection Questions
What in my diet is most sattvic? Most off?
What single shift would matter?
Analogy
Sattvic food is like clear river water — it leaves the body lighter than it found it, the mind quieter, the day longer. Such food does not announce itself; you notice it by what it does not produce. No agitation, no heaviness, no after-fog — only the steady fuel of a clean fire.
कट्वम्ललवणात्युष्णतीक्ष्णरूक्षविदाहिन: ।
आहारा राजसस्येष्टा दु:खशोकामयप्रदा: ॥ ९ ॥
kaṭv-amla-lavaṇāty-uṣṇa-
[katv-amla-lavanaaty-ushna-]
tīkṣṇa-rūkṣa-vidāhinaḥ
[teekshna-rooksha-vidaahinah]
āhārā rājasasyeṣṭā
[aahaaraa raajasasyeshtaa]
duḥkha-śokāmaya-pradāḥ
[duhkha-shokaamaya-pradaah]
Word-for-word
kaṭu—bitteramla—sourlavaṇa—saltyati - uṣṇa—very hottīkṣṇa—pungentrūkṣa—dryvidāhinaḥ—burningāhārāḥ—foodrājasasya—to one in the mode of passioniṣṭāḥ—palatableduḥkha—distressśoka—miseryāmaya—diseasepradāḥ—causing .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kaṭv-amla-lavaṇāty-uṣṇa-
kaṭu
bitter
amla
sour
lavaṇa
salty
ati - uṣṇa
very hot
tīkṣṇa-rūkṣa-vidāhinaḥ
tīkṣṇa
pungent
rūkṣa
dry
vidāhinaḥ
burning
āhārā rājasasyeṣṭā
āhārāḥ
food
rājasasya
to one in the mode of passion
iṣṭāḥ
palatable
duḥkha-śokāmaya-pradāḥ
duḥkha
distress
śoka
misery
āmaya
disease
pradāḥ
causing .
Important Words
kaṭu—bitter
The first of the three sharp tastes Kṛṣṇa lists. Note the bare adjective with no qualifier: each taste in moderation is dharmic, but the bare unqualified form implies excess. The vice of rajas is rarely the wrong ingredient — it is the excess of an acceptable one.
ati - uṣṇa—very hot
Ati (excess) + uṣṇa (hot). The ati is the operative word in the entire list: heat is not the problem; *excess* of heat is. The same prefix could be implied across every adjective in the verse. Rajas is the mode of more.
tīkṣṇa—pungent
From √tij — to be sharp, to pierce. The food that pierces the tongue with its sharpness. Note the metaphorical reach: tīkṣṇa is used elsewhere for harsh speech and aggressive temperament. The food and the mood share the word.
rūkṣa—dry
The opposite of snigdha in the previous verse. Sattvic food is wet with rasa; rajasic food is parched. Dryness here is more than texture — it is the absence of affectionate moisture.
āmaya—disease
From ā + √mī — that which afflicts thoroughly. The final word of the verse's triple verdict on rajasic food (duḥkha, śoka, āmaya): not poetic but clinical. Duḥkha is immediate distress, śoka lingering grief, and āmaya the settled disease that completes the descent. Three durations of one wrong choice.
Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Rājasika food excites the palate but ravages the body and mind. Seven sensory qualities of intense stimulation are listed, plus three negative outcomes: pain, grief, disease. The pattern is one of short-term thrill purchased at long-term cost — a signature of rajas across every domain.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The contrast with 17.8 is calibrated word-for-word: rasya (juicy) vs. tīkṣṇa (sharp), snigdha (oily) vs. rūkṣa (dry), āyur-vivardhana (lifespan-increasing) vs. āmaya-prada (disease-yielding). Note vidāhin — that which 'burns afterwards' in the gut — is recognizable in Āyurveda as pitta-aggravating food. The verse reads as a clinical Āyurvedic diagnosis recast in the vocabulary of the three guṇas.
Foods that are pungent, sour, salty, very hot, sharp, dry, and burning — and that produce pain, sorrow, and disease — are desired by one in the mode of passion.
9. 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.
Commentary
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.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
9. 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.
Commentary
This verse describes foods in the mode of passion. To the seven adjectives, the word “very” should be added. Foods which are very bitter (kaṭu) include nīma, but not pepper and such. Pepper is an example of pungent food. Very sour, very salty and very hot foods are in the mode of passion. Very pungent foods (tīkṣṇa), such as pepper and very dry foods (ṛūkṣa), such as kaṅgu and very burning foods (vidāhinaḥ), such as rājikā, are in the mode of passion. These are attractive to the person in the mode of passion (rājasasya iṣṭāḥ), but disgusting to the persons in the mode of goodness. They give immediate suffering (duḥkha), such as drying of the tongue or throat. They give despair (śoka), and later, disease, disorder of the blood (āmayam).
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Foods in the mode of passion – Too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning
Result (This is explained based on Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura’s purport mentioned in ‘Surrender unto Me’)
Distress – Refers to pain felt while eating such foods
Misery – Depression one feels after such eating
Disease – Results yet to be felt
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.9 Foods that are katu-amla-lavana-atyusna-tiksna-ruksa-vidahinah, bitter, sour, salty, very hot (-'very' is to be connected with all, viz bitter etc.; that is very bitter, very sour, and so on-), pungent, dry [Without fat.] and burning; and duhkha-soka-amaya-pradah, which produce pain, sorrow and disease; [Pain, immediate suffering; sorrow, grief arising from not having that desired food.] are rajasasyaistah, dear to one having rajas.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.9 The foods that are bitter, sour, very salty, over-hot, very pungent, dry and burning, are those that they the taste (Rasa) of bitterness and sourness, that are inordinately salty, hot, pungent, and that are dry and burning. Pungent foods are those which are unsuitable and difficult to be taken by others because of their being ver cold, ver hot etc. Dry things are those which cause the feeling of dryness in the eater. Burning foods are those which cause burning sensation. Foods of this kind are relished by men of Rajasik nature. They promote pain, sorrow and disease.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.9 See Comment under 17.10
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.9 The foods that are bitter, sour, saline, excessively hot, pungent, dry and burning, are liked by the Rajasic and are productive of pain, grief and disease.
Commentary
17.9 कट्वम्ललवणात्युष्णतीक्ष्णरूक्षविदाहिनः those that are bitter? sour saline? excessively hot? pungent? dry and burning? आहाराः foods? राजसस्य of the Rajasic? इष्टाः are liked? दुःखशोकामयप्रदाः are productive of pain? grief and disease.Commentary Excessively This alification should be taken to apply to each of the seven alities -- thus? excessively saline? and so on.Food of a passionate nature produces restlessness in the mind? evil thoughts? excitement? craving now for one thing and then for another? pain? trouble and disease. The Rajasic man always plans to prepare various kinds of preparations to satisfy his palate. He takes salt? chillies? mustard? cloves? condiments? pungent pickles? etc.? in excess. Tears flow from his eyes and water dribbles from his nose and yet he will not leave the hot and pungent articles. The palate remains unsatisfied until the stomach is completely filled with pungent things? till the tongue is burnt with chillies. Ladysfinger? Puri? Kachori? pungent condiments? meat? fish? eggs? sweets? potato? fried bread? curd? brinjal? carrots? blackgram? onions? garlic? lemon? Masur? tea? coffee? betels? tobacco are Rajasic artciles of food.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.9 Foods that are bitter, sour, salty, very hot, pungent, dry and burning, and which production pain, sorrow and disease, are dear to one having rajas.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.9 Those in whom Passion is dominant like foods that are bitter, sour, salty, over-hot, pungent, dry and burning. These produce unhappiness, repentance and disease.
His Grace Rasika Govinda Prabhu· 2018-04-20· Tamil
Personal Guidance
Foods dear to rajas — too bitter, sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry, burning — cause distress, misery, disease.
Practical Applications
Notice over-stimulating foods and reduce them.
Track agitation in mood post-meal.
Reduce caffeine, excessive spice, etc.
Reflection Questions
What rajasic foods most agitate me?
What reduction would I notice in mood?
Analogy
Rajasic food is like a torch held too close to the face — bright, hot, exciting, and slightly burning. It thrills going in and disturbs going through; the body grows quicker but the mind grows louder. What stimulates is rarely what nourishes.
यातयामं गतरसं पूति पर्युषितं च यत् ।
उच्छिष्टमपिचामेध्यंभोजनंतामसप्रियम् ॥ १० ॥
yāta-yāmaṁ gata-rasaṁ
[yaata-yaamam gata-rasam]
pūti paryuṣitaṁ ca yat
[pooti paryushitam cha yat]
ucchiṣṭam api cāmedhyaṁ
[uchchishtam api chaamedhyam]
bhojanaṁ tāmasa-priyam
[bhojanam taamasa-priyam]
Word-for-word
yāta - yāmam—food cooked three hours before being eatengata - rasam—tastelesspūti—bad-smellingparyuṣitam—decomposedca—alsoyat—that whichucchiṣṭam—remnants of food eaten by othersapi—alsoca—andamedhyam—untouchablebhojanam—eatingtāmasa—to one in the mode of darknesspriyam—dear .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yāta-yāmaṁ gata-rasaṁ
yāta - yāmam
food cooked three hours before being eaten
gata - rasam
tasteless
pūti paryuṣitaṁ ca yat
pūti
bad-smelling
paryuṣitam
decomposed
ca
also
yat
that which
ucchiṣṭam api cāmedhyaṁ
ucchiṣṭam
remnants of food eaten by others
api
also
ca
and
amedhyam
untouchable
bhojanaṁ tāmasa-priyam
bhojanam
eating
tāmasa
to one in the mode of darkness
priyam
dear .
Important Words
yāta - yāmam—food cooked three hours before being eaten
Literally 'whose yāma has passed' — a yāma being a three-hour watch of the day. The technical precision is striking: the Gītā gives an actual time-window for freshness. Beyond that, prāṇa has departed from the food.
gata - rasam—tasteless
Compound: gata (gone) + rasa (juice, essence). Note the reuse of rasa from verse 8 in inverse: sattvic food was rasyāḥ (full of rasa); tamasic is gata-rasam (rasa-gone). The same metric, opposite reading.
pūti—bad-smelling, putrid
From √pūy — to stink, to decay. The body's primal alarm against tamas is the nose. The Gītā trusts the nose because it is older than the tongue.
ucchiṣṭam—remnants of food eaten by others
Past participle of ud + √śiṣ — that which is left over. A vital exception: prasāda (food first offered to the Lord) is the divine ucchiṣṭa and is the highest sāttvika. Context decides whether ucchiṣṭa is degrading or liberating — the same word, two valences.
amedhyam—untouchable, unsacrificial
Privative a- + medhya (fit for sacrifice). The strongest word in the verse: not merely impure but disqualified from ever being offered to the Lord. Food that cannot become prasāda is, by Gītā's logic, food unfit for a devotee's body.
Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the mode of darkness.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Tāmasika food is defined not by taste but by ritual and biological status: old, decayed, putrid, polluted, polluting. What attracts here is dullness itself — the appetite of a being whose discriminating faculties have already shut down.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Yāta-yāma is a precise technical term: food held past one yāma (~3 hours) is considered to have lost its prāṇa-content. Ucchiṣṭa (others' leftovers) is a strong purity-code marker, with deep roots in śrauta and gṛhya regulation. Amedhya — 'unfit for medha (sacrifice)' — explicitly ties food-modes to sacrifice-modes: what cannot be offered to Agni should not be put into the body, since 3.13-14 establish eating itself as offering.
yat bhojanaṃ yāta-yāmaṃ, gata-rasaṃ, pūti, paryuṣitam, ucchiṣṭam api ca, amedhyaṃ ca — tat tāmasa-priyam (bhavati) |
Food that is stale (cooked long ago), gone-flavorless, putrid, kept overnight, also leftovers from another's plate, and impure — that is dear to one in the mode of ignorance.
Word split(पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
यात-यामं गत-रसं पूति पर्युषितं च यत् । उच्छिष्टम् अपि च अमेध्यं भोजनं तामस-प्रियम् ॥
yāta-yāmaṃ gata-rasaṃ pūti paryuṣitaṃ ca yat | ucchiṣṭam api ca amedhyaṃ bhojanaṃ tāmasa-priyam ||
Grammar(व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
Sanskrit
IAST
Grammar
Meaning
यात-यामम्
yāta-yāmam
यात + याम (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound)
cooked a quarter-day (3 hrs) earlier; stale
गत-रसम्
gata-rasam
गत + रस (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound)
The purpose of food is to increase the duration of life, purify the mind and aid bodily strength. This is its only purpose. In the past, great authorities selected those foods that best aid health and increase life’s duration, such as milk products, sugar, rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables. These foods are very dear to those in the mode of goodness. Some other foods, such as baked corn and molasses, while not very palatable in themselves, can be made pleasant when mixed with milk or other foods. They are then in the mode of goodness. All these foods are pure by nature. They are quite distinct from untouchable things like meat and liquor. Fatty foods, as mentioned in the eighth verse, have no connection with animal fat obtained by slaughter. Animal fat is available in the form of milk, which is the most wonderful of all foods. Milk, butter, cheese and similar products give animal fat in a form which rules out any need for the killing of innocent creatures. It is only through brute mentality that this killing goes on. The civilized method of obtaining needed fat is by milk. Slaughter is the way of subhumans. Protein is amply available through split peas, dāl, whole wheat, etc. Foods in the mode of passion, which are bitter, too salty, or too hot or overly mixed with red pepper, cause misery by reducing the mucus in the stomach, leading to disease. Foods in the mode of ignorance or darkness are essentially those that are not fresh. Any food cooked more than three hours before it is eaten (except prasādam, food offered to the Lord) is considered to be in the mode of darkness. Because they are decomposing, such foods give a bad odor, which often attracts people in this mode but repulses those in the mode of goodness. Remnants of food may be eaten only when they are part of a meal that was first offered to the Supreme Lord or first eaten by saintly persons, especially the spiritual master. Otherwise the remnants of food are considered to be in the mode of darkness, and they increase infection or disease. Such foodstuffs, although very palatable to persons in the mode of darkness, are neither liked nor even touched by those in the mode of goodness. The best food is the remnants of what is offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gītā the Supreme Lord says that He accepts preparations of vegetables, flour and milk when offered with devotion. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. Of course, devotion and love are the chief things which the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts. But it is also mentioned that the prasādam should be prepared in a particular way. Any food prepared by the injunctions of the scripture and offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be taken even if prepared long, long ago, because such food is transcendental. Therefore to make food antiseptic, eatable and palatable for all persons, one should offer food to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
10. Stale food, food without taste, bad-smelling or rotten food, leftovers from others, and impure foods are dear to the tamasic person.
Commentary
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.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
10. Stale food, food without taste, bad-smelling or rotten food, leftovers from others, and impure food is dear to the tamasic person.
Commentary
This verse describes foods in the mode of ignorance. Cooked food which has remained for one prahara (yāma), [Note: A prahara is approximately three hours in duration.] called yāta yāma, is in the mode of ignorance. Food which has bad taste (gata rasam), which has bad smell (pūtiḥ), which has been cooked the day before (paryuśitam—stale), which is the remnants of others who have already eaten (ucchiṣṭam), other than the remnants of the guru, and food which is impure (amedhyam), such as tobacco, is in the mode of ignorance. This food is dear to those in the mode of ignorance, but is most disgusting to the person in the mode of goodness.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Foods in the mode of ignorance
Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten
Except the Prasadam offered to the Lord
Food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid
Food consisting of remnants and untouchable things
Except the remnants of Supreme Lord or saintly persons, especially spiritual master
Otherwise remnants increase infection or disease
Focus of Learning
(a) Manufacture modes of austerity and penance that are not mentioned in sastras
e.g. Fasting for an ulterior purpose like promoting a political end or social purpose
Such fasting is not good for any spiritual advancement
(b) Importance of the word ‘Achestasah’ – Misled mentality
Normal mentality is that one must obey the scriptures
Abnormal position – Neglect and disobey the scriptures
(d) Rare fortune for such persons – To be guided by the spiritual master to the direct Vedic path and
achieve the Supreme goal
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.10 Bhojanam, food; which is yata-yamam, not properly cooked [Yata-yamam lit. means 'crooked three hours ago', that which has lost its essence; but here it is translated as 'not properly cooked to avoid tautology, for the next word gata-rasam, too, means lacking in essence.-Tr.] (-because food that has lost its essence is referred to by the word gatarasam-); gata-rasam, lacking in essence; puti, putrid; and paryusitam, stale, cooked on the previous day and kept over-night; and even ucchistam, ort, remnants of a meal; and amedhyam, that which is unfit for sacrifice;- this kind of food is tamasa-priyam, dear to one possessed of tamas.
Now then, sacrifices of three kinds are being stated:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.10 Stale (Yatayamam) means that food which has lost its original state, being kept for a long time. Tasteless (Gatarasam) means that which has lost its natural taste. Putrid (Puti) means emitting a bad smell. Decayed (Paryusitam) means aciring a rancidity by lapse of time. Refuse (Ucchistam) means the food that has remained over after being partaken by persons other than Gurus, etc. Unclean (Amedhyam) is that which is not fit for offering in sacrifice or worship. The meaning is that, being unfit for offering in worship, they cannot become the sacrificial remainder. Foods of this kind which promote the growth of Tamas are dear to those who are characterised by Tamas. Food (Bhojana) means that which is eaten. Tamasik food promotes further increase of Tamas. Hence, those persons who care for their own welfare by the growth of Sattva, should eat food charaterised by Sattva.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.7-10 Aharah etc. upto tamasapriyam. What is old : that for which [three] yamas have elapsed [after cooking].
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.10 That which is state, tasteless, putrid, rotten, refuse and impure, is the food liked by the Tamasic.
Commentary
17.10 यातयामम् state? गतरसम् tasteless? पूति putrid? पर्युषितम् rotten? च and? यत् which? उच्छिष्टम् refuse? अपि also? च and? अमेध्यम् impure? भोजनम् food? तामसप्रियम् liked by the Tamasic.Commentary Cannabis indica (Ganja)? Bhang? opium? cocaine? Charas? Chandoo? all stale and putrid articles? are Tamasic.Yatayamam Stale? literally means cooked three hours ago. Yatayamam and Gatarasam mean the same thing.Paryushitam Rotten The cooked food which has been kept overnight.Uchchishtam What is left on the plate after a meal.The man whose taste is of a Tamasic nature will eat food in the afternoon that has been cooked on the previous day. He also likes that which is halfcooked or burnt to a cinder. He and all the members of his family sit together and eat from the same dish or plate? food that has been mixed into a mess by his children.The food eaten by Tamasic people is stale? dry? without juice? unripe or overcooked. They do not relish it? till it begins to rot and ferment. They take prohibited foods and drinks. They take liors? fermented toddy? etc. They are horrible people with devilish tendencies.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.10 Food which is not properly cooked, lacking in essence, putrid and stale, and even ort and that which is unfit for sacrifice, is dear to one possessed of tamas.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.10 The Ignorant love food which is stale, not nourishing, putrid and corrupt, the leavings of others and unclean.
Food cooked more than three hours before being eaten, tasteless, decomposed, putrid, untouchable — is dear to those in tamas.
Practical Applications
Eat fresh food when possible; stale food is tamasic.
Don't accumulate leftovers for days.
Honor freshness as a spiritual quality.
Reflection Questions
How fresh is my typical meal?
What change would reduce tamas?
Analogy
Tamasic food is like a lamp gone cold — once it gave light, but the wick is dead. The substance remains; the life that justified eating it has gone. Eating such food is taking corpse for company, and the body's mood follows.
अफलाकाङ्क्षिभिर्यज्ञो विधिदिष्टो य इज्यते ।
यष्टव्यमेवेति मन: समाधाय स सात्त्विक: ॥ ११ ॥
aphalākāṅkṣibhir yajño
[aphalaakaankshibhir yajno]
vidhi-diṣṭo ya ijyate
[vidhi-dishto ya ijyate]
yaṣṭavyam eveti manaḥ
[yashtavyam eveti manah]
samādhāya sa sāttvikaḥ
[samaadhaaya sa saattvikah]
Word-for-word
aphala - ākāṅkṣibhiḥ—by those devoid of desire for resultyajñaḥ—sacrificevidhi - diṣṭaḥ—according to the direction of scriptureyaḥ—whichijyate—is performedyaṣṭavyam—must be performedeva—certainlyiti—thusmanaḥ—mindsamādhāya—fixingsaḥ—itsāttvikaḥ—in the mode of goodness .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
aphalākāṅkṣibhir yajño
aphala - ākāṅkṣibhiḥ
by those devoid of desire for result
yajñaḥ
sacrifice
vidhi-diṣṭo ya ijyate
vidhi - diṣṭaḥ
according to the direction of scripture
yaḥ
which
ijyate
is performed
yaṣṭavyam eveti manaḥ
yaṣṭavyam
must be performed
eva
certainly
iti
thus
manaḥ
mind
samādhāya sa sāttvikaḥ
samādhāya
fixing
saḥ
it
sāttvikaḥ
in the mode of goodness .
Important Words
aphala - ākāṅkṣibhiḥ—by those devoid of desire for result
Compound: a- (not) + phala (fruit) + ākāṅkṣin (one who longs for). The hinge condition. Sattvic sacrifice is not defined by what is offered but by what is *not* expected back. Same fire, same mantras — but if phala-ākāṅkṣā enters, the mode shifts.
vidhi - diṣṭaḥ—according to the direction of scripture
Compound: vidhi (rule) + diṣṭa (pointed out, prescribed). The second condition. Sattva requires not just renunciation but obedience — sacrifice performed where śāstra has pointed.
yaṣṭavyam—must be performed
Future passive participle of √yaj — 'that which is to be sacrificed/done.' Combined in the verse with eva, it becomes the karma-yoga sūtra: 'simply to be done.' The whole detachment teaching compressed into one word — duty as duty, no further justification sought.
samādhāya—fixing
Gerund from sam + ā + √dhā — to place together, to compose. The same root as samādhi. The verse uses it with manaḥ: the mind must be 'composed.' Sāttvika-yajña requires not just bodily correctness and renounced desire but the mind's collected fixity.
sāttvikaḥ—in the mode of goodness
The masculine form here qualifies yajñaḥ (sacrifice). Note the chapter's careful grammar: when a sacrifice is sāttvika, the word takes masculine; when austerity is sāttvika, it takes neuter (sāttvikam). The classification follows the noun, not the mode.
Of sacrifices, the sacrifice performed according to the directions of scripture, as a matter of duty, by those who desire no reward, is of the nature of goodness.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
The sāttvika yajña is defined by three coordinates: agentless wanting (no eye on phala), scriptural orthodoxy (vidhi-diṣṭa), and the disposition that the act itself is its own warrant (yaṣṭavyam eveti). When duty alone, anchored by śāstra, holds the mind, the offering is pure.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
This verse is a precise restatement of niṣkāma-karma (cf. 2.47, 3.9) applied to formal yajña. Yaṣṭavyam eveti — the absolutive 'it just is to be done' — is the practical operating-stance of karma-yoga. Manaḥ samādhāya links yajña to dhyāna: even external ritual demands inner gathering. Together with vv. 24-28 this verse defines orthodox liturgy.
