|| ŚRĪ HARI ||

vasudevasutaṁ devaṁ kaṁsacāṇūramardanam

devakī paramānandaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagadgurum

ŚRĪMADBHAGAVADGĪTĀ INTERPRETATION SUMMARY

Chapter 17: Śraddhā-Traya-Vibhāga-Yoga

1/2 (Ślōka 1-10), Saturday, 23 September 2023
Interpreter: GĪTĀ PRAVĪṆA KAVITA VERMA
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/kfD5uoYBfA8

You are DEFINED by Your Śraddhā

In Chapter 14, the three modes of nature have been mentioned by Śrī Bhagavān, the Satva Guna, or
the mode of wisdom, stands for wisdom, and intellect, and goodness, the Rajas Guna or the mode of
passion, stands for attachment, greed and desires, the tamsik guna or mode of ignorance stands for
ignorance, lack of wisdom, no knowledge of right and wrong.

The Chapter 14 talks about the effect of these modes of nature on our daily life. How these three
modes are connected to our daily life and how they affect our daily life? Chapter 14 is theoretical
aspect of the affect of these modes of nature on our daily life.

Chapter 17 is the practical aspect of the same. It tells us how to apply Gita in our daily life as a
beginner or learner. Since the tag line of the Geeta Pariwaar is "Read Gita, Teach Gita and bring Gita
in your life". Reading Gita and Teaching Gita, we all are involved and are following it in some way or
the other, by attending the classes or by offering various types of services in the Geeta Pariwaar. The
most difficult part is to bring Gita in our lives. We all read Gita and understand the meaning of all the
verses of Gita, we all know, the three doors to hell i.e. the lust, anger and the greed, but despite
knowing that these are doors to hell, we still have them in us. To apply Gita in our lives, and to have a
complete control over these three evils, it requires lot of hard work, effort and practice.

In Chapter 17, Śrī Bhagavān tells us through Arjuna, how the food, the daily routine, the daily deeds
(karmas) will help in achieving the goal of getting rid of these evils, and help to progress in the
spiritual life. The 17th Chapter therefore gives us the practical knowledge of how to apply Gita in our
daily lives. The name of the 17th Chapter is Śraddhā-Traya-Vibhāga-Yoga or The Yoga of
Classification of the Threefold faith.

Śrī Bhagavān has given lot of importance to Śraddhā in entire Gita, especially in many verses of
Chapter 12. The Śraddhā means the faith, and knowledge can be gained only if one has faith in the
teacher as well as in the knowledge itself. Our mind has its limitations, but our teacher knows our
capabilities, therefore, we must have faith in our teachers, Śraddhā is also the motivating factor.
This can be better understood with the example from our daily life, when we have faith and liking for
a particular teacher of a particular subject, we work hard in that subject we understand it better and
we score good marks in that subject. Wasteful logic and arguments with our teachers is a big
hindrance in gaining knowledge from the teacher. Certain things which are beyond the understanding
of our mind, may sound illogical to us at one point of time, but will be understood by us with
experience as we progress in our lives. Therefore it is extremely important for us to have faith in our
teacher, and not waste our time and energy in wasteful arguments. Asking clarifications and
questions from the teacher on aspects where we have not understood the subject is perfectly alright,
but arguments must be avoided. This is possible only if we have Śraddhā or faith in our teacher.

17.1

arjuna uvāca
ye śāstravidhimutsṛjya, yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ,
teṣāṃ(n) niṣṭhā tu kā kṛṣṇa, sattvamāho rajastamaḥ. 17.1

Arjuna said:
Those, endowed with faith, who worship gods and others, disregarding the injunctions of scriptures,
where do they stand, Kṛṣṇa,- in Sattva, Rajas or Tamas.

In the last verse of Chapter 16, Śrī Bhagavān tells Arjuna, the one should act or do all his deeds in
accordance with the 'shastras' or the holy scriptures. There can be a scenario, where people do not
have the access to these scriptures, or even if they have the access, they do not understand, what is
written in these scriptures. Arjuna asked a question to Śrī Bhagavān here, what about the people who
follow the teachings of their elders (Ancestors) or their teachers, without knowing what is written in
the scriptures or even if they know, by disregarding the writings of these scriptures? Where do such
people stand, or in which mode of the nature such people are situated - in Sattva, Rajas or Tamas?

It is better understood by an example of a daughter, who learns to cook by blindly following her
mother, without even knowing the recipe of that dish. She blindly follows all the steps that her mother
took and learns to cook like her. She only has the Śraddhā or faith in her mother.

17.2

śrībhagavānuvāca
trividhā bhavati śraddhā, dehināṃ(m) sā svabhāvajā,
sāttvikī rājasī caiva, tāmasī ceti tāṃ(m) śṛṇu. 17.2

Śrī Bhagavān said :

That untutored innate faith of men is of three kinds– Sāttvika, Rājasika and Tāmasika. Hear of it from
Me.

Śrī Bhagavān, replies to Arjun, the Śraddhā or faith is born from nature, and the nature is made of the
three modes, Sattva (mode of wisdom), Rajas (mode of passion) or Tamas (mode of ignorance).

