Friday, April 24, 2020

Bhagwad Gita - Post 204


THE YOGA OF THE DIVISION OF THE THREEFOLD FAITH



Summary of Seventeenth Discourse


This discourse is termed the “Yoga of the Division of the Three Kinds of Faith”. The theme of this discourse arises out of the question asked by Arjuna in Verse 1 with reference to the final and closing advice of Lord Krishna in the previous discourse, contained in the last two verses therein (Verses 23 and 24). Arjuna asks, “What about those who, even though setting aside scriptural injunctions yet perform worship with faith?”


The Lord replies and states that the faith of such men who ignore the injunctions of the scriptures could be either Sattwic, Rajasic or Tamasic. This would be in accordance with the basic nature of the person himself. And, conversely, as is the kind of faith, so develops the nature of the man.


Thus, in all things like sacrifice, worship, charity, penance, etc., these qualities become expressed in accordance with the kind of faith in which the person concerned is based. 



Three kinds of worship:


Satvika people worship gods and goddesses, rajasika people worship angels and demons, while tamasika people worship ghosts and spirits.


Three kinds of food:


Sattvika people like food that improves health and increases appetite, joy, strength, and longevity. Such food is also tasty, not very dry, cooked with balanced spices, nutritious, and pleasing to the heart. 


The food rajasika people prefer is extremely bitter, sour, salty, dry, hot in temperature and with the spices that burn the tongue and the body.  Such food causes pain, worries and disease.


Tamasika people like food that is ill-cooked, tasteless, putrid, stale, left-over, and filthy.


Three kinds of Yajna


Sattvika yajna is one which is performed following the guidelines of scriptures and saints.


Rajasika yajna is performed with a clear motive of material gain and just to project oneself as a spiritual person.


Tamasika yajna is performed without following any guidelines.  



Three kinds of austerities: 

There are three kinds of austerities, namely, physical, verbal and mental.  Each of these austerities is of three types: sattvika, rajasika, and tamasika.


Each of these austerities is sattvika if it is performed with supreme faith and for spiritual development only, not for any worldly gain.


The rajasika way of performing austerity is to gain honor, attain higher status, receive reverence from people in the society, and is filled with hypocrisy.  The result of such austerity is uncertain and short-lived.


When a person picks up a few ideas and practices them as austerity to torture their own body and mind and simply to harm others, then it is called tamsika austerity.



Three kinds of charity: 


When charity is done with noble purpose it is called sattvika charity.


Rajasika charity is done in order to receive a worldly favor and for material gain.


Charity to an unworthy, at improper place and time, and given with insults and disrespect is called tamasika charity. 

All the above produce results in accordance with the quality of the doer’s faith. These acts done with right faith lead to supreme blessedness. 

When taken up without any faith whatsoever, all these actions become barren and useless.


Om, Tat and Sat 

Om, Tat and Sat are three epithets of Brahman.  By that were created formerly the Brahmanas, the Vedas, and the yajnas


Therefore, the followers of the Vedas always begin all yajnas, tapa and charity enjoined by the scriptures with the utterance of “Om”.


People seeking liberation, uttering the word “Tat”, perform yajna, tapa, and charity only for spiritual development.


The word “Sat” is used whenever one refers to the Ultimate Reality or something good or noble.



Love.




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