The sacrifice that is performed by those who do not crave its fruit, fixing the mind with the conviction 'it ought simply to be offered,' according to scriptural injunction — that one is sāttvika.
The general tendency is to offer sacrifice with some purpose in mind, but here it is stated that sacrifice should be performed without any such desire. It should be done as a matter of duty. Take, for example, the performance of rituals in temples or in churches. Generally they are performed with the purpose of material benefit, but that is not in the mode of goodness. One should go to a temple or church as a matter of duty, offer respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and offer flowers and eatables without any purpose of obtaining material benefit. Everyone thinks that there is no use in going to the temple just to worship God. But worship for economic benefit is not recommended in the scriptural injunctions. One should go simply to offer respect to the Deity. That will place one in the mode of goodness. It is the duty of every civilized man to obey the injunctions of the scriptures and offer respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
11. 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.
Commentary
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).
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
11. 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 sāttvika.
Commentary
The Lord then speaks of three varieties of sacrifice in three verses. That sacrifice which is performed (ījyate) without desire for results, arising from the rules of scripture (vidhi dṛṣṭaḥ) is sacrifice in the mode of goodness. But how would one be inspired to do a sacrifice without some motive? One should concentrate the mind (samādhāya), thinking “This sacifice should be done because of instructions in the Vedas (yaṣṭavaym) directed to me. It is not to be done for achieving results.”
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Sacrifice in the mode of goodness
According to directions of scripture
As a matter of duty
e.g. To go to temple/church as a duty and not for economic benefit
Duty of every civilized man
To obey scriptural injunctions
To offer respect to Supreme Personality of Godhead
Desire no reward
General tendency is to offer with a purpose in mind
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.11 Sah, that; yajnah, sacrifice; vidhi-drstah, which is in accordance with the injunctions, which is known through scriptural unjunctions; (and) yah, which; is ijyate, performed; a-phala-akanksibhih, by persons who do not hanker after results; manah samadhaya, with the mental conviction; iti, that; yastavyam, eva, it is surely obligatory, their duty is to accomplish the sacrifice just as it should be-with the firm idea, 'I have no human goal to achieve through this'-; is said to be a sacrifice which is sattvikah, done through sattva.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.11 That sacrifice is marked by Sattva which is offered by those desiring no fruits, with the 'conviction', i.e., with the idea that it ought to be performed or that it should be offered for its own sake as worship of the Lord as enjoined in the injunctions of the Sastras, i.e., with hymns, right materials and proper rituals.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.11 See Comment under 17.13
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.11 That sacrifice which is offered by men without desire for reward as enjoined by the ordinance (scripture), with a firm faith that to do so is a duty, is Sattvic or pure.
Commentary
17.11 अफलाकाङ्क्षिभिः by men desiring no fruit? यज्ञः sacrifice? विधिदृष्टः as enjoined by the ordinance? यः which? इज्यते is offered? यष्टव्यम् ought to be offered? एव only? इति thus? मनः the mind? समाधाय having fixed? सः that? सात्त्विकः Sattvic or pure.Commentary When a sacrifice is done with all due Sattvic rites? faith and devotion? without the least taint of desire for reward? with the mind fixed on the sacrifice only? for its own sake (for the,sake of discharging the duty only)? then it is said to be pure in its nature. Here the sacrifice is done in a disinterested spirit or with an attitude of desirelessness (Nishkamya Bhava) as an auxiliary to the attainment of the knowledge of the Self. Such selfless and desireless actions purify the mind and prepare the aspirant for the reception of divine light or knowledge of the Self. The Sattvic nature of a man forces him to do such selfless and desireless sacrifices. He does not care even for his own emancipation. He performs them with the firm belief that they ought to be done. He does them with the firm resolve that sacrifice is a duty.Yajna here is not limited to the ceremonial sacrifice. It is used in a broad sense. Any unselfish action done without attachment? without agency or egoism and without expectation of reward? as an offering unto the Lord? is a Yajna or sacrifice.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.11 That sacrifice which is in accordance with the injunctions, (and is) performed by persons who do not hanker after results, and with the mental conviction that it is surely obligatory, is done through sattva.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.11 Sacrifice is Pure when it is offered by one who does not covet the fruit thereof, when it is done according to the commands of scripture, and with implicit faith that the sacrifice is a duty.
Sacrifice is sattvic when performed according to scripture, as a duty, by those who desire no reward — without expectation.
Practical Applications
Treat your sacrifices (worship, service) as duty without reward expectation.
Honor scripture's specifications.
Refuse the bargain mode.
Reflection Questions
Where has my worship slipped into bargaining?
What restores duty-without-reward?
Analogy
Sattvic yajña is like a tree planted not for its shade but because the tree is dharmic to plant. The shade comes — or does not — and the planter is unmoved. The act stands on its own duty-feet, asking nothing back from the soil.
Stories
Yudhiṣṭhira's Rājasūya
After becoming emperor, Yudhiṣṭhira performed the Rājasūya sacrifice not for fame, not to consolidate power, but because Kṛṣṇa and Vyāsa instructed it as the proper duty of his station. He performed it strictly according to vidhi, with Kṛṣṇa Himself attending — and Yudhiṣṭhira's mind was so fixed on duty rather than reward that he gave away the kingdom's wealth without flinching.
Mahābhārata records that Yudhiṣṭhira treated the sacrifice as yaṣṭavyam eva — 'this is simply to be performed' — exactly the phrase Kṛṣṇa uses in this verse. It became the canonical example of sāttvika-yajña.
abhisandhāya—desiringtu—butphalam—the resultdambha—prideartham—for the sake ofapi—alsoca—andeva—certainlyyat—that whichijyate—is performedbharata - śreṣṭha—O chief of the Bhāratastam—thatyajñam—sacrificeviddhi—knowrājasam—in the mode of passion .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
abhisandhāya tu phalaṁ
abhisandhāya
desiring
tu
but
phalam
the result
dambhārtham api caiva yat
dambha
pride
artham
for the sake of
api
also
ca
and
eva
certainly
yat
that which
ijyate bharata-śreṣṭha
ijyate
is performed
bharata - śreṣṭha
O chief of the Bhāratas
taṁ yajñaṁ viddhi rājasam
tam
that
yajñam
sacrifice
viddhi
know
rājasam
in the mode of passion .
Important Words
abhisandhāya—desiring, aiming at
Gerund from abhi + sam + √dhā — to set one's aim toward. Stronger than mere wishing: a deliberate targeting. The rajasic worshiper does not merely hope for a result; he aims the sacrifice at it like an arrow.
phalam—the result
From √phal — to bear fruit. The same word condemned in verse 11 (aphala-ākāṅkṣibhiḥ) returns here as the disqualifier. Phala is not evil; the aiming at it is.
dambha—pride
Specifically the pride that displays itself — hypocritical showmanship. The same dambha that defined demoniac austerity in 17.5 returns now to taint sacrifice. Even a perfect-form yajña becomes rajasic if performed for show. Motive, not externals, is the modal marker.
artham—for the sake of
From artha — purpose, end. The chapter's recurring purpose-marker, appearing here paired with dambha (and elsewhere with sat-kāra, utsādana). The grammar of motive: 'for-the-sake-of'-constructions are precisely what disqualify an act from sattva.
bharata - śreṣṭha—O chief of the Bhāratas
Address to Arjuna. Kṛṣṇa is reminding His kṣatriya friend of his royal heritage — a class especially prone to dambha-driven yajñas. The address is also a small mercy: the warning is delivered to him as a peer of kings.
But the sacrifice performed for some material benefit, or for the sake of pride, O chief of the Bhāratas, you should know to be in the mode of passion.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
The same external ritual that is sāttvika in 17.11 becomes rājasa here through two contaminating motives: targeting some phala (heaven, wealth, son) and performing for public display (dambha). Outer form is identical; the difference is entirely intentional.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Abhisandhāya is decisive: it is not the bare occurrence of a result-thought that disqualifies the yajña but the deliberate aiming. Most Vedic yajñas (kāmya-karman) ARE result-targeted by design — the chapter is therefore making a deeper point: even śāstra-prescribed yajñas can be rājasa if the antaḥkaraṇa is invested in their fruit. Cf. Mīmāṁsā vs. Vedānta debate on phala-śruti. Dambha echoes 16.4 and 16.17.
Prose order(अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे भरत-श्रेष्ठ! यत् (यज्ञः) फलम् अभिसन्धाय, दम्भ-अर्थम् अपि च एव इज्यते — तं यज्ञं राजसं विद्धि ।
he bharata-śreṣṭha! yat (yajñaḥ) phalam abhisandhāya, dambha-artham api ca eva ijyate — taṃ yajñaṃ rājasaṃ viddhi |
But the sacrifice that is performed aiming at fruit, and also for the sake of show, O best of the Bharatas — know that sacrifice to be rājasa.
√विद् impv. 2sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice)
know!
राजसम्
rājasam
राजस (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m.
of the mode of passion
Purport
Sometimes sacrifices and rituals are performed for elevation to the heavenly kingdom or for some material benefits in this world. Such sacrifices or ritualistic performances are considered to be in the mode of passion.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
12. Know that the sacrifice performed with intention of enjoying the result, or for ostentation, is rajasic, O best of Bharata’s lineage.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
12. Know that the sacrifice performed with intention of enjoying the result, for ostentation, is rajasic, O best of Bharata.
Commentary
Know that sacrifice performed with the intention of gaining svarga or other results, or for purposes of showing ones greatness (dambha artham) is sacrifice in the mode of passion.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Sacrifice in the mode of passion
Done for some material benefit
e.g. For elevation to heavenly kingdom or some other material benefits
For the sake of pride
Focus of Learning
(a) Purpose of food
Increase the duration of life
Purify the mind
Aid in bodily strength
(b) Authority – Past authorities selected foods according to above mentioned purposes e.g. Milk
products, rice, wheat, sugar etc. (Some foods like baked corn and molasses can be made pleasant
when mixed with milk and other foods)
(c) Fatty foods and proteins
Only animal fat of milk is allowed
This is the civilized method of obtaining the needed fat
It rules out any need for animal slaughter
Sub-human way – Fat from animal slaughter
Proteins are available from split-peas, dal, whole-wheat etc.
(d) The best food – Remnants of Supreme Personality of Godhead
Only way to make food anti-septic, eatable and palatable for all persons is to offer food to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and accept remnants
Ref. Bg. 9.26 – “Patram, pushpam…” – Love and devotion are the chief things that the Lord accepts
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.12 Tu, but; yat, that which; is ijyate, performed; abhisandhaya, having in view; a phalam, result; api ca, as also; dambhartham, for ostentation; viddhi, know; tam, that; yajnam, sacrifice; to be rajasam, done through rajas; bharatasrestha, O greatest among the descendants of Bharata.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.12 That sacrifice, performed to gain fruits, full of ostentation and with fame as its aim, know that sacrifice to be characterised by Rajas.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.12 See Comment under 17.13
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.12 The sacrifice which is offered, O Arjuna, seeking a reward and for ostentation, know thou that to be a Rajasic Yajna.
Commentary
17.12 अभिसंधाय seeking for? तु indeed? फलम् fruit? दम्भार्थम् for ostentation? अपि also? च and? एव even? यत् which? इज्यते is offered? भरतश्रेष्ठ O best of the Bharatas? तम् that? यज्ञम् sacrifice? विद्धि know? राजसम् Rajasic.Commentary If anyone performs a sacrifice in order to obtain? heaven? son? wealth? or name and fame? then it is a sacrifice of a Rajasic nature. The performer of this kind of sacrifice has the motive of increasing his own importance? for popularising his own name in the world? for gaining some reward? for showing himself off as a great? pious and learned man? for making an exhibition of his riches for his own glorificaion. He has no aspiration for attaining the knowledge of the Self.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.12 But that sacrifice which is performed having in veiw a result, as also for ostentation,-know that sacrifice to be done through rajas, O greatest among the descendants of Bharata.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
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.
Sacrifice performed for material benefit or for show — is rajasic.
Practical Applications
Notice when you perform spiritual practice for show or material benefit.
Stop performing devotion for an audience.
Refuse benefit-driven practice.
Reflection Questions
Where does showy or benefit-driven practice creep into my devotion?
What private practice would purify it?
Analogy
Rajasic sacrifice is like a businessman at a temple — palms folded, but eyes counting. The fire is real, the mantras are correct, yet the transaction overshadows the offering. Heaven becomes a vendor; the worshiper, a buyer with an itemized list.
Stories
Daśaratha's putra-kāmeṣṭi
Childless and aging, King Daśaratha performed the putra-kāmeṣṭi yajña — a sacrifice explicitly for the desire of sons. He followed every scriptural injunction; the sacrifice was technically perfect, and the boon was granted in the form of Rāma and His brothers.
But by its own definition the rite was abhisandhāya phalam — 'desiring the result' — and the Rāmāyaṇa shows the rajasic edge of its fruit: Daśaratha's later grief at separation from Rāma was the unpaid bill of a fruit-desiring sacrifice. Kṛṣṇa's higher proposal in the Gītā is to perform the same rite without the rajasic intention.
विधिहीनमसृष्टान्नंमन्त्रहीनमदक्षिणम् ।
श्रद्धाविरहितं यज्ञं तामसं परिचक्षते ॥ १३ ॥
vidhi-hīnam asṛṣṭānnaṁ
[vidhi-heenam asrishtaannam]
mantra-hīnam adakṣiṇam
[mantra-heenam adakshinam]
śraddhā-virahitaṁ yajñaṁ
[shraddhaa-virahitam yajnam]
tāmasaṁ paricakṣate
[taamasam parichakshate]
Word-for-word
vidhi - hīnam—without scriptural directionasṛṣṭa - annam—without distribution of prasādammantra - hīnam—with no chanting of the Vedic hymnsadakṣiṇam—with no remunerations to the priestsśraddhā—faithvirahitam—withoutyajñam—sacrificetāmasam—in the mode of ignoranceparicakṣate—is to be considered .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
vidhi-hīnam asṛṣṭānnaṁ
vidhi - hīnam
without scriptural direction
asṛṣṭa - annam
without distribution of prasādam
mantra-hīnam adakṣiṇam
mantra - hīnam
with no chanting of the Vedic hymns
adakṣiṇam
with no remunerations to the priests
śraddhā-virahitaṁ yajñaṁ
śraddhā
faith
virahitam
without
yajñam
sacrifice
tāmasaṁ paricakṣate
tāmasam
in the mode of ignorance
paricakṣate
is to be considered .
Important Words
vidhi - hīnam—without scriptural direction
Compound: vidhi (rule) + hīnam (lacking, abandoned). The exact inverse of vidhi-diṣṭaḥ in verse 11. The chapter is built on these symmetric pairs: what makes sattvic, when removed, makes tamasic.
asṛṣṭa - annam—without distribution of prasādam
Compound: a- (not) + sṛṣṭa (distributed, sent forth) + anna (food). A sacrifice that does not feed others is tamasic by definition. The act of offering must overflow into hospitality, or its mode collapses.
mantra - hīnam—with no chanting of Vedic hymns
Mantra (sacred sound) + hīnam (lacking). The śabda-brahman dimension of yajña, removed. Without sacred sound the fire is only fire, not a sacrament.
adakṣiṇam—with no remunerations to the priests
Privative a- + dakṣiṇā (the right-hand gift to the officiating brāhmaṇas). A traditionally vital element: the dakṣiṇā completes the yajña. Its absence marks the sacrifice as not merely incomplete but tamasic — the host has refused to honour the agents of the rite.
virahitam—without
Past participle of vi + √rah — separated from, abandoned by. Used in the verse with śraddhā: 'separated from faith.' The final and most decisive defect. Recall 17.3: śraddhā-mayo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ — a person is faith. A sacrifice virahita of śraddhā is a sacrifice without a person; only a shell of motion remains.
Any sacrifice performed without regard for the directions of scripture, without distribution of prasādam [spiritual food], without chanting of Vedic hymns and remunerations to the priests, and without faith is considered to be in the mode of ignorance.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Five privations define tāmasa yajña: no scriptural rule, no food-sharing, no mantras, no dakṣiṇā, no faith. What is omitted catalogues exactly what a real yajña IS — śruti-anchored, communal, sonically consecrated, generosity-completing, and faith-saturated.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Note that the five negations form an instructive checklist for orthopraxis: vidhi (procedure), anna-sṛṣṭi (feeding of brāhmaṇas and guests is integral to gṛhya yajña), mantra (the divine speech that activates the rite), dakṣiṇā (priest-fee, which Mīmāṁsā considers an aṅga of the ritual), and śraddhā (the encompassing disposition). Cf. Taittirīya Upaniṣad 1.11.3 (śraddhayā deyam, aśraddhayā adeyam). When all five are absent, the act is only the husk of yajña.
A sacrifice devoid of scriptural injunction, without distribution of food, without mantras, without priestly fee, and bereft of faith — they declare that to be tāmasa.
Faith in the mode of darkness or ignorance is actually faithlessness. Sometimes people worship some demigod just to make money and then spend the money for recreation, ignoring the scriptural injunctions. Such ceremonial shows of religiosity are not accepted as genuine. They are all in the mode of darkness; they produce a demoniac mentality and do not benefit human society.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
13. 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.
Commentary
Asṛṣṭa annam means without giving food in charity.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
13. 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.
Commentary
Sacrifice without food distribution (asṛṣṭa annam), in which the mantras are lacking in pitch or syllables, and which is without faith since there is animosity towards the priest (śraddhā virahitam), is known as sacrifice in the mode of ignorance.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Sacrifice in the mode of ignorance
Without scriptural directions
Without distribution of prasadam
Without chanting of Vedic Hymns and remuneration to the priests
Without faith
Faith in ignorance is faithlessness
e.g. Worshiping demigods to make some money and spend for recreation
Ignoring scriptures
Ceremonial show of religiosity
These produce demoniac mentality
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.13 Paricaksate, they delclare; that yajnam, sacrifice; as tamasam, done through tamas; which is vidhi-hinam, contrary to injunction, opposed to what is enjoined; asrstannam, in which food is not distributed-a sacrifice in which food (annam) is not distributed (asrstam) to Brahmanas; mantra-hinam, in which mantras are not used, which is bereft of mantras, intonation and distinct pronunciation; adaksinam, in which offerings are not made to priests as prescribed; and which is sraddha-virahitam, devoid of faith.
After that, now is being stated the three kinds of austerity:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.13 They say that sacrifice is Tamasa, which is bereft of the authority of injunction of Brahmanas of learning and good conduct as 'Do this sacrifice,' which is 'Asrstanna' viz., which uses offerings (materials) not sanctioned by the Sastras; which is performed without recitation of hymns; and which is bereft of gifts and faith.
Now, to explain the threefold division of austerities according to their source in the Gunas, Sri Krsna describes their differences in respect of the body, speech and mind:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.11-13 Aphala-etc. upto paricaksate. Stabilizing mind : by firmly believing. Also for the sake of display etc. Display : an intention 'Let the world take me to be of this natrue'. That which is devoid of scriptural injunction : that which is devoid of rituals prescribed in the scriptures. The same [feature] is elaborated by the attributives 'That in which no food is distributed' etc.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.13 They declare that sacrifice to be Tamasic which is contrary to the ordinances of the scriptures, in which no food is distributed, which is devoid of Mantras, gifts and faith.
Commentary
17.13 विधिहीनम् without keeping to ordinance? असृष्टान्नम् in which no food is distributed? मन्त्रहीनम् which is devoid of Mantras? अदक्षिणम् which is devoid of gifts? श्रद्धाविरहितम् which is devoid of faith? यज्ञम् sacrifice? तामसम् Tamasic? परिचक्षते (they) declare.Commentary A sacrifice performed by a Tamasic man is never guided by any consideration for the prescribed rites or incantation. You will find every irregularity in this sacrifice. No food is distributed. No fees which are prescribed in the scriptures are given to the priests. The Mantras are not changed properly. The hymns recited are defective in utterance and accent. Sometimes there is no recitation at all. There is no faith. A man who performs such a sacrifice does not get any merit.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.13 They declare that sacrifice as 'done through tamas' which is contrary to injunction, in which food is not distributed, in which mantras are not used, in which offerings are not made to priests, and which is devoid of faith.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
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.
Sacrifice without scripture, food distribution, mantra, charity, or faith — is tamasic.
Practical Applications
Reject 'sacrifice' that lacks the basic elements.
Don't tolerate degraded ritual.
Restore the elements.
Reflection Questions
What 'sacrifice' have I tolerated despite missing key elements?
What restoration would honor it?
Analogy
Tamasic sacrifice is like a meal cooked with no fire, no salt, no host, no guest — yet still called a feast. The form has been so stripped that the soul of the act is no longer present. Going through motions can be worse than not moving at all.
देवद्विजगुरुप्राज्ञपूजनं शौचमार्जवम् ।
ब्रह्मचर्यमहिंसा च शारीरं तप उच्यते ॥ १४ ॥
deva-dvija-guru-prājña-
[deva-dvija-guru-praajna-]
pūjanaṁ śaucam ārjavam
[poojanam shaucham aarjavam]
brahmacaryam ahiṁsā ca
[brahmacharyam ahimsaa cha]
śārīraṁ tapa ucyate
[shaareeram tapa uchyate]
Word-for-word
deva—of the Supreme Lorddvija—the brāhmaṇasguru—the spiritual masterprājña—and worshipable personalitiespūjanam—worshipśaucam—cleanlinessārjavam—simplicitybrahmacaryam—celibacyahiṁsā—nonviolenceca—alsośārīram—pertaining to the bodytapaḥ—austerityucyate—is said to be .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
deva-dvija-guru-prājña-
deva
of the Supreme Lord
dvija
the brāhmaṇas
guru
the spiritual master
prājña
and worshipable personalities
pūjanaṁ śaucam ārjavam
pūjanam
worship
śaucam
cleanliness
ārjavam
simplicity
brahmacaryam ahiṁsā ca
brahmacaryam
celibacy
ahiṁsā
nonviolence
ca
also
śārīraṁ tapa ucyate
śārīram
pertaining to the body
tapaḥ
austerity
ucyate
is said to be .
Important Words
pūjanam—worship
From √pūj — to honour. The keystone of the verse's opening compound (deva-dvija-guru-prājña-pūjanam): worship of the Supreme Lord, brāhmaṇas, the guru, and worshipable persons. Note the order — Lord first, then His representatives in descending immediacy. Bodily austerity begins by physically honouring those higher than oneself.
śaucam—cleanliness
From √śuc — to gleam, to be radiant. Cleanliness is not negative (absence of dirt) but positive (radiance). The body is to gleam, not merely be unfilthy.
