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Bhagavad-gītā 17.18

सत्कारमानपूजार्थं तपो दम्भेन चैव यत् । क्रियते तदिह प्रोक्तं राजसं चलमध्रुवम् ॥ १८ ॥
satkāra-māna-pūjārthaṁ
[satkaara-maana-poojaartham]
tapo dambhena caiva yat
[tapo dambhena chaiva yat]
kriyate tad iha proktaṁ
[kriyate tad iha proktam]
rājasaṁ calam adhruvam
[raajasam chalam adhruvam]
Word-for-word
sat - kāra — respect māna — honor pūjā — and worship artham — for the sake of tapaḥ — austerity dambhena — with pride ca — also eva — certainly yat — which kriyate — is performed tat — that iha — in this world proktam — is said rājasam — in the mode of passion calam — flickering adhruvam — 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.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
यत् तपः सत्कार-मान-पूजा-अर्थं दम्भेन च एव क्रियते — तत् इह राजसं चलम् अध्रुवं प्रोक्तम् ।
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.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
सत्कार-मान-पूजा-अर्थं तपः दम्भेन च एव यत् । क्रियते तत् इह प्रोक्तं राजसं चलम् अध्रुवम् ॥
satkāra-māna-pūjā-arthaṃ tapaḥ dambhena ca eva yat | kriyate tat iha proktaṃ rājasaṃ calam adhruvam ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
सत्कार-मान-पूजा-अर्थम् satkāra-māna-pūjā-artham सत्कार + मान + पूजा + अर्थ acc.sg. (accusative singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (adv. acc.) for the sake of respect, esteem, worship
तपः tapaḥ तपस् (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) austerity
दम्भेन dambhena दम्भ (m.) ins.sg. (instrumental singular) with ostentation
च ca ind. (indeclinable) and
एव eva ind. (indeclinable), emphatic indeed
यत् yat यद् (rel. pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. which
क्रियते kriyate √कृ pass. (passive) pres. (present) 3sg. is performed
तत् tat तद् (dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. that
इह iha ind. (indeclinable) here (in this world)
प्रोक्तम् proktam प्र + √वच् p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. is declared
राजसम् rājasam राजस (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. of the mode of passion
चलम् calam चल (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. unsteady, fleeting
अध्रुवम् adhruvam अ- + ध्रुव (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. impermanent
Purport

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.
Related values & verses
Related values
Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 16.17 BG 18.24 BG 16.10 SB 7.3.1 SB 4.19.37 SB 11.3.25 CC Madhya 19.159 CC Madhya 22.91 CC Ādi 7.72 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.5BRS 1.2.113
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
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.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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