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.