ārjavam—simplicity, straightness
From ṛju — straight, direct. The bodily form of honesty: no curving postures of concealment, no theatrical comportment. The body itself becomes a straight line of intent.
brahmacaryam—celibacy
Compound: brahma (the Absolute) + caryā (conduct, walking). Literally 'walking in the Absolute.' Celibacy here is not mere abstinence but the redirection of generative energy upward — śakti gathered for higher work.
ahiṁsā—nonviolence
Privative a- + hiṁsā (injury). The fifth element. Note: in the kṣatriya's case (Arjuna), this does not mean refusal to fight; it means refusal to injure outside one's dharmic duty. The chapter's logic places ahiṁsā under bodily tapas because it is performed first by the limbs.
Austerity of the body consists in worship of the Supreme Lord, the brāhmaṇas, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father and mother, and in cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy and nonviolence.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Body-tapas is not self-mortification but five disciplined practices: outward worship of those worth worshiping, cleanliness, simplicity of conduct, sexual restraint, and non-injury. The body is austere when its acts and bearings are kept aligned with reverence and harmlessness.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
This is the first of three verses (14-16) that systematically map tapas onto the three instruments of action — body, speech, mind — anticipating the trikaraṇa scheme of 18.15. The list draws on the gṛhya-dharma tradition. Pūjana stands first: bodily reverence is the foundation of all subsequent austerity. Contrast sharply with the demonic 'tapas' of 17.5-6 — the same word, radically different content.
देव + द्विज + गुरु + प्राज्ञ + पूजन (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (dvandva inside)
worship of devas, twice-borns, guru, and the wise
शौचम्
śaucam
शौच (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)
purity, cleanliness
आर्जवम्
ārjavam
आर्जव (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)
straightforwardness, simplicity
ब्रह्मचर्यम्
brahmacaryam
ब्रह्मचर्य (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)
continence, study-life
अहिंसा
ahiṃsā
अहिंसा (f.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)
non-injury
च
ca
ind. (indeclinable)
and
शारीरम्
śārīram
शारीर (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n.
pertaining to the body
तपः
tapaḥ
तपस् (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)
austerity
उच्यते
ucyate
√वच् pass. (passive) pres. (present) 3sg.
is said
Purport
The Supreme Godhead here explains the different kinds of austerity and penance. First He explains the austerities and penances practiced by the body. One should offer, or learn to offer, respect to God or to the demigods, the perfect, qualified brāhmaṇas and the spiritual master and superiors like father, mother or any person who is conversant with Vedic knowledge. These should be given proper respect. One should practice cleansing oneself externally and internally, and he should learn to become simple in behavior. He should not do anything which is not sanctioned by the scriptural injunctions. He should not indulge in sex outside of married life, for sex is sanctioned in the scripture only in marriage, not otherwise. This is called celibacy. These are penances and austerities as far as the body is concerned.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
14. Sattvic austerity of the body consists of worship of devas, brāhmaṇas, guru and the wise, as well as purity, sincerity, celibacy and non-violence.
Commentary
Speaking of three types of austerity, first the Lord speaks of three types of sattvic austerity in three verses.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
14. Austerity of the body consists of worship of devas, brāhmaṇas, guru and the wise; purity, sincerity, celibacy and non-violence.
Commentary
The Lord next in order to explain the austerity in the three modes, speaks first of the three types of austerity (body, words and mind) in three verses.
There should be worship of the devas such as Vasu and Rudra; of the dvijās, the best among the brāhmaṇas; of the gurus, such as mother, father and teacher; and of the learned, who know the Vedas and its ancillary portions. The sequence is from superior to inferior.
There should be cleanliness (śaucam) of the two types mentioned previously (internal and external). Ārjava, sincerity in terms of bodily austerity, means that one should equally carry out what is prescribed and avoid what is forbidden. Brahmacaryam means sex life according to scriptural injunction. These are the austerities to be accomplished by the body (śārīram).
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Austerity of body (5 points)
Worship of the Supreme Lord, brahmanas, the spiritual master and superiors like father and mother
Cleanliness
Simplicity
Celibacy and
Non-violence
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.14 Deva-dvija-guru-pujanam, the worship of gods, twice-borns, venerable persons and the wise; saucam, purity; arjavam, straightforwardness; brahmacarayam, celibacy; and ahimsa, non-injury; ucyate, are said to be; sariram, bodily; tapah, austerity, austerity accomplished through the body: that which can be performed by the agent, etc. [See 18. 13-15.-Tr.], (i.e.) with the whole group of body and organs, in which the body predominates; for the Lord will say, 'these five are its causes' (18.15).
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.14 The worship of the gods, the twice-born, preceptors and enlightened ones; purity, viz., by ablutions in sacred water; uprightness, viz., bodily action in accordance with the mind; continence, viz., absence of looking at women etc., considering them as objcts of pleasure; non-injury, viz., not hurting any being - these constitute the austerity of the body.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.14 See Comment under 17.16
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.14 Worship of the gods, the twice-born, the teachers and the wise, purity, straightforwardness, celibacy and non-injury are called the austerities of the body.
Commentary
17.14 देवद्विजगुरुप्राज्ञपूजनम् worship of the gods? the twicorn? the teachers and the wise? शौचम् purity? आर्जवम् straightforwardness? ब्रह्मचर्यम् celibacy? अहिंसा noninjury? च and? शारीरम् of the body? तपः austerity? उच्यते is called.Commentary Tapas Austerity or selfdiscipline.Using the feet in pilgrimage to the sacred temples using the hands in cleaning the temples? in collecting the materials of worship of God? and in performing worship prostrations to the Brahmanas? preceptors and the wise continence and noninjury? constitute physical austerity. The body is used in the service of the parents and preceptors? the poor and the sick. This is also bodily austerity. That austerity which is done by the body is physical austerity. The physical body is the chief agent in doing such austerity. Hence this is called physical austerity. The practice of nonstealing and noncovetousness are also included in physical austerity.He who has realised I am Brahman is a wise man (Prajna). A Sudra also may be a wise man. Though Vidura was a Sudra he was a sage. That is the reason why the Lord has made a separate mention of the wise.Brahmacharya means control but not suppression of the sexdesire or sexforce. If the mind is filled with sublime thoughts by meditation? Japa (repetition of a Mantra)? prayer? study of holy scriptures? eniry of Who am I? and contemplation of the sexless? pure Self? the sexdesire will be devitalised by the withdrawal of the mind. The mind also will be thinned out. Suppressed sexdesire will attack you again and again and will produce wetdreams? irritability and restlessness of the mind. The mind should be rendered pure by meditation? Japa? singing of the Lords names? and prayer. The mind should be controlled first. Then it will be easy for you to control the senses. That is the reason why the practice of Sama or the control of the mind comes first and then comes Dama or the restraint of the senses (in the order of the sixfold virtues. The senses cannot operate without the help of the mind. So the effective remedy for lust and the best aid to celibacy is to control the mind first and then the senses.Intense musing on the objects of the senses does more harm to the inner spiritual life than actual sensegratification. If the mind is not rendered pure by Sadhana? mere mortification of the external senses will not produce the desired effect. Although the external senses are mortified? their internal counterparts which are still energetic and vigorous? revenge upon the mind? and produce intense mental disturbance and wild imagination.To control the mind is diffcult for neophytes or the beginners. It will be extremely difficult to control the mind first when the senses are allowed to run riot. That is the reason why Lord Krishna says Therefore? O Arjuna? mastering first the senses? do thou slay this thing of sin (desire)? destructive of wisdom and knowledge. (Cf.III.41)The theory or doctrine that the mind should be controlled first is ite correct. This practice is intended for the firstclass type of spiritual aspirants. The middling type of students should control the senses first. The senses always have an outgoing tendency. The mind operates through the senses. Control of the one goes hand in hand with control of the other. Control of the senses is also control of the mind? because the mind is a bundle of senses only there is no mind without the senses.Just as an enemy can be easily conered if you have a twopronged attack? so also the mind can be controlled easily if you attack it on two fronts simultaneously -- an external attack on the senses and an internal attack on the mind itself by the eradication of the desires.To say? Control the mind first? you can control the senses (which is one point of view) or Control the senses first? you can control the mind easily (which is another point of view) is simply arguing in a vicious circle like Which came first -- the tree or the seed or You will get the knowledge of the Self if you control all desires -- and you can control all the desires only if you have knowledge of the Self.You need not worry yourself over this seeming paradox. Try to do either of the practices? viz.? control of the mind or control of the senses? according to your liking? capacity? taste and temperament. You can yourself find out by actual practice which is better. As you advance in your practice your doubtwill gradually disapperar and you will enjoy supreme peace and joy.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.14 The worship of gods, twice-borns, venerable persons and the wise; purity, straightforwardness, celibacy and non-injury,-are said to be bodily austerity.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.14 Worship of God and the Master; respect for the preacher and the philosopher; purity, rectitude, continence and harmlessness - all this is physical austerity.
The austerity of the body — worship of the Supreme, the brāhmaṇas, the spiritual master, elders; cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy, nonviolence.
Practical Applications
Audit each of these bodily austerities.
Pick one to deepen this season.
Don't reduce 'austerity' to fasting alone.
Reflection Questions
Which bodily austerity is most under-practiced?
What deepening is feasible?
Analogy
Bodily austerity is like a gardener tending the outer hedges of a great estate. The hedges are not the estate's purpose, but a neglected hedge announces a neglected garden. Worship of the worshipable, cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy, nonviolence — these are the visible edges by which the inner garden is read.
Stories
Haridāsa Ṭhākura's bodily austerity
Haridāsa Ṭhākura kept three lakhs of names of Kṛṣṇa daily — but his śārīra-tapas was equally rigorous. He honoured Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Advaita Ācārya with full bodily worship, maintained spotless personal cleanliness even when living in caves and grass huts, kept brahmacarya through every test (including the famous one with Māyā in the form of a courtesan), and was perfectly nonviolent — even refusing to swat the snake that lived in his bhajana-kuṭīra.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta presents Haridāsa as the living textbook of this verse. Every clause — deva, dvija, guru-pūjana, śauca, ārjava, brahmacarya, ahiṁsā — is annotated by some incident of his life.
अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रियहितं च यत् ।
स्वाध्यायाभ्यसनं चैव वाङ्मयं तप उच्यते ॥ १५ ॥
anudvega-karaṁ vākyaṁ
[anudvega-karam vaakyam]
satyaṁ priya-hitaṁ ca yat
[satyam priya-hitam cha yat]
svādhyāyābhyasanaṁ caiva
[svaadhyaayaabhyasanam chaiva]
vāṅ-mayaṁ tapa ucyate
[vaan-mayam tapa uchyate]
Word-for-word
anudvega - karam—not agitatingvākyam—wordssatyam—truthfulpriya—dearhitam—beneficialca—alsoyat—whichsvādhyāya—of Vedic studyabhyasanam—practiceca—alsoeva—certainlyvāk - mayam—of the voicetapaḥ—austerityucyate—is said to be .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
anudvega-karaṁ vākyaṁ
anudvega - karam
not agitating
vākyam
words
satyaṁ priya-hitaṁ ca yat
satyam
truthful
priya
dear
hitam
beneficial
ca
also
yat
which
svādhyāyābhyasanaṁ caiva
svādhyāya
of Vedic study
abhyasanam
practice
ca
also
eva
certainly
vāk - mayam
of the voice
vāṅ-mayaṁ tapa ucyate
tapaḥ
austerity
ucyate
is said to be .
Important Words
anudvega - karam—not agitating
Compound: an- (not) + udvega (agitation, distress) + kara (causing). The first criterion of speech-austerity is negative: speech that does not throw the hearer into agitation. Truthful speech that needlessly disturbs fails this test.
satyam—truthful
From √as — to be. Satya is not merely 'accurate' but 'rooted in being.' Speech corresponds to what is, not to what one wishes were. The second criterion: anudvega without satya becomes flattery.
priya—dear, pleasing
From √prī — to please. The third criterion: speech delivered in a register that does not abrade. The four criteria together form a tight grid: anudvega and priya govern the manner; satya and hita govern the substance.
hitam—beneficial
From √dhā — placed (well-placed for the hearer). The fourth criterion: speech must aim at the listener's actual welfare. Truth said for one's own satisfaction at another's expense fails this test.
svādhyāya—of Vedic study
Compound: sva (one's own) + adhyāya (recitation, study). 'One's own daily recitation' — the specific term for the brāhmaṇical practice of reciting one's portion of the Veda. The verse closes with the affirmative half of speech-tapas: the tongue not only restrains but recites. Speech-austerity is half restraint, half recitation.
abhyasanam—practice
From abhi + √as — to throw oneself toward, to practise repeatedly. Critical word: the verse does not say svādhyāya alone but svādhyāya-abhyasanam — habitual, daily, repeated study. Not one reading but the discipline of returning.
Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others, and also in regularly reciting Vedic literature.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Speech-tapas has four criteria — non-agitating, true, pleasing, beneficial — plus daily Vedic study. The four criteria must hold together: a truth that wounds, or a sweet untruth, both fail. Speech as discipline restrains tongue precisely where it has most power to cause harm.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The fourfold filter (anudvega-kara, satya, priya, hita) is much cited in dharma-śāstra and anticipates Manu 4.138 (satyaṁ brūyāt priyaṁ brūyāt). Note that svādhyāya — recitation of one's own śākhā — is here called a vocal-tapas, foregrounding the disciplined sonic body. Contrast Kṛṣṇa's choice of vocal practice (svādhyāya) with the demonic mode of vocal abuse implied in 16.4 (paruṣya).
Prose order(अन्वय · Anvaya)
अनुद्वेग-करं सत्यं प्रिय-हितं च यत् वाक्यं, स्वाध्याय-अभ्यसनं च एव — एतत् वाङ्-मयं तपः उच्यते ।
anudvega-karaṃ satyaṃ priya-hitaṃ ca yat vākyaṃ, svādhyāya-abhyasanaṃ ca eva — etat vāṅ-mayaṃ tapaḥ ucyate |
Speech that does not agitate, that is truthful, pleasant, and beneficial, and the practice of personal Vedic recitation — this is called austerity of speech.
Word split(पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
अनुद्वेग-करं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रिय-हितं च यत् । स्वाध्याय-अभ्यसनं च एव वाङ्-मयं तपः उच्यते ॥
anudvega-karaṃ vākyaṃ satyaṃ priya-hitaṃ ca yat | svādhyāya-abhyasanaṃ ca eva vāṅ-mayaṃ tapaḥ ucyate ||
One should not speak in such a way as to agitate the minds of others. Of course, when a teacher speaks, he can speak the truth for the instruction of his students, but such a teacher should not speak to those who are not his students if he will agitate their minds. This is penance as far as talking is concerned. Besides that, one should not talk nonsense. The process of speaking in spiritual circles is to say something upheld by the scriptures. One should at once quote from scriptural authority to back up what he is saying. At the same time, such talk should be very pleasurable to the ear. By such discussions, one may derive the highest benefit and elevate human society. There is a limitless stock of Vedic literature, and one should study this. This is called penance of speech.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
15. 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.
Commentary
Anudvega-karam means that in calling out to other persons who have done harm to oneself, one does not cause any disturbance to them.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
15. Speech which does not disturb others, which is true, pleasing and beneficial, and as well the recitation of the Vedas, is austerity of speech.
Commentary
The speech does not cause fear at all in anyone (anudvega karam). It is authoritative (satyam). It is pleasing to the hearer (priya), and at last beneficial for the hearer (hitam). Speech with these four qualities and as well recitation (abhyāsanam) of the Vedas (svādhyāya) is the austerity to be achieved by speech (vāṅ mayam).
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Austerity of speech (5 points)
Speaking truthful words
Process of speaking in spiritual circles is to say something upheld by the scriptures
Pleasing
Beneficial
Not agitating to others
e.g. Teacher can correct only his students (even if it is agitating) but not others who are not his students
Also regularly reciting Vedic literatures
One should study the limitless stock of Vedic literatures available
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.15 Yat, that; vakyam, speech; anudvegakaram, which causes no pain, which is not hurtful to creatures which is satyam, true; priya-hitam, agreeable and beneficial with regard to facts seen or unseen-.
'Speech' is alified by characteristics such as being not hurtful, etc. The ca (and) is used for grouping together the alifying characteristics. When a sentence is used in order to make another understand, if it happens to be avoid of one or two or three among the alities-truthfulness, agreeability, beneficialness, and non-hurtfulness-, then it is not austerity of speech.
As in the case of a truthful utterance there would occur a want of austerity of speech if it be lacking in one or two or three of the others, so also in the case of an agreeable utterance there would be no austerity of speech were it ot be without one or two or three of the others; and similarly, there would be no austerity of speech even in a beneficial utterance which is without one or two or three of the others.
What, again, is that austerity (of speech)? That utterance which is true as also not hurtful, and is agreeable and beneficial, is the highest austerity of speech: As for example, the utterance, 'Be calm, my boy. Practise study and yoga. Thery you will gain the highest.'
Svadhyaya-abhyasanam, the practice of the study of scriptures, as is enjoined; ca eva, as well; ucyate, in said to be; tapah, austerity; vanmayam, of speech.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.15 Verbal austerity consists in using words that do not hurt others, are true, are pleasing and are beneficial. It also involves studying scriptural texts.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.15 See Comment under 17.16
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.15 Speech which causes no excitement, truthful, pleasant and beneficial, the practice of the study of the Vedas, are called austerity of speech.
Commentary
17.15 अनुद्वेगकरम् causing no excitement? वाक्यम् speech? सत्यम् truthful? प्रियहितम् pleasant and beneficial? च and? यत् which? स्वाध्यायाभ्यसनम् the practice of the study of the Vedas? च and? एव also? वाङ्मयम् of speech? तपः austerity? उच्यते is called.Commentary The words of the man who practises the austerity of speech cannot cause pain to others. His words will bring cheer and solace to others. His words prove beneficial to all. The organ of speech causes great distraction of mind. Control of speech is a difficult discipline but you will have to practise it if you want to attain supreme peace. Nothing is impossible for a man who has a firm determination? sincerity of purpose? iron will? patience and perseverance.It is said in Manu Smritiसत्यं ब्रूयात् प्रियं ब्रूयात् न ब्रूयात् सत्यमप्रियम्।प्रियं च नानृतं ब्रूयात् एष धर्मः सनातनः।।One should speak what is true one should speak what is pleasant. One should not speak what is true if it is not pleasant nor what is pleasant if it is false. This is the ancient Dharma.Excitement Pain to living beings.Speech? to be an austerity? must form an invariable combination of all the four attributes mentioned in this verse? viz.? nonexciting or nonpainful? truthful? pleasant and beneficial if it is wanting in one or the other of these attributes? it cannot form the austerity of speech. Speech may be pleasant but it it is lacking in the other three attributes? it will no longer be an austerity of speech.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.15 That speech which causes no pain, which is true, agreeable and beneficial; as well as the practice of study of the scriptures,-is said to be austerity of speech.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.15 Speech that hurts no one, that is true, is pleasant to listen to and beneficial, and the constant study of the scriptures - this is austerity in speech.
Austerity of speech — words that cause no agitation, truthful, pleasant, beneficial; regular study of Vedic scripture.
Practical Applications
Audit your speech for the four qualities.
Address one specific failing.
Add regular scripture study.
Reflection Questions
What speech-quality failing of mine is most evident?
What study schedule would I commit to?
Analogy
Speech austerity is like a river that has learned not to flood. The water still flows abundantly — but inside its banks, where it nourishes rather than drowns. Truthful, pleasing, beneficial, non-agitating — these are the banks. Vedic study is the spring that keeps the river fed.
Stories
Vidura's counsel to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
Throughout the Mahābhārata, Vidura speaks to his blind half-brother Dhṛtarāṣṭra with the four qualities Kṛṣṇa lists here: anudvega-karam (never agitating beyond what truth required), satyam (truthful even when Dhṛtarāṣṭra wished otherwise), priyam (offered with affection), hitam (always for the king's actual welfare).
The Vidura-nīti — his long counsel in the Udyoga-parva — is the canonical example of vāk-mayam tapas: speech turned into a discipline of dharma. He spoke at length and yet every sentence was tapas, not chatter.
मन:प्रसाद: सौम्यत्वं मौनमात्मविनिग्रह: ।
भावसंशुद्धिरित्येतत्तपोमानसमुच्यते ॥ १६ ॥
manaḥ-prasādaḥ saumyatvaṁ
[manah-prasaadah saumyatvam]
maunam ātma-vinigrahaḥ
[maunam aatma-vinigrahah]
bhāva-saṁśuddhir ity etat
[bhaava-samshuddhir ity etat]
tapo mānasam ucyate
[tapo maanasam uchyate]
Word-for-word
manaḥ - prasādaḥ—satisfaction of the mindsaumyatvam—being without duplicity towards othersmaunam—gravityātma—of the selfvinigrahaḥ—controlbhāva—of one’s naturesaṁśuddhiḥ—purificationiti—thusetat—thistapaḥ—austeritymānasam—of the minducyate—is said to be .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
manaḥ-prasādaḥ saumyatvaṁ
manaḥ - prasādaḥ
satisfaction of the mind
saumyatvam
being without duplicity towards others
maunam ātma-vinigrahaḥ
maunam
gravity
ātma
of the self
vinigrahaḥ
control
bhāva-saṁśuddhir ity etat
bhāva
of one’s nature
saṁśuddhiḥ
purification
iti
thus
etat
this
tapo mānasam ucyate
tapaḥ
austerity
mānasam
of the mind
ucyate
is said to be .
Important Words
manaḥ - prasādaḥ—satisfaction of the mind
Compound: manas (mind) + prasāda (clarity, settled satisfaction, grace). The same word used for the Lord's mercy. The mind's prasāda is not enforced calm but the natural settling of muddy water when not stirred.
saumyatvam—being without duplicity, gentleness
From soma — the moon, by extension cool, gentle. The mind that has the moon's quality: lit but not burning. Not the harshness of severe willpower but the gentleness of a settled inner climate.
maunam—gravity, silence
From muni — the silent sage. Maunam is not merely closing the mouth; it is the inner silence from which any speech, when it comes, comes weighted. The Gītā places it inside mānasa-tapas, not vāk-tapas — significant: the silence is mental first.
vinigrahaḥ—control
From vi + ni + √grah — firm grip, total restraint. The fourth element of mental austerity, paired in the verse with ātma. Note the metaphor: the self/mind is grasped, like reins. Without this vinigraha the other three elements scatter — the mind cannot be its own master without first being seized.
saṁśuddhiḥ—purification
From sam + √śudh — thorough, all-around purification. The deepest of the five, paired with bhāva. Not control of thoughts but rectification of the underlying bhāva that produces them. Cure the spring, not the river. Saṁśuddhi is the chapter's most ambitious mental-tapas goal.
And satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self-control and purification of one’s existence are the austerities of the mind.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Mind-tapas is the deepest of the three: keep the mind clear, the temper gentle, the tongue and thought-stream silent, the self under restraint, and motives purified. Without this interior discipline, body and speech tapas collapse into outer performance.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The triad of bodily, vocal, and mental tapas (14-16) is concluded here at the subtlest level. Bhāva-saṁśuddhi — purification of the inner emotional-volitional state — is what really pulls ritual into the mode of goodness. Maunam here is not the absence of speech but the muni-state of a settled inner self (cf. 2.69, 12.19). Cross-ref Yoga-sūtra 1.20's śraddhā-vīrya-smṛti-samādhi as parallel interior cultivation.