Our nature gets formed based on our deeds (Karmas) of our previous births or incarnations. Since the
faith (Śraddhā) is born from nature, and the nature has three modes, therefore there are three types
of faiths (Śraddhā) i.e. Sattva Śraddhā (faith of wisdom), Rajas Śraddhā (faith of passion) or Tamas
Śraddhā (faith of ignorance).

17.3
 sattvānurūpā sarvasya, śraddhā bhavati bhārata,
śraddhāmayo'yaṃ(m) puruṣo, yo yacchraddhaḥ(s) sa eva saḥ. 17.3

The faith of all men conforms to their mental disposition, Arjuna. Faith constitutes a man; whatever
the nature of his faith, he is verily that.

Our faith is guided by our mind, and we as individual follow our faith. Our faith motivates us to
become a person accordingly. Our intentions behind our faith therefore are more important than our
deeds for they are just the end results. If our intentions or faith is of sattva nature, then even if our
actions are not right, such actions still are taken as sattva.

This can be understood by an example of a child, who used to go to a Shiva temple everyday, he had
his faith in Shiva, and he worshiped Shiva with devotion. Every time he came to the temple, he
wanted to touch the image of Shiva, which was hanging on the wall, but as he was short his hand
could not reach the image. One day, he decided to touch it, so he climbed on top of the Shiv Linga in
the temple and touched it. Now, the intention of this child here is pure, he wants to touch the image
because of his faith in Shiva, but his action of climbing on the sacred Shiv Linga to fulfill his intention
is not correct, still it is not considered wrong, because the intention or the faith is sattva or pure in
nature.

Sometimes our teachers beat us, our parents scold us, we may not like this action of theirs, but their
intention is to punish us for our wrong action and show us the correct path. This act of beating and
scolding therefore is not considered as wrong, because of the pure intentions with which it is
performed.

The nature of our thoughts or intentions of our mind, makes us the the person we externally are. It is
therefore very important to always have the positive thoughts or intentions in our mind, to be a
person of sattva nature.

17.4

yajante sāttvikā devān, yakṣarakṣāṃsi rājasāḥ,

pretānbhūtagaṇāṃścānye, yajante tāmasā janāḥ. 17.4

Men of Sāttvika disposition worship gods; those of Rājasika temperament worship demigods and
demons; while others, who are men of Tāmasika disposition, worship the spirits of dead and ghosts.

According to our faith we choose our deity, whom to worship. The people with the Sattva faith, always
choose the Gods, because their intentions are selfless and are towards the welfare of the mankind. All
their activities or rituals are selfless in nature and towards the welfare of the society at large.

The rajas people worship the yakshas (demigods) or demons, because of their selfish nature. Their
acts are for their own welfare. They are result oriented and are not selfless in nature. They have the
intentions of achieving quick and faster results.

The third category of people are that of tamas nature. Such people worship the spirits of the dead and
the ghosts. Their intentions are to harm other people. They get pleasure by seeing others in sorrow or
trouble. They always try to create trouble and sorrow for others. Such people perform sacrifice (bali)
of other beings to fulfill their own wishes.

17.5
 aśāstravihitaṃ(ṅ) ghoraṃ(n), tapyante ye tapo janāḥ,
dambhāhaṅkārasaṃyuktāḥ(kh), kāmarāgabalānvitāḥ. 17.5

Men who practice severe penance of an arbitrary type, not sanctioned by scriptures, and who are full
of hypocrisy and egotism are obsessed with desire, attachment and pride of power;

There are also the type of people who perform such acts, that are harsh to them or their body. They
perform such harsh acts and give themselves lot of pain and suffering. Such harsh acts are also not as
per the holy scriptures.

Our scriptures talk about controlling our mind; they guide us to perform our duties, selflessly, without
worrying about the outcome of such selfless actions. If we are performing some action, which is harsh
on our own body, but has nothing to do with our selfless responsibilities and duties towards our elders
and family members, then it is not considered as tapa.

Person going to temple, by hurting himself, by giving himself trouble, is performing such acts with
selfish motive and for his own welfare. Such acts are performed for showing off their faith, are full of
hypocrisy and egotism. Such act by people are filled with selfish desires, attachments and pride of
power.

Such people perform such acts because they are restless and want quick results of their deeds.

17.6

karśayantaḥ(ś) śarīrasthaṃ(m), bhūtagrāmamacetasaḥ,

māṃ(ñ) caivāntaḥ(ś) śarīrasthaṃ(n), tānviddhyāsuraniścayān. 17.6

And who emaciate the elements constituting their body as well as Me, the Supreme Spirit, dwelling in
their heart- know those senseless people to have a demoniac disposition.

While performing such actions they are harming their own body. Where as this body is for doing good
to others, and not for harming self. Such acts are senseless acts, performed out of lack of knowledge.

Such acts by these people actually harm HIM says the Divine. Because HE is seated in all the living
beings and in such people also. Such people are therefore demoniac in nature, are are not close to
HIM.