To make the mind austere is to detach it from sense gratification. It should be so trained that it can be always thinking of doing good for others. The best training for the mind is gravity in thought. One should not deviate from Kṛṣṇa consciousness and must always avoid sense gratification. To purify one’s nature is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Satisfaction of the mind can be obtained only by taking the mind away from thoughts of sense enjoyment. The more we think of sense enjoyment, the more the mind becomes dissatisfied. In the present age we unnecessarily engage the mind in so many different ways for sense gratification, and so there is no possibility of the mind’s becoming satisfied. The best course is to divert the mind to the Vedic literature, which is full of satisfying stories, as in the Purāṇas and the Mahābhārata. One can take advantage of this knowledge and thus become purified. The mind should be devoid of duplicity, and one should think of the welfare of all. Silence means that one is always thinking of self-realization. The person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness observes perfect silence in this sense. Control of the mind means detaching the mind from sense enjoyment. One should be straightforward in his dealings and thereby purify his existence. All these qualities together constitute austerity in mental activities.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
16. Sattvic austerity of the mind consists of tranquility, gentleness, silence, control of the mind, and purity of the heart.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
16. Austerity of the mind consists of purity, gentleness, contemplation of ātmā, withdrawal from sense objects, and purity of the heart.
Commentary
The mind should be pure, without agitation from remembrance of sense objects (manaḥ prasādaḥ). It should be without cruelty, desiring everyone’s happiness (saumyatvam). It should be comtemplating the ātmā (maunam). The mind should withdraw from sense objects (ātma vinigrahaḥ). It should be free from deceit in dealings with others (bhāva saṁśuddhiḥ). These are the austerities to be achieved by the mind.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Austerity of mind (5 points)
Gravity in thought
Satisfaction
Simplicity
Self-control
Purification of one’s existence
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.16 Manah-prasadah, tranillity of mind, making the mind free from anxiety; saumyatvam, gentleness-that which is called kindliness of spirit, [Kindliness towards all, and also not entertaining any evil thought towards anybody.] a certain condition of the mind resulting in calmness of the face, etc.; maunam, reticence-since even the control of speech follows from the control of mind, therefore the cause is implied by the effect; so maunam means control of the mind; [Or, maunam may mean thinking of the Self, the attitude of a meditator. The context being of 'mental austerity', reticence is explained as control of the mind with regard to speech.] atma-vinigrahah, withdrawal of the mind-withdrawal of the mind in a general way, from everything; maunam (control of the mind) is the mind's withdrawal with regard to speech alone; this is the distinction-; bhava-samsuddhih, purity of heart, absence of trickery while dealing with others; iti etat, these are; what is ucyate, called; manasam, mental; tapah, austerity.
How the above-described bodily, verbal and mental austerities undertaken by poeple are divided into three classes-of sattva etc.-is being stated:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.16 Serenity of mind, viz., absence of wrath etc., practice of benevolence, viz., the direction of the mind for the good of others, silence, viz., contorl of speech by the mind; self-control, viz., focusing the activity of the mind on the object of contemplation; purity of mind, viz., absence of thought about subjects other than the self - these constitute the austerity of the mind.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.14-16 Deva - etc. upto manasam ucyate : Honesty : uprightness, i.e., the courage regarding what needs no hiding. Which is true : This is explained by 'Which is pleasant and beneficial'. Pleasant : at the time of [hearing] that speech. And beneficial : something in future. This type of speech, but not merely speaking what actually happened, is called 'speaking the truth'. Purity of thought : 'Thought' denotes intention; its highest purity.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.16 Serenity of mind, good-heartedness, self-control, purity of nature this is called mental austerity.
Commentary
17.16 मनःप्रसादः serenity of mind? सौम्यत्वम् goodheartedness? मौनम् silence? आत्मविनिग्रहः selfcontrol? भावसंशुद्धिः purity of nature? इति thus? एतत् this? तपः austerity? मानसम् mental? उच्यते is called.Commentary Just as a lake which is without a ripple on it surface is very tranil? so also the mind which is free from modifications? from wandering thoughts of sensual objects? is ite serene and calm.Saumyatvam Intent on the welfare of all beings the state of mind which may be inferred from its effects? such as brightness of the face? etc.Maunam Even silence of speech is necessarily preceded by the control of thought? and so the effect is here used to stand for the cause? viz.? the control of thought this is the result of the control of thought so far as it concerns speech? silence of the mind? ability to remain calm even amidst disturbing factors from without. Mauna is the condition of the Muni (sage)? i.e.? practice of meditation with onepointedness of mind.Atmavinigrahah Selfcontrol A general control of the mind. Asamprajnata Samadhi wherein all the modifications of the mind are controlled. The mind cannot run after the senses and the senses cannot run after their objects. In Mauna there is control of thought so far as it concerns speech.Bhavasamsuddhih Purity of nature Honesty of purpose freedom from cunningness in dealing with other people the pure state of the mind wherein there is absence of lust? anger? greed? etc.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.16 Tranillity of mind, gentleness, reticence, withdrawal of the mind, purity of heart,-these are what is called mental austerity.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.16 Serenity, kindness, silence, self-control and purity - this is austerity of mind.
Austerity of the mind — satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self-control, purity of thought.
Practical Applications
Cultivate satisfaction over chronic dissatisfaction.
Practice gravity over flippancy.
Honor mental austerity equal with bodily and verbal.
Reflection Questions
Which mental austerity is hardest for me?
What discipline would build it?
Analogy
Mental austerity is like polishing a mirror behind which no one sees you work. The body's tapas is visible; speech-tapas is audible; but mānasa-tapas is performed in a room with no witnesses. The mirror gradually becomes clear and the Lord can be seen in it — but only the polisher knows the polishing happened.
śraddhayā—with faithparayā—transcendentaltaptam—executedtapaḥ—austeritytat—thattri - vidham—of three kindsnaraiḥ—by menaphala - ākāṅkṣibhiḥ—who are without desires for fruitsyuktaiḥ—engagedsāttvikam—in the mode of goodnessparicakṣate—is called .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śraddhayā parayā taptaṁ
śraddhayā
with faith
parayā
transcendental
taptam
executed
tapas tat tri-vidhaṁ naraiḥ
tapaḥ
austerity
tat
that
tri - vidham
of three kinds
naraiḥ
by men
aphalākāṅkṣibhir yuktaiḥ
aphala - ākāṅkṣibhiḥ
who are without desires for fruits
yuktaiḥ
engaged
sāttvikaṁ paricakṣate
sāttvikam
in the mode of goodness
paricakṣate
is called .
Important Words
śraddhayā—with faith
Instrumental of śraddhā. The chapter's recurring word; here qualified by parayā (transcendental). Not generic faith but faith aimed at the Supreme. The same śraddhā Kṛṣṇa diagnosed in 17.2 reappears here in its sattvic apex.
parayā—transcendental
Instrumental of parā — highest, beyond. Qualifies śraddhayā. The verse's modal marker: faith *parā* — directed beyond the material — is what makes the threefold tapas sāttvika. Lower-directed faith would yield the same actions in a lower mode.
taptam—executed, heated
Past participle of √tap — to heat, to perform austerity. The same root as tapas itself. Note the etymology: tapas is fundamentally 'heating' — the disciplined application of inner heat to one's life.
tri - vidham—of three kinds
Here tri-vidha refers not to the three guṇas but to the three previous verses — body, speech, mind. Sāttvika-tapas requires all three together. The same phrase carrying a different referent — read context carefully.
aphala - ākāṅkṣibhiḥ—who are without desires for fruits
Reappearance of the phrase from verse 11. The same condition that made yajña sāttvika now makes tapas sāttvika. The phrase is the chapter's recurring north star: fruit-desirelessness is the universal mark of sattva in any activity.
yuktaiḥ—engaged, yoked
Past participle of √yuj — to yoke, to join. The same root as yoga. The tapasvī is yoked — not merely disciplined but united with the higher purpose. The discipline is in service of the yoke, not the yoke in service of the discipline.
This threefold austerity, performed with transcendental faith by men not expecting material benefits but engaged only for the sake of the Supreme, is called austerity in goodness.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
When the threefold austerity of body, speech, and mind (14-16) is fueled by the highest faith and freed from desire for results, it qualifies as sāttvika. Two qualifications convert mere discipline into spiritual tapas: parā śraddhā and aphala-ākāṅkṣā.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Parayā śraddhayā echoes 6.47 (śraddhāvān bhajate yo mām) and 4.39 (śraddhāvāl labhate jñānam). Yuktaiḥ marks the practitioner as already standing in yoga. The verse summarizes the sāttvika pole of tapas and sets up the contrast with rājasa (18) and tāmasa (19) tapas to follow — the same threefold scheme as for yajña (11-13).
17. When these three types of austerity are undertaken with full faith, and without longing for results, they are said to be sattvic.
Commentary
The three types of austerity are those of body, words, and mind (tat tri-vidham).
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
17. When these three types of austerity are undertaken with full faith, without longing for results, with concentrated mind, they are said to be sāttvika.
Commentary
The austerities according to the three modes are now described in three verses.
Austerity of three types (body, words and mind) performed (taptam) by men without desire for results, with concentrated consciousness (yuktaiḥ), with full faith, is said to be in the mode of goodness.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Austerity in goodness
Done with transcendental faith
Not expecting material benefits
Only for the sake of supreme
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.17 When tat, that; trividham, threefold-based on three factors; tapah, austerity, which is being discussed; is taptam, undertaken, practised; paraya, with supreme, with the highest; sraddhaya, faith, belief in God and the other world; naraih, by people, by its performers; aphala-akanksibhih, who do not hanker after results,who are devoid of desire for results; and yuktaih, who are self-controlled;-that austerity which is of this kind, the noble people paricaksate, speak of it; as sattvikam, born of sattva.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.17 The threefold austerity practised with supreme faith through the body, speech and mind by men who have no thoughts of any reward and who are devoted, viz., are imbued with the thought that it is the worship of the Supreme Person, they call such austerity as Sattvika.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.17 See Comment under 17.19
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.17 This threefold austerity, practised by steadfast men, with the utmost faith, desiring no reward, they call Sattvic.
Commentary
17.17 श्रद्धया with faith? परया highest? तप्तम् practised? तपः austerity? तत् that? त्रिविधम् threefold? नरैः by men? अफलाकाङ्क्षिभिः desiring no fruit? युक्तैः steadfast? सात्त्विकम् Sattvic? परिचक्षते (they) declare.Commentary Trividham Threefold -- physical? vocal and mental.Yuktaih Steadfast Balanced in mind? unaffected in success and failure.Sraddhaya With faith With belief in the existence of God? in the words of the preceptor? in the teachings of the scriptures and in ones own Self.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.17 When that threefold austerity is undertaken with supreme faith by people who do not hanker after results and are self-controlled, they speak of it as born of sattva.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.17 These threefold austerities performed with faith, and without thought of reward, may truly be accounted Pure.
These three austerities, performed by the disciplined — without expectation of reward, with faith — are sattvic.
Practical Applications
Perform austerities of body, speech, mind together — not in isolation.
Pair them with faith and no-reward expectation.
Audit the alignment.
Reflection Questions
Where have I been austere in one realm but not the others?
What integration is needed?
Analogy
Body, speech, and mind disciplined together are like three strings of one vīṇā tuned to the same note. Tune two and leave the third loose and the music will not come — it will only be louder dissonance. Sāttvika-tapas is the moment all three strings ring as one tone, with no expectation of an audience.
Stories
Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī
Born to one of the wealthiest families in Bengal, Raghunātha dāsa abandoned everything to live under Caitanya Mahāprabhu's guidance, eventually as a renunciant in Vraja. His tapas is famous for integrating all three austerities: body (a single piece of cloth, eating only what could be begged or salvaged, ultimately reducing intake to a few drops of buttermilk), speech (constant chanting and recitation, never idle talk), and mind (continuous meditation on the līlā of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa).
Bhakti-ratnākara and the writings of Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja record that all three were undertaken aphala-ākāṅkṣibhiḥ — with no expectation of any reward but service itself. He is the canonical sāttvika-tapasvī of the Gauḍīya line.
sat - kāra—respectmāna—honorpūjā—and worshipartham—for the sake oftapaḥ—austeritydambhena—with prideca—alsoeva—certainlyyat—whichkriyate—is performedtat—thatiha—in this worldproktam—is saidrājasam—in the mode of passioncalam—flickeringadhruvam—temporary .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
satkāra-māna-pūjārthaṁ
sat - kāra
respect
māna
honor
pūjā
and worship
artham
for the sake of
tapo dambhena caiva yat
tapaḥ
austerity
dambhena
with pride
ca
also
eva
certainly
yat
which
kriyate tad iha proktaṁ
kriyate
is performed
tat
that
iha
in this world
proktam
is said
rājasaṁ calam adhruvam
rājasam
in the mode of passion
calam
flickering
adhruvam
temporary .
Important Words
sat - kāra—respect
Compound: sat (the noble, the honourable) + kāra (the doing). Receiving the salutation of others. The first of the three rajasic motives. The austerity is real, but its aim is the response of the social field.
māna—honor
From √man — to think well of. Public recognition as a great person. The second motive — slightly more interior than sat-kāra. The austerity is fueled by the wish to occupy a position in others' minds.
pūjā—worship
The strongest of the three — to be worshiped by others. The grammar of rajas climbs through the verse: from respect, to honour, to worship. The same hunger in three intensities.
dambhena—with pride
Instrumental of dambha. Note the repetition from verse 5 — dambha is the chapter's recurring marker of false austerity. Same word, same poison, different garments.
adhruvam—temporary
Privative a- + dhruva (firm — the very word that is the name of the great devotee Dhruva). Note the inversion: while Dhruva Mahārāja became dhruva by redirecting his tapas to the Supreme, rajasic tapas performed for honour and worship produces the opposite — the adhruva, the unstable. Same syllable, opposite outcome.
calam—flickering
From √cal — to shake, to tremble, to flicker. Paired with adhruvam at the verse's end. Calam captures the moment-to-moment instability; adhruvam the long-term impermanence. Rajasic tapas fails both at the candle-flicker scale and at the lifetime scale.
Penance performed out of pride and for the sake of gaining respect, honor and worship is said to be in the mode of passion. It is neither stable nor permanent.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Rājasika austerity is performed for social capital — to be honored, esteemed, worshiped — and displayed for show. Its fruits, even if they come, are flickering and brittle: status earned by performance evaporates as soon as performance falters.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Calam and adhruvam are diagnostic for all rajas-rooted attainments — temporary, dependent on external confirmation. The triad satkāra-māna-pūjā is a precise sociology of religious display: respect from peers, esteem from elders, worship from followers. Cf. Manu 2.162-163 on tolerating asat-kāra and avoiding pūjā. The verse exposes how a vibhūti-display can co-opt the very practices designed to dissolve ahaṅkāra.
yat tapaḥ satkāra-māna-pūjā-arthaṃ dambhena ca eva kriyate — tat iha rājasaṃ calam adhruvaṃ proktam |
Austerity which is performed for the sake of respect, esteem, and worship, and through ostentation — that is here declared to be rājasa, unstable, and impermanent.
Sometimes penance and austerity are executed to attract people and receive honor, respect and worship from others. Persons in the mode of passion arrange to be worshiped by subordinates and let them wash their feet and offer riches. Such arrangements artificially made by the performance of penances are considered to be in the mode of passion. The results are temporary; they can be continued for some time, but they are not permanent.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
18. 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.
Commentary
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.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
18. Austerity undertaken with the aim of getting verbal praise, bodily respect, and offerings from others, and for show alone, is said to be rajasic. It is temporary and uncertain.
Commentary
Sat kāra means to earn praise from others (words), such as “He is a great ascetic.” Māna means receiving respect using the body, such as rising up when the person approaches. Pūja means worship in the form of such things as getting ones feet washed or receiving gifts of money. Austerity performed for those purposes, and the ostentation (dambhena) is called austerity in the mode of passion. It is temporary (calam) and its results, such as getting praise, are uncertain (adhruvam). One may or may not get those results.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Austerity in passion
Out of pride
Or for the sake of respect, honor and worship
e.g. Desire to be worshipped by subordinates, let them wash their feet and offer riches
It is neither stable nor permanent
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.18 Yat, that; tapah, austerity; which is kriyate, undertaken; satkara-mana-pujartham, for earning a name, being honoured and worshipped-for earning a name, (i.e.) for being spoken of thus: 'This Brahmana, who is given to austerity, is pious'; for being honoured by (others') standing up respectfully, salutation, etc.; for being worshipped with washing of feet, adoration, feeding, etc.; for these-; ca eva, and also, (that) austerity which is performed dambhena, ostentatiously; tat, that; proktam, is spoken of; as rajasam, born of rajas; iha, belonging to this world; [i.e. yielding fruits only in this world.] calam, uncertain-its result being unpredictable; and adhruvam, transitory.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.18 'Respect' means recognition by others. 'Praise' means verbal adulation. 'Reverence' means corporeal actions such as prostration etc. That austerity, practised with expectation of rewards like respect, etc., mentioned above - it is here said to be Rajasa. It is unsteady and impermanent, because of the temporary nature of its rewards like heaven etc.; 'unsteadiness' is the result of the fear of falling. 'Impermanent' means the tendency to perish.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.18 See Comment under 17.19
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.18 The austerity which is practised with the object of gaining good reception, honour and worship, and with hypocrisy, is here said to be Rajasic, unstable and transitory.
Commentary
17.18 सत्कारमानपूजार्थम् with the object of gaining good reception? honour and worship? तपः austerity? दम्भेन with hypocrisy? च and? एव even? यत् which? क्रियते is practised? तत् that? इह here? प्रोक्तम् is said? राजसम् Rajasic? चलम् unstable? अध्रुवम् transitory.Commentary Penance that is performed with no sincere belief? for mere show? with a view to increase selfimportance? in order that the world may pay respect to the performer and place him in the seat of honour? and that everyone may sing his praise? is declared to be of a passionate nature.Iha In this world Such penance yields fruit only in this world.Satkara Good reception with such words as? Here is a good Brahmana of great austerities.Mana Honour Rising from ones seat to greet? and saluting with reverence.Chalam Unstable Yielding momentary effect or result.Adhruvam Without Niyama or fixity.Penance that is performed in the hope of gaining fame is worse than useless. It bears no fruit. It is abandoned though incomplete? when it is seen that is can result in no gain.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.18 That austerity which is undertaken for earning a name, being honoured and worshipped, and also ostentatiously,-that is spoken of as born of rajas, belonging to this world, uncertain and transitory.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
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 doubtful and temporary.
Austerity performed for praise, honor, or worship — out of pride — is rajasic; unsteady, transient.
Practical Applications
Notice when austerity is for an audience.
Reduce or hide the practice that's becoming public-facing.
Cultivate hidden austerity.
Reflection Questions
Where is my austerity public when it should be private?
What hiddenness would purify it?
Analogy
Rajasic austerity is like a candle burning brightly in a shop window — meant to be seen. The flame is real; it costs the wax just the same. But its purpose is the eyes of passers-by, and when the audience leaves, the candle finds no reason to keep burning. Calam adhruvam — flickering, impermanent.
मूढग्राहेणात्मनो यत्पीडया क्रियते तप: ।
परस्योत्सादनार्थंवातत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥ १९ ॥
mūḍha-grāheṇātmano yat
[moodha-graahenaatmano yat]
pīḍayā kriyate tapaḥ
[peedayaa kriyate tapah]
parasyotsādanārthaṁ vā
[parasyotsaadanaartham vaa]
tat tāmasam udāhṛtam
[tat taamasam udaahritam]
Word-for-word
mūḍha—foolishgrāheṇa—with endeavorātmanaḥ—of one’s own selfyat—whichpīḍayā—by torturekriyate—is performedtapaḥ—penanceparasya—to othersutsādana - artham—for the sake of causing annihilationvā—ortat—thattāmasam—in the mode of darknessudāhṛtam—is said to be .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
mūḍha-grāheṇātmano yat
mūḍha
foolish
grāheṇa
with endeavor
ātmanaḥ
of one’s own self
yat
which
pīḍayā kriyate tapaḥ
pīḍayā
by torture
kriyate
is performed
tapaḥ
penance
parasyotsādanārthaṁ vā
parasya
to others
utsādana - artham
for the sake of causing annihilation
vā
or
tat tāmasam udāhṛtam
tat
that
tāmasam
in the mode of darkness
udāhṛtam
is said to be .
Important Words
mūḍha—foolish
From √muh — to be bewildered, deluded. Tamasic austerity is not lazy — it is, paired in the verse with grāheṇa, fanatically gripped. The defect is not lack of energy but lack of understanding. Mūḍha is the chapter's recurring mark of tamas: the obstinate grip on a wrong direction.
grāheṇa—with endeavor
Instrumental of grāha — grasp, obstinate hold, even the seizure of a crocodile. Paired with mūḍha, the verse pictures a deluded clutching. The grip itself is the problem: the harder the tamasic austerity grasps its wrong target, the deeper the damage.
pīḍayā—by torture
Instrumental of pīḍā — pressure, torment, deliberate pain-infliction. Crucial distinction: the body's natural strain in dharmic effort is not pīḍā; deliberate self-inflicted harm is. Pīḍā has malice in it — and the verse pairs it with ātmanaḥ to make the malice reflexive.
utsādana - artham—for the sake of causing annihilation
Compound: utsādana (uprooting, destruction) + artham (for the sake of). The verse pairs it with parasya: austerity performed *for the destruction of another*. This is the path of Hiraṇyakaśipu and Rāvaṇa fully developed — tapas weaponised.
udāhṛtam—is said to be
From ud + ā + √hṛ — 'is brought forth, is declared.' The verse's formal classification verb: Kṛṣṇa is not insulting such tapasvīs, He is naming them precisely so that future seekers can identify and avoid the category. The verb makes the classification authoritative.
Penance performed out of foolishness, with self-torture or to destroy or injure others, is said to be in the mode of ignorance.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Tāmasika tapas turns austerity into weapon — either against one's own body in pointless torture, or against another in occult ritual aimed at their destruction. Both share a single root: mūḍha-grāha, the deluded conviction that violence converts into power.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
This verse closes the demonic-tapas thread opened by 17.5-6. Note the explicit pairing with abhicāra rites — austerity directed for the killing of an enemy (parasya utsādana) — long warned against in Atharva and dharma traditions. Mūḍha-grāha names the underlying epistemic failure: a grasp of the self and the world so warped that pain looks like progress and harm looks like efficacy.
There are instances of foolish penance undertaken by demons like Hiraṇyakaśipu, who performed austere penances to become immortal and kill the demigods. He prayed to Brahmā for such things, but ultimately he was killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To undergo penances for something which is impossible is certainly in the mode of ignorance.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
19. Austerity performed out of foolishness, inflicting pain on oneself, or for the purpose of harming others, is tamasic austerity.
Commentary
Mūḍha-graheṇa means to be performed out of foolishness. Parasya utsadana artha m means performed with the intention of harming others.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
19. Austerity performed out of blind attachment, inflicting pain on oneself, or for the purpose of harming or destroying others, is tamasic austerity.
Commentary
Muda grahena means the austerity is performed with stubborn attachment to material enjoyment because of no discernment. Austerity performed in that way, and with pain for the body and senses (ātmanaḥ), or with the intention of harming or destroying others (parasya utsādana artham), is austerity in the mode of ignorance.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Austerity in ignorance
Out of foolishness
With self-torture
Or to destroy or injure others
e.g. Hiranyakashipu praying to Brahma for immortality
Focus of Learning
(a) Basic principle to practice this austerity of mind – To make mind austere, one must detach from
sense gratification and train the mind to always think good for others
(b) Gravity in thought – Best training for the mind –
Not deviate from Krishna consciousness
Always avoid sense gratification
(c) Satisfaction
Obtained by taking mind away from thoughts of sense enjoyment
Best course to divert the mind
Not by the present age engagements
But by Vedic literatures (Satisfying stories like Puranas and Mahabharata)
(d) Simplicity – Devoid of duplicity and think of others welfare
(e) Self-control
Control of mind implies, detachment from sense gratification
Silence implies always thinking of self-realisation
(f) Purification of one’s existence
By straightforward dealings
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.19 Yat, that; tapah, austerity; which is kriyate, under-taken; mudha-grahena, with a foolish intent, with a conviction arising out of non-discriminating; pidaya, causing pain; atmanah, to oneself (to one's body etc.); va, or; utsadanartham, for the destruction; parasya, of another; tat, that; is udahrtam, said to be; an austerity tamasam, born of tamas.
Now the classification of charity is being spoken of:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.19 Deluded persons are those who lack correct understanding. That austerity which is practised from deluded notion, viz., from the obstinate determination by deluded persons, by self-torture regardless of one's own capacity or which is performed for causing sufferings to others - that is said to be Tamasika.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.17-19 Sraddhaya etc. upto tamasam udahrtam. There is faith in all the three-fold austerity. the faith of a man of the Sattva is full of austerity itself. The faith of a man of the Rajas is in the Rajas i.e, showing (or hyprocricy) etc. But, the faith (or desire) of a man well established in the Tamas is merely in ruining others. Thus the sage speaks of all the three-fold austerity practised with faith.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.19 That austerity which is practised out of a foolish notion, with self-torture, or for the purpose of destroying another, is declared to be Tamasic.
Commentary
17.19 मूढग्राहेण out of a foolish notion? आत्मनः of the self? यत् which? पीडया with torture? क्रियते is practised? तपः austerity? परस्य of another? उत्सादनार्थम् for the purpose of destroying? वा or? तत् that? तामसम् Tamasic? उदाहृतम् is declared.Commentary Some burn sulphur in a pot and place it on their head. Some thrust hooks of iron into their flesh. Some hang themselves with their head downwards over fire and swallow smoke. Some stand in cold water immersed up to the neck. Some torture the body by lighting fires on the four sides (with the sun as the fifth fire -- this is known as the Panchagni Tapas). Some sit in the centre of a circle of fire. Such austerities are Tamasic. These will not help one to attain knowledge of the Self.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.19 That austerity which is undertaken with a foolish intent, by causing pain to oneself, or for the destruction of others-that is said to be born of tamas.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.19 Austerity done under delusion, and accompanied with sorcery or torture to oneself or another, may be assumed to spring from Ignorance.
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami· 1987-06-27· English
Personal Guidance
Austerity performed out of foolishness, with self-torture or to harm others — is tamasic.
Practical Applications
Refuse self-tortuous or other-harming practice.
Don't romanticize masochistic asceticism.
Honor the body as Kṛṣṇa's temple.
Reflection Questions
Where do I tolerate self-tortuous practice as 'spiritual'?
What body-honoring shift is appropriate?
Analogy
Tamasic austerity is like a man hammering his own hand because he was told hammering is sacred. The action is severe, the pain real, the resolve immense — yet the target is wrong. The harm flows back to the body and outward to others; nothing is offered up, only down.
Stories
Vena Mahārāja
Bhāgavatam describes King Vena, who having descended into tamas, performed practices designed to harm others — forbidding sacrifice, persecuting brāhmaṇas, and exalting himself as the Lord. His resolution was iron; his discipline was real; his target was destruction.
The ṛṣis eventually struck him down with kuśa grass charged by mantra. Vena's reign is the Purāṇic prototype of tāmasa-tapas: the same energy that could have built dharma turned to dismantle it, ending in self-ruin.
दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे ।
देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ॥ २० ॥
dātavyam iti yad dānaṁ
[daatavyam iti yad daanam]
dīyate ’nupakāriṇe
[deeyate ’nupakaarine]
deśe kāle ca pātre ca
[deshe kaale cha paatre cha]
tad dānaṁ sāttvikaṁ smṛtam
[tad daanam saattvikam smritam]
Word-for-word
dātavyam—worth givingiti—thusyat—that whichdānam—charitydīyate—is givenanupakāriṇe—irrespective of returndeśe—in a proper placekāle—at a proper timeca—alsopātre—to a suitable personca—andtat—thatdānam—charitysāttvikam—in the mode of goodnesssmṛtam—is considered .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dātavyam iti yad dānaṁ
dātavyam
worth giving
iti
thus
yat
that which
dānam
charity
dīyate ’nupakāriṇe
dīyate
is given
deśe kāle ca pātre ca
tad dānaṁ sāttvikaṁ smṛtam
anupakāriṇe
irrespective of return
deśe
in a proper place
kāle
at a proper time
ca
also
pātre
to a suitable person
ca
and
tat
that
dānam
charity
sāttvikam
in the mode of goodness
smṛtam
is considered .
Important Words
dātavyam—worth giving
Future passive participle of √dā — 'that which is to be given.' Charity performed because the gift simply is-to-be-given — the same yaṣṭavyam logic from 17.11 transposed from yajña to dāna. Duty, not transaction.
anupakāriṇe—irrespective of return
Compound: an- (not) + upakāra (returning a favour) + -in (suffix making 'one who'). Dative case: 'to one who will not return the favour.' The verse insists not just on the giver's intent but on the actual structure of the gift — to one from whom no return is possible.
deśe—in a proper place
Locative of deśa — place. Paired in the verse with kāle (proper time). Sattvic charity has external coordinates: when and where matter. The Gītā here is anti-romantic about charity — the hand, time, and place all count, not just the heart.
kāle—at a proper time
Locative of kāla. The companion of deśe. Note that 17.22 reuses kāle inverted — adeśe-kāle — to mark tamasic charity. The same locative, the same time-and-place criterion, runs through all three modes of giving.
pātre—to a suitable person
Locative of pātra — literally 'a vessel.' The receiver must be a fit container for what is given. Charity to an unworthy receiver becomes tamasic (verse 22), no matter how sincere the giver. The vessel-metaphor is precise: pour amṛta into a cracked pot and it leaks.
smṛtam—is considered
Past participle of √smṛ — to remember, to record. Used as a passive verbal: 'is recorded in tradition as.' Kṛṣṇa is invoking the smṛti literature's authority — He is not making a new rule but confirming what the tradition has long held.
Charity given out of duty, without expectation of return, at the proper time and place, and to a worthy person is considered to be in the mode of goodness.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Sāttvika dāna requires four conditions: the duty-attitude (dātavyam iti), a recipient who cannot reciprocate, a fit place, and a fit time. The first criterion is interior; the other three locate the act in a deśa-kāla-pātra matrix that classical dharma has always considered the calculus of right giving.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Anupakāriṇe is decisive — sāttvika charity goes precisely to one who CANNOT pay you back: a stranger, the destitute, the renunciate, the orphan. This cuts cleanly against the obligation-based exchanges that drive most social giving. The deśa-kāla-pātra triad is canonical (cf. dharma-śāstras on tīrtha, parvan, vipra). Pātra implies fitness — discrimination is not abandoned in pure giving but heightened. Parallels 17.11 (sāttvika yajña) structurally.
Prose order(अन्वय · Anvaya)
'दातव्यम्' इति यत् दानम् अनुपकारिणे, देशे काले च पात्रे च दीयते — तत् दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ।
'dātavyam' iti yat dānam anupakāriṇe, deśe kāle ca pātre ca dīyate — tat dānaṃ sāttvikaṃ smṛtam |
The gift which is given with the conviction 'it ought to be given,' to one who cannot return the favor, at the right place, the right time, and to a worthy recipient — that gift is remembered as sāttvika.
Word split(पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
दातव्यम् इति यत् दानं दीयते अनुपकारिणे । देशे काले च पात्रे च तत् दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ॥
dātavyam iti yat dānaṃ dīyate anupakāriṇe | deśe kāle ca pātre ca tat dānaṃ sāttvikaṃ smṛtam ||
In the Vedic literature, charity given to a person engaged in spiritual activities is recommended. There is no recommendation for giving charity indiscriminately. Spiritual perfection is always a consideration. Therefore charity is recommended to be given at a place of pilgrimage and at lunar or solar eclipses or at the end of the month or to a qualified brāhmaṇa or a Vaiṣṇava (devotee) or in temples. Such charities should be given without any consideration of return. Charity to the poor is sometimes given out of compassion, but if a poor man is not worth giving charity to, then there is no spiritual advancement. In other words, indiscriminate charity is not recommended in the Vedic literature.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
20. 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.
Commentary
One should be convinced that the gift should be given (dātavam iti). It is understood here that there is no desire for personal gain.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
20. That charity performed with the conviction that is should be given, and given to a proper persons without expectation of repayment, at the proper place and time, is known as sāttvika charity.
Commentary
Three types of charity are described. That charity which is given with conviction that it should be given (dātavyam) to a recipient (pātre) such as brāhmaṇa who can protect the giver with his knowledge and austerity, [Note: Scripture (Garuḍa Purāṇa) says that only a person who can protect the giver by learning and austerity should accept gifts.] is charity in the mode of goodness. Anupakāriṇe means to give to a person without expecting repayment or reimbursement. Proper place means at a holy place and proper time means auspicious times such as the time when the sun moves into a new zodiac sign.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Charity in goodness
Given out of duty without expectation of return
At proper time and place
e.g. At pilgrimage places or
During lunar or solar eclipses or at the end of the month
To a worthy person
Spiritual perfection is the consideration
Example of worthy person – Qualified brahmana or a vaishnava
Condemned charity – Given to a poor but unworthy candidate
Such charity does not offer any spiritual advancement
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.20 Tat, that; danam, gift; is smrtam, referred to; as sattvikam, born of sattva; yat, which gift; is diyate, given; with the idea in mind datavyam iti, that it ought to be given without consideration; anupakarine, to one who will not serve in return, and even to oen who can; and dese, at the (proper) place-in holy places like Kuruksetra etc. ; kale, at the (proper) time-during Sankranti [During the passage of the sun or any planetary body from one zodiacal sign into another.-V.S.A.] etc.; and patre, to a (proper) person-to one who is versed in the Vedas together with their six branches, and such others.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.20 Gifts given without thought of return of favours and with the feelings, 'These gifts must be given,' at the proper places and time to a worthy person who makes no return - such gifts are said to be Sattvika.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.20 See Comment under 17.22
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.20 That gift which is given to one who does nothing in return, knowing it to be a duty to give in a fit place and time to a worthy person, that gift is held to be Sattvic.
Commentary
17.20 दातव्यम् ought to be given? इति thus? यत् that? दानम् gift? दीयते is given? अनुपकारिणे to one who does no service (in return)? देशे in a fit place? काले in time? च and? पात्रे to a worthy person? च and? तत् that? दानम् gift? सात्त्विकम् Sattvic? स्मृतम् is held to be.Commentary The gift should be given to one who cannot return the good or to one from whom no such return is expected.It is necessary to be in Kurukshetra or Varanasi or any part of the world that is eally sacred when one offes gifts. The time should be during solar or lunar eclips or an eally auspicious occasion.Worthy A pious person who is a Tapasvin? who is well versed in the scriptures (the Vedas and the,Vedangas)? who is able to protect himself and the donor? etc.At such a time and such a place there shoule be a person worthy to receive the gift? a person who is the very incarnation of purity? the very abode of good conduct. A gift may be freely given to such a highly deserving person. The donor should not boast of his charity.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.20 That gift is referred to as born of sattva which gift is given with the idea that it ought to be given, to one who will not serve in return, and at the (proper) place, (proper) time and to a (proper) person.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.20 The gift which is given without thought of recompense, in the belief that it ought to be made, in a fit place, at an opportune time and to a deserving person - such a gift is Pure.
Charity given out of duty, at the proper time and place, without expectation of return — is sattvic.
Practical Applications
Give without expectation of return.
Time and place matter — give thoughtfully.
Treat charity as duty, not as performance.
Reflection Questions
Where is my giving still expecting return?
What duty-charity is calling me?
Analogy
Sattvic charity is like rain falling on a field — not chosen by the cloud, not begged by the field, given because the cloud is full and the field is there. The rain does not stop to ask for thanks; the cloud does not check whether it will be paid back. Right time, right place, right field, no return expected.
Stories
Bali Mahārāja's three steps
When the small brāhmaṇa boy Vāmana asked for only three paces of land, the demon-king Bali — though warned by his guru that this was Viṣṇu Himself come to take everything — chose to give. Bali knew the gift would cost him his kingdom, his wealth, his power. He gave anyway, because the request had come at the right time, the right place, and to a worthy recipient.
When Vāmana's two strides covered the entire universe and the third step had nowhere to land, Bali offered his own head. Bhāgavatam holds him up as the supreme dānī — sāttvika-dāna so absolute that the receiver Himself became permanently the gatekeeper of the giver's door.
Karṇa's kavaca and kuṇḍala
Born with armour and earrings that made him invincible, Karṇa had taken a vow never to refuse a brāhmaṇa's request after morning worship. When Indra came disguised to ask for the kavaca and kuṇḍala — knowing this would unmake Karṇa's invulnerability — Karṇa gave them. He gave without grudging, without asking what he would get in return, at the time and place of his vow, to one who appeared as a worthy recipient.
Mahābhārata treats this gift as the high water mark of Karṇa's sāttvika nature — the same Karṇa whose other actions ran in rajas and tamas. One act of pure sāttvika-dāna can stand as a soul's permanent ornament.
यत्तु प्रत्युपकारार्थं फलमुद्दिश्य वा पुन: ।
दीयते च परिक्लिष्टं तद्दानं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥ २१ ॥
yat tu pratyupakārārthaṁ
[yat tu pratyupakaaraartham]
phalam uddiśya vā punaḥ
[phalam uddishya vaa punah]
dīyate ca parikliṣṭaṁ
[deeyate cha pariklishtam]
tad dānaṁ rājasaṁ smṛtam
[tad daanam raajasam smritam]
Word-for-word
yat—that whichtu—butprati - upakāra - artham—for the sake of getting some returnphalam—a resultuddiśya—desiringvā—orpunaḥ—againdīyate—is givenca—alsoparikliṣṭam—grudginglytat—thatdānam—charityrājasam—in the mode of passionsmṛtam—is understood to be .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yat tu pratyupakārārthaṁ
yat
that which
tu
but
prati - upakāra - artham
for the sake of getting some return
phalam uddiśya vā punaḥ
phalam
a result
uddiśya
desiring
vā
or
punaḥ
again
dīyate ca parikliṣṭaṁ
dīyate
is given
ca
also
parikliṣṭam
grudgingly
tad dānaṁ rājasaṁ smṛtam
tat
that
dānam
charity
rājasam
in the mode of passion
smṛtam
is understood to be .
Important Words
prati - upakāra - artham—for the sake of getting some return favor
Compound: prati (back, in return) + upakāra (favour, help) + artham (for the sake of). The first rajasic motive in dāna: expectation of reciprocity. The prati- is the rajasic syllable here — the mind's mirror constantly checking what will come back.
uddiśya—desiring
Gerund of ud + √diś — 'pointing toward, aiming at.' The verse pairs it with phalam: charity 'aimed at a result.' The grammar makes giving an act of targeted desire rather than free overflow. Charity used as a magic instrument to produce specific outcomes — puṇya for one's next life, success for this one.
parikliṣṭam—grudgingly
Past participle of pari + √kliś — to be afflicted, distressed all around. Charity given with inner suffering, with reluctance, with painful pulling. Note the precision: kliṣṭa alone would mean simply 'distressed'; pari- intensifies to 'all-around suffering' — the gift hurts going out.
smṛtam—is understood to be
From √smṛ — to remember, to record. The chapter's rhythm: each mode of charity receives its smṛti-stamp (sāttvikam smṛtam, rājasam smṛtam) anchoring the classification in tradition's memory rather than in any single teacher's verdict.
But charity performed with the expectation of some return, or with a desire for fruitive results, or in a grudging mood is said to be charity in the mode of passion.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Rājasika dāna has three telltales: it is given to invite reciprocation, or it targets some future benefit, or it is offered with inner reluctance. The hand may extend, but the heart either calculates a return or resists the loss.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Parikliṣṭa — 'with pain all around' — captures the inner contraction that betrays rajas: the gift is given, but reluctantly, with the giver's mind already grieving the asset. This is the psychology of obligated philanthropy. Pratyupakāra-artham points to gift-exchange networks that look generous but function as covert economy. Structurally parallels 17.12 (rājasa yajña). The verse refines: even charity can become a transaction.
Prose order(अन्वय · Anvaya)
यत् तु दानं प्रति-उपकार-अर्थं फलम् उद्दिश्य वा पुनः, परिक्लिष्टं च दीयते — तत् दानं राजसं स्मृतम् ।
yat tu dānaṃ prati-upakāra-arthaṃ phalam uddiśya vā punaḥ, parikliṣṭaṃ ca dīyate — tat dānaṃ rājasaṃ smṛtam |
But the gift that is given for the sake of return-favor, or aiming again at fruit, and grudgingly — that gift is remembered as rājasa.
Word split(पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
यत् तु प्रति-उपकार-अर्थं फलम् उद्दिश्य वा पुनः । दीयते च परिक्लिष्टं तत् दानं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥
yat tu prati-upakāra-arthaṃ phalam uddiśya vā punaḥ | dīyate ca parikliṣṭaṃ tat dānaṃ rājasaṃ smṛtam ||
Charity is sometimes performed for elevation to the heavenly kingdom and sometimes with great trouble and with repentance afterwards: “Why have I spent so much in this way?” Charity is also sometimes given under some obligation, at the request of a superior. These kinds of charity are said to be given in the mode of passion. There are many charitable foundations which offer their gifts to institutions where sense gratification goes on. Such charities are not recommended in the Vedic scripture. Only charity in the mode of goodness is recommended.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
21. That gift given with expectation of reciprocation, with desire for results, given unwillingly, is said to be rajasic.
Commentary
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.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
21. That gift given with expectation of reciprocation, or with desire for results in next life, or given unwillingly, is said to be rajasika.
Commentary
The gift which is given with the aim of future attainment of svarga (phalam vā), or with the aim of some gift in return in the present life (praty upakārārtham), is charity in the mode of passion. Giving reluctantly (parikliṣṭam) means that one laments that one has to spend an amount that later will put one into difficulty, or that one gives only because of the order of guru.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Charity in passion
Expectation of some return
Desire for fruitive results
Elevation to heavenly kingdom
Offering gifts to institutions where sense gratification goes on
Grudging mood
e.g. With great trouble and repentance afterwards
Sometimes given under obligation at the request of a superior
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.21 Tu, but; the danam, gift; yat, which; diyate, is made; prati-upakara-artham, expecting reciprocation-with this purpose in view: 'In time, he will render service in return'-; va punah, or again; uddisya, with a desire for; its phalam, result-that, 'To me will accrue some unseen reward of this gift'-; and which is diyate, given; pariklistam, grudgingly, with reluctance; tat, that; is smrtam, considered to be; rajasam, born of rajas.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.21 That gift which is given grudgingly, viz., gift of useless things with a sly expectation of something in return that is said to be gift of Rajasa nature.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.21 See Comment under 17.22
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.21 And, that gift which is given with a view to receive something in return, or looking for a reward, or reluctantly, is held to be Rajasic.
Commentary
17.21 यत् which? तु indeed? प्रत्युपकारार्थम् with a view to receive in return? फलम् fruit? उद्दिश्य looking for? वा or? पुनः again? दीयते is given? च and? परिक्लिष्टम् reluctantly? तत् that? दानम् gift? राजसम् Rajasic? स्मृतम् is held to be.Commentary Charity or gift that is given in the hope that it will be returned in the future and praised in public or that the gift will bring some unseen reward or heavenly pleasure is passionate. If a man makes a gift to a Brahmana or a Sannyasin with the hope that all his sins will be washed away? this is also a Rajasic gift. If a man is grieved at heart after making the gift this is also a gift of passionate nature.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.21 But the gift which is given expecting reciprocation, or again, with a desire for its result, and which is given grudgingly,- that is considered to be born of rajas.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
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.
Charity given grudgingly, with hope of return, or seeking a fruitive result — is rajasic.
Practical Applications
Notice grudging in your giving.
If grudging, give less but more wholeheartedly.
Don't manufacture giving you can't sustain.
Reflection Questions
Where is my giving grudging?
What sustainable wholehearted giving would replace it?
Analogy
Rajasic charity is like a businessman extending credit — generosity is real, but a ledger is kept somewhere. Each gift entered as a receivable: a favour, a thanks, a position. Even when no return arrives, the inner accountant grumbles. The hand opens; the heart still half-closes.
अदेशकालेयद्दानमपात्रेभ्यश्चदीयते ।
असत्कृतमवज्ञातं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥ २२ ॥
adeśa-kāle yad dānam
[adesha-kaale yad daanam]
apātrebhyaś ca dīyate
[apaatrebhyash cha deeyate]
asat-kṛtam avajñātaṁ
[asat-kritam avajnaatam]
tat tāmasam udāhṛtam
[tat taamasam udaahritam]
Word-for-word
adeśa—at an unpurified placekāle—and unpurified timeyat—that whichdānam—charityapātrebhyaḥ—to unworthy personsca—alsodīyate—is givenasat - kṛtam—without respectavajñātam—without proper attentiontat—thattāmasam—in the mode of darknessudāhṛtam—is said to be .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
adeśa-kāle yad dānam
adeśa
at an unpurified place
kāle
and unpurified time
yat
that which
dānam
charity
apātrebhyaś ca dīyate
apātrebhyaḥ
to unworthy persons
ca
also
dīyate
is given
asat-kṛtam avajñātaṁ
asat - kṛtam
without respect
avajñātam
without proper attention
tat tāmasam udāhṛtam
tat
that
tāmasam
in the mode of darkness
udāhṛtam
is said to be .