17.7

āhārastvapi sarvasya, trividho bhavati priyaḥ,

yajñastapastathā dānaṃ(n), teṣāṃ(m) bhedamimaṃ(m) śṛṇu. 17.7

Food also, which is agreeable to different men according to their innate disposition is of three kinds.
and likewise sacrifice, penance and charity too are of three kinds each; hear their distinction as
follows.

Śrī Bhagavān, in this verse talks about the food, that we eat, is also of three categories. The food that
we eat is also according to our faith, or the mode in which we are situated.

Similarly, the sacrifice that we perform, the punishment that we give ourselves and the selfless
actions we perform are all of three types. These are distinctly explained in following verses.
17.8

āyuḥ(s) sattvabalārogya, sukhaprītivivardhanāḥ,

rasyāḥ(s) snigdhāḥ(s) sthirā hṛdyā, āhārāḥ(s) sāttvikapriyāḥ. 17.8

Foods which promote longevity, intelligence, vigor, health, happiness and cheerfulness, and which are
juicy, succulent, substantial and naturally agreeable, are liked by men of Sāttvika nature.

The food, which increases our life-span, which makes us feel more energetic, happy and cheerful after
consumption; food which is juicy and succulent such as fruits, ghee are sattvik in nature. Foods which
are natural in nature. Such foods are categorized as sattvik foods and are liked and consumed by
people of sattvik nature or faith.

17.9

kaṭvamlalavaṇātyuṣṇa, tīkṣṇarūkṣavidāhinaḥ,
āhārā rājasasyeṣṭā, duḥkhaśokāmayapradāḥ. 17.9

Foods which are bitter, sour, salty, overhot, pungent, dry and burning, and which cause suffering,
grief and sickness, are dear to the Rājasika type of men.

Foods which are bitter, acidic, salty, pungent, with too much of chilly in them. The food which causes
suffering, grief and sickness, Food which is over cooked, such foods are preferred by the people of
rajasik nature or faith.

17.10

yātayāmaṃ(ṅ) gatarasaṃ(m), pūti paryuṣitaṃ(ñ) ca yat,

ucchiṣṭamapi cāmedhyaṃ(m), bhojanaṃ(n) tāmasapriyam. 17.10

Food which is ill-cooked or not fully ripe, insipid, putrid, stale and polluted, and which is impure too, is
dear to men of a Tāmasika disposition.

The food which is stored for longer periods, it becomes stale. The food which is not cooked properly,
tasteless, smelly, impure, left over and impure food is tamsik in nature and is preferred by the people
of tamsik nature.

It is very important for us to select our food as per, what we want to be. Our mind also attains its
nature according to the nature of the food that we consume. Therefore we should eat the food
according to the nature we want to adopt.

The session ended with Sankeertana.

Let us look at some of Questions in the Q and A session:

Manish Agarwal ji

Question: Regarding the 3 Guṇas, how does one forever stay in the Sattvic State of mind? Also how
does one prevent procrastination in life?
Answer: One cannot exhibit just one Guṇa as we are made up of all three and they are necessary as
well. We can change one tendency over the other by putting efforts. Regarding how one can reduce
tamas and procrastination, it is by having a routine. Routine helps us in developing habits that
become part of our nature. This is also explained in the 6th chapter. Good habits in Satvik direction
can lead to predominance of Sattva.

Manish Pandey ji

Question: What impact does our previous Karmas have on our current Predominant Guṇas?
Bhagavān states that HE is only a catalyst and not involved with our Karmic actions, but here it states
that HE feels pain if one performs rigorous austerities that are heavy on our body, isn’t this
contradictory?
Answer: Our previous Karmas from several birth act as prarabdha and thus form our inherent
tendencies. That is, we are predisposed towards that Guṇa. Example, a person with Tamasic
tendencies in previous lives may have predisposition towards those qualities. However, we can
change it in our current life through our thoughts and actions.

The Parameśvara, the Supreme Consciousness has several aspects. Thus, one can find 3 different
contexts for them. Vyavaharik, Pratibhasa, Parmarthi.

For example, when HE speaks as the Supreme, HE becomes the Supreme element of reality, the
Primordial consciousness, in that context HE is not involved in the actions of HIS creation. However,
when HE speaks in the contexts of the Bhagavān for HIS Bhakta (Devotee). HE is compassionate as
HE resides in HIS Devotee. Thus, just like a mother will feel pain for her child if it gets injured,
Similarly, Bhagavān too feels pain for HIS devotees.

Here the mother does not personally get injured for her to feel the pain of her child. Similarly,
Bhagavān too doesn’t need to be involved in the Karmic cycle for HIM to feel pain for HIS devotees.

HE is all pervading and resides in all beings as the Primordial element.

Ameeta Cheda ji

Question: Please explain regarding the details of the 4th verse on the impact of worship of Spirits
and such beings?
Answer: One goes to such beings only for selfish reasons and desires. These cannot actually prevent
from facing fruits of their previous Actions. One has to face the consequences of their actions.
Devotion for Bhagavān only helps us in becoming stronger to face the consequences.

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