Important Words
adeśa—at an unpurified place
Privative a- + deśa (place). The exact inverse of deśe in verse 20. The mode of charity is read first by its coordinates — get the location wrong and even right intent decays.
kāle—at an unpurified time
Locative of kāla — but here, paired with adeśa, the implication is akāle — wrong time. The omission of the privative a- in the second word relies on the listener carrying it over from adeśa. Sanskrit's economy: one prefix governs two nouns.
apātrebhyaḥ—to unworthy persons
Privative a- + pātra (vessel) + dative plural. Inverse of pātre in verse 20. The 'cracked vessel' — one who cannot rightly hold what is given. Charity to such a one is not generosity; it is the further breaking of an already broken cup.
asat - kṛtam—without respect
Compound: asat (not honourable) + kṛtam (done). Done without honouring the act or the receiver. The thrown coin, the disdainful gift. The tamasic giver may even resent the receiver for needing — and the resentment poisons what should have been gift.
avajñātam—without proper attention
Past participle of ava + √jñā — 'looked down upon, dismissed.' Stronger than asat-kṛtam: not merely unattentive but actively contemptuous. The verb's metaphor: looking *down* on the receiver while ostensibly raising the hand to give.
And charity performed at an impure place, at an improper time, to unworthy persons, or without proper attention and respect is said to be in the mode of ignorance.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Tāmasika dāna inverts every sāttvika criterion: wrong place, wrong time, unfit recipient, no honor in the giving, and an undertone of contempt for the receiver. Where rajas at least calculates, tamas simply offends — the act of giving is itself defiled.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The two adverbs asat-kṛtam (without proper ritual honoring of the recipient) and avajñātam (with downward, dismissive look) sharply name the affective texture of tāmasa giving — even the act of generosity becomes a vehicle for disregard. Compare with the demonic outlook of 16.8-9. The triadic series for dāna (20-22) parallels yajña (11-13) and tapas (17-19), completing the chapter's mode-by-domain matrix before the climactic oṁ-tat-sat section.
Contributions for indulgence in intoxication and gambling are not encouraged here. That sort of contribution is in the mode of ignorance. Such charity is not beneficial; rather, sinful persons are encouraged. Similarly, if a person gives charity to a suitable person but without respect and without attention, that sort of charity is also said to be in the mode of darkness.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
22. 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.
Commentary
The result of disregard (avajñatam) is offence (asat-kṛtam).
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
22. Charity given with disregard of etiquette and with discourtesy, to an undeserving person at the wrong place and time, is said to be tamasic charity.
Commentary
Charity given at an unclean place (adeśa), at an inauspicious time (akāle), to undeserving people, such as actors, and, even if time and place are proper, given with lack of proper respect (asat kṛtam) to the recipient (such as not washing the feet), and with disregard (avajñātam), in the form of using low forms of address in speaking to the person, is charity in the mode of ignorance.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Charity in ignorance
At an impure place
At an improper time
To an unworthy person
Contributions for indulgence in intoxication and gambling
Without proper attention and respect
Charity can also be performed in goodness, passion and ignorance
Results will differ accordingly
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.22 Tat, that; danam, gift; yat, which; diyate, is given; adesakale, at an improper place and time-in an unholy place full of barbarians and impure things, etc.; at an improper time: which is not well known as productive of merit; without such specially as Sankranti etc.-; and apatrhyah, to undeserving persons, to fools, thieves and others;-and even when the place etc. are proper-asatkrtam, without proper treatment, without sweet words, washing of feet, worship, etc.; and avajnatam, with disdain, with insults to the recipient; is udahrtam, declared to be; tamasam, born of tamas.
This advice is being imparted for making sacrifices, gifts, austerities, etc. perfect:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.22 That gift which is given to unworthy recipients at wrong place and time, without due respect, viz., without showing such signs of respect as cleansing the feet; with contempt, viz., with disdain and without courtesy - that is said to be of Tamasa nature.
So far, the divisions due to differences of Gunas in respect of sacrifices, austerities and gifts as enjoined by the Vedas have been portrayed. Now is given the definition of Vedic sacrifices etc., according to their association with Pranava (i.e., the syllable Om), and as signified by the terms Tat and Sat.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.20-22 Datavyam etc. upto udahrtam. With the thought that 'One must give' : thinking that the [scriptural] injunction 'One must give' is to be obeyed in order to avoid sin. Very much vexed : because of the fault of [giving] very little. A gift is converted into a bad one by offending its recipient, and so on. Thus the activities of the worldly men are explained on the basis of their three-fold intentions born of the Sattva and so on.
How do those persons perform actions, whose intellect has gone beyond the region, that is impassable because of the triad of the Strands ? Now that manner is described as -
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.22 The gift that is given at a wrong place and time, to unworthy persons, without respect or with insult is declared to be Tamasic.
Commentary
17.22 अदेशकाले at a wrong place and time? यत् which? दानम् gift? अपात्रेभ्यः to unworthy persons? च and? दीयते is given? असत्कृतम् without respect? अवज्ञातम् with insult? तत् that? तामसम् Tamasic? उदाहृतम् is declared to be.Commentary Adesakale At a wrong place and time At a place which is not holy? where irreligious people congregate and where beggars assemble? where wealth acired through illegal means such as gambling? theft? etc.? is distributed to gamblers? singers? fools? rogues? women of evil reputation and at a time which is not auspicious. But? this does not discourage giving alms or other charity to the poor and the needy. In their case these restrictions do not apply.Without respect? etc. Without pleasant speech? without the washing of feet or without worship? although the gift is made at a proper time and place.The donor does not give in good faith although he gets a worthy recipient. He never bends his head in worship. He does not offer him a seat. He treats him with contempt or disrespect.Lord Krishna says to Arjuna I have described that faith? charity? austerity? food? etc.? are invariably coloured by the three alities. There was no desire on My part to refer to the lower ones but to distinguish the highest purity it was necessary to point out the mark of the other two. When the two are set aside? the third is more clearly appreciated in the same way as if day and night are removed the twilight is seen better. Even so be avoiding passion and darkness? the third? viz.? purity or Sattva becomes vividly clear and purity which is the best can be easily realised. Thus in order to show thee the real nature of purity? I have described the other two? so that laying them aside? and resorting to the highest thou mayest attain the goal? viz.? Moksha.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.22 The gift which is made at an improper place and time, and to undeserving persons, without proper treatment and with disdain, is declared to be born of tamas.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.22 And that which is given at an unsuitable place or time or to one who is unworthy, or with disrespect or contempt - such a gift is the result of Ignorance.
His Grace Rasika Govinda Prabhu· 2018-05-02· Tamil
Personal Guidance
Charity given at improper time and place, to unworthy persons, without respect or proper attention — is tamasic.
Practical Applications
Don't give carelessly; respect the receiver and the moment.
Don't enable the unworthy.
Cultivate discernment in charity.
Reflection Questions
Where has my giving been careless?
What discernment would improve it?
Analogy
Tamasic charity is like emptying a sack of grain into a swamp — the substance is real but the receiving has no order. Wrong place, wrong moment, wrong hands, no respect in the giving. The grain that could have fed a village rots in mud, and the giver is left with neither gratitude nor merit, only an empty sack.
These defects can be offset by acting, even if within the modes of nature, in Krishna’s service: “Om tat sat”
Conclusion is that when sacrifice, penance and austerity are performed without faith in the Supreme – without a transcendental goal – they are useless in this life and next
LINK BETWEEN SECTION V & SECTION VI: Up to this point, Krishna has described how one can recognize
the modes of material nature under which a person exists by the person’s worship, food, austerity,
sacrifice and charity. All three modes and their combinations are defective and bind one to the material
world. Now Krishna will explain that all defects can be removed from every combination of the modes of
material nature. How? By chanting om tat sat.
COMMON THEME: Getting free from the defects in one’s sacrifice, austerity and charity
ॐतत्सदितिनिर्देशोब्रह्मणस्त्रिविध:स्मृत: ।
ब्राह्मणास्तेन वेदाश्च यज्ञाश्च विहिता: पुरा ॥ २३ ॥
oṁ tat sad iti nirdeśo
[om tat sad iti nirdesho]
brahmaṇas tri-vidhaḥ smṛtaḥ
[brahmanas tri-vidhah smritah]
brāhmaṇās tena vedāś ca
[braahmanaas tena vedaash cha]
yajñāś ca vihitāḥ purā
[yajnaash cha vihitaah puraa]
Word-for-word
oṁ—indication of the Supremetat—thatsat—eternaliti—thusnirdeśaḥ—indicationbrahmaṇaḥ—of the Supremetri - vidhaḥ—threefoldsmṛtaḥ—is consideredbrāhmaṇāḥ—the brāhmaṇastena—with thatvedāḥ—the Vedic literatureca—alsoyajñāḥ—sacrificeca—alsovihitāḥ—usedpurā—formerly .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
oṁ tat sad iti nirdeśo
oṁ
indication of the Supreme
tat
that
sat
eternal
iti
thus
nirdeśaḥ
indication
brahmaṇas tri-vidhaḥ smṛtaḥ
brahmaṇaḥ
of the Supreme
tri - vidhaḥ
threefold
smṛtaḥ
is considered
brāhmaṇās tena vedāś ca
brāhmaṇāḥ
the brāhmaṇas
tena
with that
vedāḥ
the Vedic literature
ca
also
yajñāś ca vihitāḥ purā
yajñāḥ
sacrifice
ca
also
vihitāḥ
used
purā
formerly .
Important Words
oṁ—indication of the Supreme
The praṇava. The primordial syllable. Verse 23 places it first of the three; subsequent verses (24, 25, 26–27) will unpack each in turn. Oṁ is the syllable of consecration — what one begins with.
tat—that
The demonstrative pronoun. The grammar performs the theology: tat names something *other* than the speaker. The Absolute is the eternally-other-than-me, and the syllable refuses any familiarity. Verse 25 will unpack tat as the renunciation-syllable.
sat—eternal
Present participle of √as — 'being, that which is.' The reality-syllable. The chapter's closing verses (26–27) and final verdict (28: asat) all turn on this word. Sat is not merely 'good' but ontologically true — what genuinely *is*.
nirdeśaḥ—indication
From nir + √diś — 'pointing out from.' Not a name of the Absolute but a finger pointing toward it. The śabda-brahman doctrine in compressed form: these syllables do not exhaust Brahman, but reliably point.
brahmaṇaḥ—of the Supreme
Genitive of brahman. Prabhupāda's purport reads brahman here as the Supreme Personality of Godhead — oṁ tat sat are uttered in conjunction with the holy name, e.g. oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam. These syllables are not sect-neutral common property but designations of Bhagavān; the Vedic hymns add oṁ wherever the Lord's name is invoked.
purā—formerly, from of old
Adverb. Brahmā, the first created being, performed his sacrifices indicating the Supreme Personality of Godhead by these three syllables, and the disciplic succession has carried that usage forward. Purā does not free oṁ tat sat from any tradition; it anchors them in the Lord's eternal (sanātana) Personhood and in the paramparā that has always pointed to Him.
From the beginning of creation, the three words oṁ tat sat were used to indicate the Supreme Absolute Truth. These three symbolic representations were used by brāhmaṇas while chanting the hymns of the Vedas and during sacrifices for the satisfaction of the Supreme.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Kṛṣṇa introduces the great formula 'oṁ tat sat' as the threefold designation of Brahman. From the dawn of the tradition, by uttering this formula, the priestly class, the Veda, and the sacrificial system were consecrated. The mahāvākya is presented as the ontological warrant for the whole orthodox order.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The mahāvākya oṁ-tat-sat is unpacked across vv. 23-27. Three terms correspond to three aspects of Brahman: oṁ as the sonic seed-symbol, tat as the impersonal 'That,' sat as the Real. The verse's claim is creation-temporal: brāhmaṇas, Vedas, and yajñas were ordained 'tena' (by that) and 'purā' (anciently). Cf. Chāndogya 1.1.1 on oṁ as the udgītha; Maitrī Upaniṣad 6.5 has a parallel three-letter mantra-theory. The formula now anoints every dharmic act in the chapter.
Prose order(अन्वय · Anvaya)
'ॐ तत् सत्' इति ब्रह्मणः त्रिविधः निर्देशः स्मृतः; तेन (निर्देशेन) पुरा ब्राह्मणाः वेदाः यज्ञाः च विहिताः ।
'oṃ tat sat' iti brahmaṇaḥ trividhaḥ nirdeśaḥ smṛtaḥ; tena (nirdeśena) purā brāhmaṇāḥ vedāḥ yajñāḥ ca vihitāḥ |
'Oṁ Tat Sat' — this is remembered as the threefold designation of Brahman; by that designation, in ancient times, the brāhmaṇas, the Vedas, and the sacrifices were ordained.
Word split(पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
ॐ तत् सत् इति निर्देशः ब्रह्मणः त्रिविधः स्मृतः । ब्राह्मणाः तेन वेदाः च यज्ञाः च विहिताः पुरा ॥
oṃ tat sat iti nirdeśaḥ brahmaṇaḥ trividhaḥ smṛtaḥ | brāhmaṇāḥ tena vedāḥ ca yajñāḥ ca vihitāḥ purā ||
Grammar(व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
Sanskrit
IAST
Grammar
Meaning
ॐ
oṃ
ind. (indeclinable), praṇava — bīja-mantra of Brahman
It has been explained that penance, sacrifice, charity and foods are divided into three categories: the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. But whether first class, second class or third class, they are all conditioned, contaminated by the material modes of nature. When they are aimed at the Supreme – oṁ tat sat, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the eternal – they become means for spiritual elevation. In the scriptural injunctions such an objective is indicated. These three words, oṁ tat sat, particularly indicate the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Vedic hymns, the word oṁ is always found. One who acts without following the regulations of the scriptures will not attain the Absolute Truth. He will get some temporary result, but not the ultimate end of life. The conclusion is that the performance of charity, sacrifice and penance must be done in the mode of goodness. Performed in the mode of passion or ignorance, they are certainly inferior in quality. The three words oṁ tat sat are uttered in conjunction with the holy name of the Supreme Lord, e.g., oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ. Whenever a Vedic hymn or the holy name of the Supreme Lord is uttered, oṁ is added. This is the indication of Vedic literature. These three words are taken from Vedic hymns. Oṁ ity etad brahmaṇo nediṣṭhaṁ nāma indicates the first goal. Then tat tvam asi ( Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.8.7) indicates the second goal. And sad eva saumya ( Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.1) indicates the third goal. Combined they become oṁ tat sat. Formerly when Brahmā, the first created living entity, performed sacrifices, he indicated by these three words the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the same principle has always been followed by disciplic succession. So this hymn has great significance. Bhagavad-gītā recommends, therefore, that any work done should be done for oṁ tat sat, or for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When one performs penance, charity and sacrifice with these three words, he is acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a scientific execution of transcendental activities which enables one to return home, back to Godhead. There is no loss of energy in acting in such a transcendental way.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
23-24. 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,
Commentary
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.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
23-24. The three names of the Lord om tat sat were remembered by the wise. Viṣṇu in the form of these three sounds created the brāhmaṇas, the Vedas and sacrifice. Therefore,
Commentary
sacrifices, austerities, charity and other works of the present seekers of brahman are always started with the uttering of om.
In speaking of the three types of sacrifice, austerity and charity, with divisions in the three modes, those which were in the mode of goodness were shown to be accepted, and those in the mode of passion and ignorance were to be rejected. Now the Lord says that the sacrifice, austerity and charity of persons qualified with sattva [Note: The sacrifice, austerity and charity of the sattvika person are in accordance with scripture. See verse 11.] should be performed along with uttering the name of Viṣṇu. [Note: Those following rules should also understand the spiritual goal of all the actions.]
The three words om tat sat are remembered by the wise to be the names of Viṣṇu (brahmanaḥ nirdeśaḥ). The śruti says om ity etad brahmaṇo nediṣṭaṁ nāma: Om is another name of the brahman. (Ṛg veda) Om is one name. Tat is the second name, seen in the śruti statement tat tvam asi: you are that brahman. (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.8.7) Sat is the third name, mentioned in the śruti statement sad eva saumya: that brahman is eternal, O gentle one! (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.1) These are representative names only, as there are many more.
The brāhmaṇas, Vedas and sacrifices were manifested (vihitāḥ) by four-headed Brahmā long ago through this brahman in the form of the three names om tat sat, indicating Viṣṇu. Therfore these names are very powerful. If these names are used along with sacrifice and other acts, these will make up for any fault in performance of the parts of the sacrifice, and by uttering these three sounds one is assured of getting the results.
Since this is so, after chanting the name om, the sacrifices, austerities and other works of the sattvika people of the three higher castes (brahma vādinām) are performed. [Note: The śūdras were not allowed to chant the Vedas..] If there is some irregularity in the execution, the acts still yield full results, because of the utterance of om.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Srila Prabhupada says in his Purport: "One who acts without following the regulations of the scriptures will not attain the Absolute Truth. He will get some temporary result, but not the ultimate end of life. The conclusion is that the performance of charity, sacrifice and penance must be done in the mode of goodness. Performed in the mode of passi ignorance, they are certainly inferior in quality.
We understand that there is a gradual process according to the scriptures that teaches us to perform these different acts not in passion, not in ignorance but in goodness. And then gradually by doing that one is elevate towards the Supreme. But actually, that is not the conclusion that is going to be reached, because we know already so many different processes. There is the process or the oportunity for gradual elevation to the mode of goodness and from the mode of goodness one pushes on to the transcendental platform. But that is not actually Krsna's desire.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Analyzing the above information, one can see the basic characteristics in goodness are motivation for
purification, a sense of duty and desire to please the Lord. Therefore instill this mentality in sacrifice, austerity
and charity by “Om tat sat”
From beginning of creation the three words “Om tat sat” were used to indicate the Supreme Absolute truth
Focus of Learning
(a) How to purify food, sacrifice, austerity and charity – Although always contaminated by any one
of the material modes, they can be made as the means of spiritual elevation by aiming them at
the Supreme – ‘Om tat sat’, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the eternal
(b) What does ‘Om tat sat’ indicate – They particularly indicate the Absolute Truth, The Supreme
Personality of Godhead
e.g. In Vedic hymns, the word ‘Om’ is always found
(c) What if one acts without following scriptural regulations
He will not attain Absoute Truth
He will get some temporary result but not the ultimate end of life
(d) Conclusion – Sacrifice, charity and penance must be done in the mode of goodness, otherwise
they are inferior in quality, if performed in the mode of passion or ignorance
(e) Indication of the Vedic literatures with respect to ‘Om tat sat’
Three words ‘Om tat sat’ are uttered in conjunction with the Holy Name of the Supreme Lord e.g. ‘Om tad Vishnoh’
Whenever a Vedic hymn or Holy Name of the Supreme Lord is uttered, ‘Om’ is added
(f) Authority for ‘Om tat sat’ – These three words are taken from Vedic hymns
‘Om’ (Rg Veda) – Indicates the first goal
‘Tat tvam asi’ (Chandogya Upanisad) – Indicates second goal
‘Sad eva saumya’ (Chandogya Upanisad) – Indicates the third goal
E.g. Brahma performed sacrifices by indicating Supreme Lord with these three words
(g) ‘Om tat sat’ and Krishna consciousness
According to Bhagavad-gita, any work should be done for ‘Om tat sat’ (For the Supreme Personality of Godhead) – That is ‘acting in Krishna consciousness’
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.23 Om, tat, sat-iti, this; is smrtah, considered, regarded, in the Vedanta, by the knowers of Brahman; to be the trividhah, threefold; nirdesah, designation, mention by name-nirdesa is that by which a thing is specified; brahmanah, of Brahman. The Brahmanas and the Vedas and the sacrifices were vihitah, ordainded, [When some defect arises in sacrifice etc., then this is corrected by uttering one of these words-Om, tat, sat.] created; tena, by that threefold designation; pura, in the days of yore [In the beginning of creation by Prajapati.]-this is said by way of eulogizing the designation.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.23 Here Brahman means the Veda. It is the secondary meaning of the expression, especially of the ritualistic portion of the Veda. The three-fold expression Om Tat Sat is connected with the Brahman or the Veda. Sacrifices and similar rituals are prescribed in the Vedas. These expressions Om Tat Sat are used in these Vedic rites. The connection of Om is that it should be invariably used at the commencement of the recitation of Vedic hymns. The syllable Tat and Sat indicate that these rituals are worthy of honour. The Brahmanas are those who are to preserve Vedic study as also the Vedas and the sacrificial rites ordained in them. All these were created by Me in the past.
Sri Krsna elaborates in the next verses the nature of the connection of these syllables with the Vedic rituals, beginning first with Om.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.23 See Comment under 17.27
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.23 "Om Tat Sat": This has been declared to be the triple designation of Brahman. By that were created formerly, the Brahmanas, the Vedas and the sacrifices.
Commentary
17.23 तत्सत् Om Tat Sat? इति thus? निर्देशः designation? ब्रह्मणः of Brahman? त्रिविधः threefold? स्मृतः has been declared? ब्राह्मणाः Brahmanas? तेन by that? वेदाः Vedas? च and? यज्ञाः sacrifices? च and? विहिताः created? पुरा formerly.Commentary Om Tat Sat is the root of the entire universe. Om is the Akshara Brahman. Tat means Thath? the indefinable. Sat means Reality.Para Brahman? that Supreme Being? the abiding place of all that lives and moves? is beyond name and class. The Vedas have ventured to give a name to Him. A new born child has no name but no,receiving one he will answer to it. Men who are troubled by the afflictions of this world run to the Deity for refuge and call Him by the name. When Brahman is invoked through the name that which is hidden is revealed to the aspirant.These three words have a divine power of their own. The vibrations that they produce in one are such as to arouse the latent divinity and also to secure the necessary response from the Cosmic Being Whom they connote.When a sacrificial rite or the like is found defective? it will be rendered perfect by the utterance of the powerful Mantra Om Tat Sat or one of the three designations in the end. With Om or Om Tat Sat all acts of sacrifice? study of sacred scriptures? spiritual discipline and meditation are commenced. If the doer of sacrifices remembers either of these Mantras all obstacles that stand in the way of success of the sacrifices are removed.Om Tat Sat has been declared to be the triple designation of Brahman in the Vedanta by the knowers of Brahman. The power of creation that lies in the Creator emanates from this Mantra. When He meditated inwardly on the meaning of this Mantra and repeated the threefold word? He acired the power to create. Then He created the Brahmanas? gave them the Vedas to be their guide and directed them to perform sacrifices and other rites.Puraa Of old At the beginning of creation by the Prajapati.Brahman here means the Veda.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.23 'Om-tat-sat' ['Om, That, Existence': 'Om iti brahma, Om is Brahman' (Tai. 1.8.1); 'Tattvamasi, Thou art That' (Ch. 6.8.7); and 'Sadeva somya idamagra asit, This was Existence alone in the beginning, O amiable one' (Ch. 6.2.1)-in these texts Brahman is indicated by the words Om, tat, sat.]-this is considered to be the threefold designation of Brahman. The Brahmanas and Vedas and the sacrifices were ordanined by that in the days of yore.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.23 Om Tat Sat' is the triple designation of the Eternal Spirit, by which of old the Vedic Scriptures, the ceremonials and the sacrifices were ordained.
From the beginning of creation, three syllables — Om Tat Sat — have indicated the Supreme.
Practical Applications
Use Om Tat Sat as a mantra of consecration.
Don't dismiss traditional invocations.
Honor sacred sound.
Reflection Questions
When did I last consecrate an act with traditional invocation?
What would such consecration add?
Analogy
Oṁ, Tat, and Sat are like three lamps that have always been burning at the entrance to the temple. They are not the deity; they are the lights by which one finds the way in. From the beginning of the world these three syllables have stood at the doorway of every authentic act, naming the Absolute that the act is approaching.
तस्माद्ॐइत्युदाहृत्ययज्ञदानतप:क्रिया: ।
प्रवर्तन्ते विधानोक्ता: सततं ब्रह्मवादिनाम् ॥ २४ ॥
tasmād oṁ ity udāhṛtya
[tasmaad om ity udaahritya]
yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyāḥ
[yajna-daana-tapah-kriyaah]
pravartante vidhānoktāḥ
[pravartante vidhaanoktaah]
satataṁ brahma-vādinām
[satatam brahma-vaadinaam]
Word-for-word
tasmāt—thereforeoṁ—beginning with oṁiti—thusudāhṛtya—indicatingyajña—of sacrificedāna—charitytapaḥ—and penancekriyāḥ—performancespravartante—beginvidhāna - uktāḥ—according to scriptural regulationsatatam—alwaysbrahma - vādinām—of the transcendentalists .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tasmād oṁ ity udāhṛtya
tasmāt
therefore
oṁ
beginning with oṁ
iti
thus
udāhṛtya
indicating
yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyāḥ
yajña
of sacrifice
dāna
charity
tapaḥ
and penance
kriyāḥ
performances
pravartante vidhānoktāḥ
pravartante
begin
vidhāna - uktāḥ
according to scriptural regulation
satataṁ brahma-vādinām
satatam
always
brahma - vādinām
of the transcendentalists .
Important Words
tasmāt—therefore
Ablative of tat. The verse begins with a logical 'therefore' — Kṛṣṇa is drawing a practical consequence from the previous verse's metaphysical claim. Oṁ tat sat designate the Absolute; therefore the Absolute-seeker must employ them.
udāhṛtya—indicating, having uttered
Gerund of ud + ā + √hṛ — to lift up and bring forth. Note: the syllable is to be lifted out audibly. The verse insists on actual utterance, not mere mental invocation. Sound, not just thought, consecrates.
kriyāḥ—performances
From √kṛ — to do. Plural feminine: 'the various performances' of yajña, dāna, and tapaḥ (with which it stands in compound in the verse). The word reunites the three pillars of dharmic action that the chapter has been analysing one by one. The three are now to be unified under one consecratory syllable — kriyāḥ marks the unification.
pravartante—begin
Present middle of pra + √vṛt — 'turn forth, set into motion.' The middle voice reflects: the action turns forth from the doer with Oṁ as the first impetus. The syllable is the ignition, not an afterthought.
brahma - vādinām—of the transcendentalists
Compound: brahma (the Absolute) + vādin (one who speaks of) + genitive plural. 'Those who speak of Brahman' — the technical term for those whose discourse and life are oriented to the Absolute. Kṛṣṇa restricts the practice to such persons: Oṁ is not for casual ornament.
Therefore, transcendentalists undertaking performances of sacrifice, charity and penance in accordance with scriptural regulations begin always with oṁ, to attain the Supreme.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Therefore — drawing the conclusion from 17.23 — all three dharmic acts of brahma-vādins begin with the utterance of oṁ. The praṇava is the inaugural sound that aligns the act with its ontological source from the very first syllable.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
This unpacks the first member of the mahāvākya: oṁ governs the START of every sacred act. Cf. Taittirīya Upaniṣad 1.8.1 (om iti brahma); Praśna Upaniṣad 5.2 (om iti caitad akṣaram); Mānava-Dharma-Śāstra 2.74-76 on the praṇava preceding Vedic recitation. Brahma-vādin is broader than vedānti — anyone who locates their action in Brahman. Note vidhāna-uktāḥ: the rule still binds — proper procedure is non-negotiable.
Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam ( Ṛg Veda 1.22.20). The lotus feet of Viṣṇu are the supreme devotional platform. The performance of everything on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead assures the perfection of all activity.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
25. Uttering tat, persons aspiring for liberation performed sacrifice, austerity and charity without seeking results.
Commentary
Uttering the word tat (tad iti), udāhṛtya being understood from the previous verse, they perform activities such as charity. Anabhisandhaya means without seeking results.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
25. Uttering tat, persons aspiring for liberation performed sacrifice, austerity and charity without seeking results.
Commentary
Sacrifice, austerity and charity were performed by those desiring liberation, along with the chanting of the name tat, without aspiration for material benefits. The word tat is very powerful because it produces a desire for liberation, by uttering it with absence of desire.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Describes ‘Om’
Purpose – Helps one to remember the Lord
‘Om’ means ‘Vishnu’ – This is placed at the beginning of the Vedic Hymns to indicate the Supreme goal and thus attain the Supreme
Ref. Rg Veda 1.22.20 – The lotus feet of Vishnu are the ‘Supreme devotional platform’
Performance of everything on behalf of Supreme Lord assures perfection of all activities
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.24 Tasmat, therefore; yajna-dana-tapah, kriyah, acts of sacrifice, charity and austerity-acts in the form of sacrifice etc.; vidhana-uktah, as prescribed through injunctions, as ordained by the scriptures; brahma-vadinam, of those who study and expound the Vedas; satatam, always; pravartante, commence; udahrtya, after uttering; om iti, the syllable Om.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.24 After pronouncing Om, the Vedas are recited. Thus the connection of the syllable Om with the Vedas and the rituals enjoined in the Vedas such as sacrifices has been described. As the Vedas are connected with the word Om, all belonging to the three stations of life who memorise the Vedas and perform the rituals inculcated in them, are included in the expression, 'expounders of the Vedas.'
Now, He describes the manner by which the word Tat is connected with them:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.24 See Comment under 17.27
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.24 Therefore, with the utterance of "Om" are the acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity as enjoined in the scriptures, always begun by the students of Brahman.
Commentary
17.24 तस्मात् therefore? Om? इति thus? उदाहृत्य uttering? यज्ञदानतपःक्रियाः the acts of sacrifice? gift and austerity? प्रवर्तन्ते begin? विधानोक्ताः as enjoined in the scriptures? सततम् always? ब्रह्मवादिनाम् of the students of Brahman. Commentary Those who are knowers of the scriptures have a vivid impression of Om in their minds by means of meditation and then they will utter the Pranava with the proper attitude and feeling. Then meditating on Om and uttering it? they perform the sacrifices. Just as a hillstick is very useful in climbing a hill? just as a boat is very useful in crossing a river? so also Om is very useful and important at the commencement of an action or sacrifice.It is not desirable to renounce actions or sacrifices to attain union with the Lord. What is wanted is total and perfect surrender of all actions to God. Sacrifice? charity and austerity are not hindrances to the attainment of Selfrealisation on the contrary the attainment of liberation is rendered easy by their performance without any selfish desires or egoism.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.24 Therefore, acts of sacrifice, charity and austerity as prescribed through injunctions, of those who study and expound the Vedas, always commence after uttering the syllable Om.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
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.
His Holiness Vedavyasa Priya Swami· 2013-08-26· English
Personal Guidance
Sacrifices, charity, austerities according to scripture begin with Om — the way to attain the Supreme.
Practical Applications
Begin spiritual acts with Om audibly when appropriate.
Use the syllable as gateway.
Trust the technical specification.
Reflection Questions
What acts could I begin with Om that I haven't?
What does the gateway practice change?
Analogy
Beginning every act with Oṁ is like striking a tuning fork before the music starts. The fork does not play the song — but the song will be out of tune without it. Oṁ tunes the act to the frequency of the Absolute before the first real note sounds.
तदित्यनभिसन्धायफलंयज्ञतप:क्रिया: ।
दानक्रियाश्च विविधा: क्रियन्ते मोक्षकाङ्क्षिभि: ॥ २५ ॥
tad ity anabhisandhāya
[tad ity anabhisandhaaya]
phalaṁ yajña-tapaḥ-kriyāḥ
[phalam yajna-tapah-kriyaah]
dāna-kriyāś ca vividhāḥ
[daana-kriyaash cha vividhaah]
kriyante mokṣa-kāṅkṣibhiḥ
[kriyante moksha-kaankshibhih]
Word-for-word
tat—thatiti—thusanabhisandhāya—without desiringphalam—the fruitive resultyajña—of sacrificetapaḥ—and penancekriyāḥ—activitiesdāna—of charitykriyāḥ—activitiesca—alsovividhāḥ—variouskriyante—are donemokṣa - kāṅkṣibhiḥ—by those who actually desire liberation .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tad ity anabhisandhāya
tat
that
iti
thus
anabhisandhāya
without desiring
phalaṁ yajña-tapaḥ-kriyāḥ
phalam
the fruitive result
yajña
of sacrifice
tapaḥ
and penance
kriyāḥ
activities
dāna-kriyāś ca vividhāḥ
dāna
of charity
kriyāḥ
activities
ca
also
vividhāḥ
various
kriyante mokṣa-kāṅkṣibhiḥ
kriyante
are done
mokṣa - kāṅkṣibhiḥ
by those who actually desire liberation .
Important Words
tat—that
The demonstrative pronoun. Tat in Sanskrit refers always to something other than the speaker — 'that, over there.' The grammar of the word performs renunciation: by uttering tat, one names what is not oneself, what one cannot hold. The syllable for fruit-renouncing acts.
iti—thus
The quotation/naming particle. Sanskrit uses iti to mark a word as being *cited* rather than used directly. The verse insists the syllable tat be uttered self-consciously — as a deliberate consecration — not as casual filler. Iti makes the utterance ritual.
anabhisandhāya—without desiring
Gerund of an + abhi + sam + √dhā — negation of the abhisandhāya of verse 12. The same root, reversed. Verse 12 condemned abhisandhāya phalam in rajasic sacrifice; verse 25 prescribes its opposite for tat-consecrated action.
phalam—the fruitive result
The word phala once again — appearing for at least the fifth time in this chapter. Each appearance refines the relationship: in sattva, no expectation; in rajas, primary aim; in tamas, irrelevant to the malformed act. Here, explicitly renounced.
mokṣa - kāṅkṣibhiḥ—by those who desire liberation
Compound: mokṣa (liberation) + kāṅkṣin (one who longs for). Instrumental plural. Note the careful theology: the only acceptable kāṅkṣā (longing) in this chapter is for mokṣa. Phala-kāṅkṣā binds; mokṣa-kāṅkṣā unbinds. The grammar of desire matters more than the fact of desire.
Without desiring fruitive results, one should perform various kinds of sacrifice, penance and charity with the word tat. The purpose of such transcendental activities is to get free from material entanglement.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Tat — 'That' — governs the renunciation-OF-fruit dimension. Those who seek mokṣa perform their yajña, tapas, and dāna with this word silently appended: not for me, but for That. Niṣkāma-karma is here ritualized through utterance of the mahāvākya's second term.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
This is a precise pairing: oṁ inaugurates (24), tat dedicates (25). 'Tat' is the impersonal Brahman of the Upaniṣads (cf. tat tvam asi); appending it cancels the agent's claim on the fruit. The verse uniquely qualifies the practitioner here as mokṣa-kāṅkṣin — not merely scripturally observant but oriented toward liberation. This sets the practitioner apart from the rājasa yajña-doer of 17.12 who actively targets phala.
By those who long for liberation, without aiming at fruit, with the word 'Tat' (uttered), various acts of sacrifice and austerity, as well as acts of charity, are performed.
To be elevated to the spiritual position, one should not act for any material gain. Acts should be performed for the ultimate gain of being transferred to the spiritual kingdom, back to home, back to Godhead.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
26. 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.
27. 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.
Commentary
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).
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.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
26. The word sat is used in relation to brahman and also in relation to the seekers of brahman. Thus the word sat is used in performing all auspicious activities.
27. What is permanent in sacrifice, austerity and charity, is called sat. Any work dedicated to the Lord is called sat.
Commentary
The Supreme Lord indicated by the word sat exists in all other excellent things. Therefore the word sat is used during the performance of all auspicious activities. This is expressed in two verses.
The word sat is used to indicate brahman (brahma bhāve) and the knower of brahman (sādhu bhāve), such as in the phrase sad eva saumya (this is brhaman) and satāṁ prasaṅgāt (from association with the knowers of brahman). Therefore the word sat is suitable to use on auspicious actions such as upanayana and marriage.
Bg 17.26, Bg 17.27, Bg 17.26-27
SaḤave SaaDau>aave c SaidTYaeTaTPa[YauJYaTae )
Pa[XaSTae k-MaRi<a TaQaa SaC^Bd" PaaQaR YauJYaTae )) 26 ))
Yaje TaPaiSa daNae c iSQaiTa" SaidiTa caeCYaTae )
k-MaR cEv TadQasYa& SaidTYaevai>aDaqYaTae )) 27 ))
sad-bhāve sādhu-bhāve ca
sad ity etat prayujyate
praśaste karmaṇi tathā
sac-chabdaḥ pārtha yujyate
yajñe tapasi dāne ca
sthitiḥ sad iti cocyate
karma caiva tad-arthīyaṁ
sad ity evābhidhīyate
sat-bhāve—in the sense of the nature of the Supreme; sādhu-bhāve—in the sense of the nature of the devotee; ca—also; sat—the word sat; iti—thus; etat—this; prayujyate—is used; praśaste—in bona fide; karmaṇi—activities; tathā—also; sat-śabdaḥ—the sound sat; pārtha—O son of Pṛthā; yujyate—is used; yajñe—in sacrifice; tapasi—in penance; dāne—in charity; ca—also; sthitiḥ—the situation; sat—the Supreme; iti—thus; ca—and; ucyate—is pronounced; karma—work; ca—also; eva—certainly; tat—for that; arthīyam—meant; sat—the Supreme; iti—thus; eva—certainly; abhidhīyate—is indicated.
What is permanent (sthitiḥ) in sacrifice, austerity and charity in terms of their objective being permanent, is indicated by sat. Acts for the purpose of the Lord (tad arthīyam) who is indicated by these three names, such as building or cleaning His temple, are called sat.
One must remember these three names. This should be considered an injunction, thought the grammatical form does not indicate it. The statement made was oṁ tat sad iti nirdeśo brahmaṇas tri-vidhaḥ smṛtaḥ: these three names of the Lord were remembered. This is similar to statements such as vaṣaṭ-kartuḥ prathamaṁ bhakṣyaḥ: the food belongs to the priest uttering vaṣaṭ. These statements must be regarded as injunctions or orders, however, because of the rule of uniqueness (apūrva) laid down by Jaimini, in Jaimini Sūtra 3.5.21. [Note: If a statement is unique in its context, even if it is not in the form of an injunction, it should be understood as an injunction. The present statement “The wise remembered the three names of Viṣṇu.” can then imply the following injunction: “We must remember the three names of Viṣṇū.”] Another reason for understanding the statement as an injunction is that uttering the names during sacrifice, charity and other actions, is necessary to remove all obstacles to attaining the final result.
The smṛti says:
pramādāt kurvatāṁ karma pracyavetādhvareṣu yat
smaraṇād eva tad viṣṇoḥ sampūrṇaṁ syād iti śrutiḥ
Whatever mistakes are committed in sacrifice out of inattention will be rectified by remembrance of Viṣṇu. This is the statement of the śruti.
Garuḍa Purāṇa 1.230.13
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Describes ‘tat’
‘Tat’ describes detached work for the sake of liberation
Purpose – Freedom from material entanglement
These activities are done with disregard for fruitive results
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.25 After uttering the word tat, which is a name of Brahman, yajna-tapah-kriyah, acts of sacrifice and austerity; ca, as also; vividhah, the various; dana-kriyah, acts of charity, such as gift of land, gold, etc.; kriyante, are performed; anabhisandhaya, without regard for; phalam, results of actions; moksa-kanksibhih, by persons aspiring for Liberation.
The use of the words Om and tat has been stated. Thereafter, the use of the word sat is bieng presently stated:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.25 Whatever acts such as the study of the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities and gifts are done without aiming at results by those of the first three stations, seeking only final release - these are designated by the term Tat referring to the brahman, since they constitute the means for attainment of brahman. For it is well known that the term Tat signifies brahman, as in the following passage: He is Sah,Vah, Kah, Kim, Yat, Tat, Padam, Anuttamam.' (M.B., 13.254.91). Thus, the study of the Vedas, sacrifices etc., which are the means of attaining release, have been stated; the connection of Tat has been spoken of since the word Tat signifies them (i.e., the study of Vedas etc.). The connection of the term Tat with the three stations is shown because of their practising the study of the Vedas etc., in the way stated.
In order to show how the term Sat is connected with these, Sri Krsna shows the etymology of the term Sat, as it is prevalent in the world:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.25 See Comment under 17.27
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.25 Uttering ï1Tatï1, without aiming at the fruits, are the acts of sacrifice and austerity and the various acts of gifts performed by the seekers of liberation.
Commentary
17.25 तत् That? इति thus? अनभिसन्धाय without aiming at? फलम् fruit? यज्ञतपःक्रियाः acts of sacrifice and austerity? दानक्रियाः acts of gits? च and? विविधाः various? क्रियन्ते are performed? मोक्षकाङ्क्षिभिः by the seekers of liberation.Commentary With Tat With the utterance of the word Tat (That).Phalam Fruit of sacrifice? austerity and charity.Danakriyah Acts of charity such as gifts of land? gold? rice? clothes? etc.The immortal Soul which transcends the whole world? the three Gunas? the three bodies? the three,states of waking? dreaming and deep sleep? which illumines everything? which is the basis of all? and the source of everything is connoted by the word Tat. The sages and the aspirants meditate on Tat. They utter the word Tat and say? May all our actions and the fruits of them be in the name of Tat (That or Brahman).Thus they offer all actions and their fruits to Brahman and practise renunciation. They are freed from egoism and the bondage of Karma. They attain Selfrealisation through purity of heart caused by selfless? motiveless and desireless actions.The actions that is ennobled and sanctified by uttering Om at the beginning and which is offered to That is transformed into the nature of Brahman. All actions in their entirety? O Arjuna? culminate in wisdom (IV.33). He who does the actions with the spirit of sacrifice becomes Brahman eventually.Tat is symbolic of the presentation of all the fruits of all such activities to Brahman. If you utter Tat? it is tantamount to saying? They are nt mine. What has been begun with Om is given away to Brahman with the utterance of Tat.The use of Sat is described in the following verse.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.25 After (uttering) the word tat, acts of sacrifice and austerity as also the various acts of charity are performed without regard for results by persons aspiring for Liberation.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.25 Those who desire deliverance begin their acts of sacrifice, austerity or gift with the word Tat' (meaning That'), without thought of reward.
His Holiness Bhakti Vikas Swami· 1998-12-26· English
Personal Guidance
The syllable Tat is uttered without seeking fruit — for those desiring liberation, this practice frees from material entanglement.
Practical Applications
Use Tat to consecrate fruit-renouncing acts.
Pair the syllable with the actual renunciation.
Don't speak the word without doing the deed.
Reflection Questions
Where could I pair Tat with actual fruit-renunciation?
What act am I ready to consecrate so?
Analogy
Tat is like saying 'that' while pointing at a horizon you cannot grasp. The word's whole grammar refuses ownership — it names what it does not enclose. Acts consecrated with tat learn the same humility: the fruit is for that, not for me.
सद्भावे साधुभावे च सदित्येतत्प्रयुज्यते ।
प्रशस्ते कर्मणि तथा सच्छब्द: पार्थ युज्यते ॥ २६ ॥
यज्ञे तपसि दाने च स्थिति: सदिति चोच्यते ।
कर्म चैव तदर्थीयं सदित्येवाभिधीयते ॥ २७ ॥
sad-bhāve sādhu-bhāve ca
[sad-bhaave saadhu-bhaave cha]
sad ity etat prayujyate
[sad ity etat prayujyate]
praśaste karmaṇi tathā
[prashaste karmani tathaa]
sac-chabdaḥ pārtha yujyate
[sach-chabdah paartha yujyate]
yajñe tapasi dāne ca
[yajne tapasi daane cha]
sthitiḥ sad iti cocyate
[sthitih sad iti chochyate]
karma caiva tad-arthīyaṁ
[karma chaiva tad-artheeyam]
sad ity evābhidhīyate
[sad ity evaabhidheeyate]
Word-for-word
sat - bhāve—in the sense of the nature of the Supremesādhu - bhāve—in the sense of the nature of the devoteeca—alsosat—the word satiti—thusetat—thisprayujyate—is usedpraśaste—in bona fidekarmaṇi—activitiestathā—alsosat - śabdaḥ—the sound satpārtha—O son of Pṛthāyujyate—is usedyajñe—in sacrificetapasi—in penancedāne—in charityca—alsosthitiḥ—the situationsat—the Supremeiti—thusca—anducyate—is pronouncedkarma—workca—alsoeva—certainlytat—for thatarthīyam—meantsat—the Supremeiti—thuseva—certainlyabhidhīyate—is indicated .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sad-bhāve sādhu-bhāve ca
sat - bhāve
in the sense of the nature of the Supreme
sādhu - bhāve
in the sense of the nature of the devotee
ca
also
sad ity etat prayujyate
sat
the word sat
iti
thus
etat
this
prayujyate
is used
praśaste karmaṇi tathā
praśaste
in bona fide
karmaṇi
activities
tathā
also
sac-chabdaḥ pārtha yujyate
sat - śabdaḥ
the sound sat
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
yujyate
is used
yajñe tapasi dāne ca
yajñe
in sacrifice
tapasi
in penance
dāne
in charity
ca
also
sthitiḥ sad iti cocyate
sthitiḥ
the situation
sat
the Supreme
iti
thus
karma caiva tad-arthīyaṁ
ca
and
ucyate
is pronounced
karma
work
ca
also
sad ity evābhidhīyate
eva
certainly
tat
for that
arthīyam
meant
sat
the Supreme
iti
thus
eva
certainly
abhidhīyate
is indicated .
Important Words
sat - bhāve—in the sense of the nature of the Supreme
Locative compound: sat (the real) + bhāva (nature, mood). The verse opens by declaring that the syllable sat is *first* applied to the Lord's own nature. Bhāva here is technical: not generic mood but ontological character. Sat-bhāva is what the Supreme intrinsically *is*.
sādhu - bhāve—in the sense of the nature of the devotee
The twin compound: sādhu (the saintly person) + bhāva. Paired with sat-bhāve. The grammar refuses to separate the two — the devotee participates in sat by being yoked to it. Sādhu-bhāva is the participatory mode of sat-bhāva.
sat - śabdaḥ—the sound sat
Compound: sat + śabda (sound, word). The śabda-brahman dimension again. The audible utterance of sat is itself a participation in the reality sat names. Sound and substance fused — the perennial Vedic claim that the word, rightly uttered, carries the thing.
karmaṇi—activities
Locative of karman — action. Used in the verse with praśaste (praised, approved). Sat consecrates the praiseworthy act — and conversely, the use of sat marks the act *as* praiseworthy. The same word karman that runs through the whole Gītā here gets its highest qualifying epithet: sat-praśaste-karmaṇi.
sthitiḥ—the situation, the standing
From √sthā — to stand. The same root that gave niṣṭhā in 17.1. The chapter ends as it began: by asking where one stands. The answer: in sat — the only standing that endures.
arthīyam—meant for
From artha (purpose) + suffix -īya. 'For-the-purpose-of.' In the verse it modifies karma in conjunction with tat: 'action meant for *that* (the Supreme).' The whole chapter culminates in this prepositional structure of devotion: every act *meant for* the Lord, not for the doer.
The Absolute Truth is the objective of devotional sacrifice, and it is indicated by the word sat. The performer of such sacrifice is also called sat, as are all works of sacrifice, penance and charity which, true to the absolute nature, are performed to please the Supreme Person, O son of Pṛthā.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
The dual verse elaborates 'sat,' the third member of the mahāvākya, across four registers: (1) the very being of the Supreme, (2) the goodness of the sādhu, (3) any praiseworthy act, and (4) firm standing in sacrifice, austerity, gift. Even action done for That's sake gets called 'sat.' One word stitches ontology, ethics, ritual, and intention.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Sat is the most polysemous term: Kṛṣṇa enumerates four overlapping usages — ontological (sad-bhāva), moral (sādhu-bhāva), evaluative (praśasta-karma), and dispositional (sthiti). All four converge: what IS is identical with what is GOOD, and acts aligned with it inherit the name. The suffix -arthīya in tad-arthīya highlights teleology: an act becomes sat by being for-That. Echoes Chāndogya 6.2.
Prose order(अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे पार्थ! सत्-भावे साधु-भावे च 'सत्' इति एतत् प्रयुज्यते; तथा प्रशस्ते कर्मणि सत्-शब्दः युज्यते । यज्ञे तपसि दाने च स्थितिः 'सत्' इति च उच्यते; तत्-अर्थीयं कर्म च एव 'सत्' इति एव अभिधीयते ।
he pārtha! sat-bhāve sādhu-bhāve ca 'sat' iti etat prayujyate; tathā praśaste karmaṇi sat-śabdaḥ yujyate | yajñe tapasi dāne ca sthitiḥ 'sat' iti ca ucyate; tat-arthīyaṃ karma ca eva 'sat' iti eva abhidhīyate |
O Pārtha, the word 'sat' is used in the sense of (the Supreme's) being and in the sense of goodness; likewise the word 'sat' is applied to a praiseworthy act. Steadiness in sacrifice, austerity, and gift is also called 'sat,' and an action performed for the sake of That is designated 'sat' itself.
Word split(पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
सत्-भावे साधु-भावे च सत् इति एतत् प्रयुज्यते । प्रशस्ते कर्मणि तथा सत्-शब्दः पार्थ युज्यते ॥
sat-bhāve sādhu-bhāve ca sat iti etat prayujyate | praśaste karmaṇi tathā sat-śabdaḥ pārtha yujyate ||
यज्ञे तपसि दाने च स्थितिः सत् इति च उच्यते । कर्म च एव तत्-अर्थीयं सत् इति एव अभिधीयते ॥
yajñe tapasi dāne ca sthitiḥ sat iti ca ucyate | karma ca eva tat-arthīyaṃ sat iti eva abhidhīyate ||
The words praśaste karmaṇi, or “prescribed duties,” indicate that there are many activities prescribed in the Vedic literature which are purificatory processes, beginning from the time of conception up to the end of one’s life. Such purificatory processes are adopted for the ultimate liberation of the living entity. In all such activities it is recommended that one vibrate oṁ tat sat. The words sad-bhāve and sādhu-bhāve indicate the transcendental situation. Acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is called sattva, and one who is fully conscious of the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is called a sādhu. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.25.25) it is said that the transcendental subject matter becomes clear in the association of the devotees. The words used are satāṁ prasaṅgāt. Without good association, one cannot achieve transcendental knowledge. When initiating a person or offering the sacred thread, one vibrates the words oṁ tat sat. Similarly, in all kinds of performance of yajña the object is the Supreme, oṁ tat sat. The word tad-arthīyam further means offering service to anything which represents the Supreme, including such service as cooking and helping in the Lord’s temple, or any other kind of work for broadcasting the glories of the Lord. These supreme words oṁ tat sat are thus used in many ways to perfect all activities and make everything complete.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Here, the direct indications of devotional service, are given ‑ the work should be done in the mode of goodness with the purpose the Supreme.
[2. Sacrifice, penance, and austerity done without faith in the Supreme ‑ without a transcendental objective ‑ are useless both in this life and the next. (28) ]
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Describes ‘sat’ – Help to dedicate activity to the pleasure of Lord and His devotees
The Absolute Truth is the objective of devotional sacrifice, it is indicated by the word ‘sat’
The performer of such sacrifice is also called ‘sat’
All works of sacrifice, charity and penance performed to please the Lord are also called ‘sat’ and they reveal the true spiritual nature LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 17.27 & 17.28: After hearing which activities are sat, one naturally wishes to know which activities are asat. Krishna responds to this query in the final verse of this chapter.
Focus of Learning
(a) Imporance of the words “Prasaste karmani” – This indicates prescribed Vedic duties which are
the purificatory processes from the time of conception to the end of one’s life
Purpose – Meant for ultimate liberation
Recommendation – In all such activities one should vibrate “Om tat sat”
(b) Importance of the words “Sad-bhave” and “Sadhu-bhave” – Indicates the transcendental
situation
Acting in Krishna consciousness is called ‘sattva’
One who is fully conscious of Krishna conscious activities is called ‘sadhu’
Ref. SB 3.25.25: Emphasizes association of devotees (“satam prasangat…”)
(c) PRACTICAL APPLICATION – ‘Om tat sat’ is used when initiating a person or offering a sacred
thread and many other yajnas
(d) Importance of “Tad-arthiyam” – Implies offering service to anything which represents the
Supreme
e.g. Cooking and helping in the Lords temple or any other kind of work for broadcasting Lord’s glories
(e) Conclusion – These Supreme words ‘Om tat sat’ are thus used in many ways to perfect all
activities and make everything complete
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.26 Etat, this; sat iti, word sat, a name of Brahman; prayujyate, is used, is uttered; sad-bhave, with regard to (something) coming into being-with regard to coming into existence of something that was not there, as for instance the birth of a son who was not there before; so also sadhu-bhave, with regard to (someone) becoming good-sadhu-bhava means coming to possess good conduct by an evil person who had bad behaviour; with regard to that. Tatha, so also, O Son of Prtha; the sat-sabdah, word sat; yujyate (-which is the same as prayujyate-), is used; prasaste karmani, with regard to an auspicious rite, such as mirage etc.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.26 The word Sat is applied in Vedic and common usage, in respect of all contexts to express existence (Sadbhava) and auspiciousness (Sadhubhava). Similarly, in relation to any praiseworthy worldly act, viz., auspicious undertaking by someone, the word Sat is applied to express, 'This is a good act.'
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.26 See Comment under 17.27
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.26 The word ï1Satï1 is used in the sense of reality and of goodness; and so also, O Arjuna, the word ï1Satï1 is used in the sense of an auspicious act.
Commentary
17.26 सद्भावे in the sense of reality? साधुभावे in the sense of goodness? च and? सत् Sat? इति thus? एतत् this? प्रयुज्यते is used? प्रशस्ते auspicious? कर्मणि (in the sense of) an act? तथा so also? सत् Sat? शब्दः word? पार्थ O Partha? युज्यते is used.Commentary Satbhava That which is unchanging amidst the changing? that which is permanent amidst the impermanent? that which exists in the past? present and future is Sat the reality behind the everchanging names and forms is Sat the substratum in which the everchanging forms inhere is Sat. Meritorious action is Sat.Sadhubhava An attribute of harmony with nature? so that the worlds cycle moves smoothly.The word Sat is powerful enough to make a defective action perfect and complete. When a good action is likely to be rendered Asat or bad owing to a single defect? the use of the word Sat makes it free from defects and brings it to a successful termination. The word Sat removes the evil ality of the action as it has the power of purifying and rendering the act perfect.Sat is Existence Absolute. Sat is Para Brahman. Sat is the inexpressible symbol of that mysterious indescribable? illimitable? indivisible? selfluminous? immortal Brahman.The word Sat is used when you wish to express the reality of an object which is unreal or which is relatively real? as for instance? the birth of a son who is unreal or relatively real in telling that a man is one of good conduct when his conduct is not good or is only relatively good? and in expressing that an act is auspicious? when it is not auspicious or only relatively auspicious.Brahman alone is real. It alone really exists. But we say when a son is born to Mr. Govindan that Mr. Govindans son has come into existence. From the viewpoint of Brahman or Existence Absolute? Mr. Govindans son never exists.The word Sat which is only applied to Brahman is used also for Mr. Govindans son who is unreal or relatively real. Brahman alone is absolutely good and absolutely auspicious. But the,word Sat that can properly be applied to Brahman alone is applied to an act which is not auspicious or which is only relatively auspicious. The use of Sat renders the imperfectly performed actions perfect.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.26 This word sat is used with regard to (something) coming into being and with regard to (someone) becoming good. So also, O son of Prtha, the word sat is used with regard to an auspicious rite.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.26 Sat' means Reality or the highest Good, and also, O Arjuna, it is used to mean an action of exceptional merit.
Sat indicates the absolute truth, the goal of devotional sacrifice — sacrifice, austerity, and charity in pursuit of the Absolute are also called Sat.
Practical Applications
Use Sat to mark acts oriented toward the Supreme.
Recognize that Sat is both reality and the practice oriented toward it.
Cultivate Sat-oriented activity.
Reflection Questions
Which of my activities qualify as Sat?
Which need redirection?
Analogy
Sat is like the sun, and sacrifice, charity, austerity, the sādhu, and the act itself are its rays — one in substance with their source yet never collapsed into it. Each ray shines only because it is held by the sun; each is still a ray and not the sun. The devotee remains the devotee and the act remains the act, but each becomes sat by being yoked to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person whom sat names — simultaneously one with Him and distinct from Him.
अश्रद्धया हुतं दत्तं तपस्तप्तं कृतं च यत् ।
असदित्युच्यते पार्थ न च तत्प्रेत्य नो इह ॥ २८ ॥
aśraddhayā hutaṁ dattaṁ
[ashraddhayaa hutam dattam]
tapas taptaṁ kṛtaṁ ca yat
[tapas taptam kritam cha yat]
asad ity ucyate pārtha
[asad ity uchyate paartha]
na ca tat pretya no iha
[na cha tat pretya no iha]
Word-for-word
aśraddhayā—without faithhutam—offered in sacrificedattam—giventapaḥ—penancetaptam—executedkṛtam—performedca—alsoyat—that whichasat—falseiti—thusucyate—is said to bepārtha—O son of Pṛthāna—neverca—alsotat—thatpretya—after deathna u—noriha—in this life .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
aśraddhayā hutaṁ dattaṁ
aśraddhayā
without faith
hutam
offered in sacrifice
dattam
given
tapas taptaṁ kṛtaṁ ca yat
tapaḥ
penance
taptam
executed
kṛtam
performed
ca
also
yat
that which
asad ity ucyate pārtha
asat
false
iti
thus
ucyate
is said to be
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
na ca tat pretya no iha
na
never
ca
also
tat
that
pretya
after death
na u
nor
iha
in this life .
Important Words
aśraddhayā—without faith
Instrumental of aśraddhā — privative a- + śraddhā. The chapter ends on the same word it began with — śraddhā — now in its absence. The whole chapter has been argument for śraddhā's centrality; the final verse delivers the negative case. Without śraddhā: nothing.
hutam—offered in sacrifice
Past participle of √hu — to offer into fire. The verse opens its closing roll-call with the yajña participle. Note the rhythm: hutam, dattam, taptam, kṛtam — four perfect participles, four complete actions held up for inspection and stamped asat.
taptam—executed
Past participle of √tap — to heat, to perform tapas. The same root as tapas itself. Used in the verse for executed austerity. The very heat of tapas, without śraddhā, generates no fruit — the participle's perfectness underscores the wasted completeness of the act.
asat—false, un-real
Privative a- + sat. The chapter's central pun reaches its terminus. Sat consecrates; asat negates. Activities lacking śraddhā fall outside sat and earn the asat-label — un-real, un-enduring, un-counted. The exact inversion of the syllable that has structured the previous five verses.
pretya—after death
Gerund of pra + √i — 'having gone forth (from the body).' Used in the verse with the negation na. Paired with iha (in this life), the verse seals both temporal directions: faithless activity yields nothing now and nothing after death. The double sealing leaves no consolation prize for sincere effort wrongly grounded.
Anything done as sacrifice, charity or penance without faith in the Supreme, O son of Pṛthā, is impermanent. It is called asat and is useless both in this life and the next.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
The chapter closes with the dark mirror of 'sat': anything offered, given, undertaken, or done WITHOUT śraddhā is asat — bears no fruit here, gives no fruit hereafter. Faith was the opening question (17.1) and is now the closing verdict: no act has reality apart from the śraddhā that powers it.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The fourfold list — huta (offered), datta (given), tapas tapta, kṛta (done) — recapitulates yajña, dāna, tapas, karma generically. 'Na… pretya no iha' is categorical: no this-world fruit, no other-world fruit accrues. The chapter closes the ring: it began with Arjuna asking about the niṣṭhā of those worshipping outside scripture but with śraddhā; it ends declaring śraddhā itself the indispensable condition. Cf. 9.3, 4.39-40.
Anything done without the transcendental objective – whether it be sacrifice, charity or penance – is useless. Therefore in this verse it is declared that such activities are abominable. Everything should be done for the Supreme in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Without such faith, and without the proper guidance, there can never be any fruit. In all the Vedic scriptures, faith in the Supreme is advised. In the pursuit of all Vedic instructions, the ultimate goal is the understanding of Kṛṣṇa. No one can obtain success without following this principle. Therefore, the best course is to work from the very beginning in Kṛṣṇa consciousness under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. That is the way to make everything successful. In the conditional state, people are attracted to worshiping demigods, ghosts, or Yakṣas like Kuvera. The mode of goodness is better than the modes of passion and ignorance, but one who takes directly to Kṛṣṇa consciousness is transcendental to all three modes of material nature. Although there is a process of gradual elevation, if one, by the association of pure devotees, takes directly to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the best way. And that is recommended in this chapter. To achieve success in this way, one must first find the proper spiritual master and receive training under his direction. Then one can achieve faith in the Supreme. When that faith matures, in course of time, it is called love of God. This love is the ultimate goal of the living entities. One should therefore take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness directly. That is the message of this Seventeenth Chapter. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Seventeenth Chapter of the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā in the matter of the Divisions of Faith.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
28. 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.
Commentary
“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, [Note: Sattvika faith is understood here.] 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.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
28. O son of Pṛthā, whatever is offered in the fire, whatever is given in charity, whatever else is undertaken, but which is done without faith, is called asat since it bears no result now or in the next life.
Commentary
Therefore all acts should be done with sattvika faith. [Note: Sattvika svabhāva does not necessarily imply following scriptures, as explained in verse 4. However it is easier and most likely for those with sattva faith, worshipping devas and following sattvika eating, sacrifice and charity, to adopt the scriptural injunctions and dedicate the acts to Viṣṇu with om tat sat. One follower of Rāmānuja mentions that there must be obedience to scripture and faith as well. Faith without scripture and scripture without faith are both unproductive.] Without that, all acts are useless. Such acts are criticized in this verse.
Whatever sacrifice (hutam), charity (dattam), or austerity, or anything else, such as praises or respect, is performed without faith (in scripture), it is all asat, useless. Why? Ca indicates the reason. It is all useless since, being done without faith, it does not give results in the next life (pretya), because the prescribed acts were not perfectly executed, nor does it even give fame in this life (iha), because such faithless acts are condemned by the saintly.
Rejecting faith arising from ones impressions, one who takes shelter of faith arising from scripture will be qualified for the highest goal. This is the ordinance of the seventeenth chapter.
Chapter 18
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
In his Purport, Srila Prabhupada says: "Although there is a process of gradual elevation, if one, by the association of pure devotees, takes directly to Krsna consciousness, that is the best way. And that is recommended in this chapter. To achieve success in this way, one must first find the proper spiritual master and receive training under his direction. Then one can achieve faith in the Supreme. When that faith matures, in course of time, it is called love of God. This love is the ultimate goal of the living entities. One should therefore take to Krsna consciousness directly. That is the message of Seventeenth Chapter.
That is the conclusion this Chapter, that one should direct his energies, not through the gradual process of becoming elevated on the tree of the material world, gradually transmigrating like a karma‑kandi, but one should by the mercy of thy spiritual master directly understand the purpose of the gradual elevation, and directly take to the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thereby cutting completely his entanglements and attachments in the material world.
Thus this Chapter concludes like any other chapter has concluded, that we should take directly to the devotional service of the Lord.
THUS ENDS THE STUDY OF CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Religious activity not done in proper consciousness is practically useless
Anything without faith in the Supreme is impermanent and is called ‘asat’; and is useless in this life and in the next
END OF CHAPTER 17
Focus of Learning
(a) This verse declares that sacrifice, charity and penance without faith in the Supreme is
abominable
Because it is useless, being temporary
Without such faith and proper guidance, there can never be any fruit
No success is obtained without following the principle
(b) Why this principle of ‘Faith in Supreme’ is emphasized
Ultimate goal of all Vedic instructions is to understand Krishna
Advice of all Vedas – In all Vedic scriptures ‘Faith in Supreme’ is advised
(c) Best course of work recommended to make everything successful
Work from the very beginning in Krishna consciousness under the guidance of the bona-fide spiritual master
(d) Direct Krishna consciousness is better than gradual elevation
In conditional state – One is attracted to different worship based on three modes as per Text 17.4
Krishna consciousness is transcendental to all three modes
Message of Chapter 17 – Take to the direct Krishna consciousness process by the association of Krishna conscious devotees (Best recommended method)
(e) How to find success in the process of Krishna consciousness
First find the proper spiritual master then
Receive training under spiritual master
Then one achieves faith in Supreme
When that faith matures, it is called Love of god (ultimate goal of living-entities)
Bhagavad Gita Notes
CHAPTER 17 Appendix
Selected Texts extracted from “Surrender unto Me”
Introduction
Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa introduces Chapter Seventeen with Arjuna inquiring:
You have described in the previous chapter that those who study the Vedas, follow their injunctions, try to
understand their meaning and have faith in their authority are devas. You have then described those who dis-
regard the Vedas and act outside the scope of Vedic injunctions as asuras. Now I have a question: What is
the position of those who have comprehended the difficult texts of the Vedas, both learning them by rote
and understanding their meaning, but who—because of lack of diligence—abandon the Vedic injunctions and
instead worship demigods and others with the kind of faith found in worldly conduct? What is their position
relative to the above-ascertained distinctions between the devas and asuras? Please answer this, taking into
consideration both their neglect of Vedic injunctions and their possession of sincere faith.
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
17.28 O son of Prtha, whatever is hutam, offered in sacrifice, poured as oblation; and dattam, given in charity to Brahmanas,without faith; whatever tapah, austerity; is taptam, performed without faith; so also, whatever is krtam, done without faith, e.g. praise, salutation, etc.; all that ucyate, is said to be; asat iti, of no avail, since it is outside th course of discipline leading to Me. Ca, and, although involving great effort; na ca tat, it is of no conseence; pretya, after death, for producing (some) result; na, nor even for any result; iha, because it is condemned by the wise. [Thus it is established in this chapter that, among persons who are not at all versed in the scriptures, but are possessed of (either of the) three characterisitcs of sattva, (rajas) etc., only those shall attain to Liberation who steadfastly resort to sattva alone by partaking of sattvika food, (performing sattvika) sacrifices) etc. to te exclusion of rajasika and tamasika food etc., who destroy any defect that might arise in sacrifice etc. by uttering the names of Brahman, who have fully purified their intellect, and who have attained to the realization of Truth arising from one's being endowed with such disciplines as hearing and and thinking (sravana, manana) of, and meditation (nididhyasana) on Brahman.]
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
17.28 Offerings etc., when performed without faith, are Asat (i.e., unreal, bereft of efficiency), although they might be what has been enjoined by the Sastras. Why so? Because it is naught here or hereafter; it will not lead to release nor to any desirable result in Samsara.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
17.28 Asradhaya etc. ASAT : not praiseworthy (or inauspicious). Therefore Happiness just easily arises for those who exert in the prasieworthy (or auspicious) act.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
17.28 Whatever is sacrificed, given or performed, and whatever austerity is practised without faith, it is called 'Asat', O Arjuna; it is naught here or hereafter (after death).
Commentary
17.28 अश्रद्धया without faith? हुतम् is sacrificed? दत्तम् given? तपः austerity? तप्तम् is practised? कृतम् performed? च and? यत् whatever? असत् Asat? इति thus? उच्यते is called? पार्थ O Partha? न not? च and? तत् that? प्रेत्य hereafter (after death)? न not? इह here.Commentary Asat That which changes form and has no permanent existence. It does not mean nonexistence as such.Acts of sacrifice? austerity and gift that are performed without faith? under pressure? or to prevent some sort of trouble or to gratify a craving? are Asat in their nature. They yield no permanent benefit or fruit to anybody.Any sacrifice? austerity or gift done without dedicating it to the Lord will be of no avail to the doer in this earthly life here or in the life beyond hereafter. It would be as useless as showers of rain falling on rocky ground or pouring oblations of ghee (clarified butter) on cold ashes. If you have no faith you will become egoistic and obstinate. Your heart will become hard. If you perform even hundreds of sacrifices without faith? without the spirit of selfsurrender to the Lord? even if you distribute the wealth of the whole world in charity without faith in and devotion to the Lord? all these would be worthless and useless. The sages will not appreciate such sacrifices or gifts. Energy? money and time are simply wasted.Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita? the science of the Eternal? the scripture of Yoga? the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna? ends the seventeenth discourse entitledThe Yoga of the Division of the Threefold Faith. ,
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
17.28 O son of Prtha, whatever is offered in sacrifice and given in charity, as also whatever austerity is undertakne or whatever is done without, faith, is said to be of on avail. And it is of no conseence after death, nor here.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
17.28 Whatsoever is done without faith, whether it be sacrifice, austerity or gift or anything else, as called Asat' (meaning Unreal') for it is the negation of Sat,' O Arjuna! Such an act has no significance, here or hereafter."
Anything done as sacrifice, charity, austerity without faith in the Supreme — is asat; useless here, useless hereafter.
Practical Applications
Address faithlessness explicitly; without faith, the action is asat.
Cultivate faith as the activating principle.
Don't waste effort on faithless action.
Reflection Questions
Where is faith absent from my otherwise-correct actions?
What restores faith?
Analogy
Action without faith in the Supreme is like sowing seeds on a polished stone — every step of farming is performed correctly, every motion is sincere, but the substratum cannot grow anything. Useless here because nothing sprouts in this life; useless hereafter because nothing carries forward. Faithlessness is not a moral failing alone — it is barren ground.