Bhagwad Gita - Post 206

Chapter 17

THE YOGA OF THE DIVISION OF THE THREE FOLD PATH

(…Continued)

Verse 15

Speech which causes no excitement and is truthful, pleasant and beneficial, the practice of the study of the Vedas, are called austerity of speech.

Verse 16

Serenity of mind, good-heartedness, purity of nature, self-control—this is called mental austerity.

Verse 17

This threefold austerity practised by steadfast men with the utmost faith, desiring no reward, they call Sattwic.

Verse 18

The austerity which is practised with the object of gaining good reception, honor and worship and with hypocrisy, is here said to be Rajasic, unstable and transitory.

Verse 19

The austerity which is practised out of a foolish notion, with self-torture, or for the purpose of destroying another, is declared to be Tamasic.

Verse 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 Sattwic.

Verse 21

And, that gift which is made with a view to receive something in return, or looking for a reward, or given reluctantly, is said to be Rajasic.

Verse 22

The gift which is given at the wrong place and time to unworthy persons, without respect or with insult, is declared to be Tamasic.

Verse 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.

Verse 24

Therefore, with the utterance of “Om” are the acts of gift, sacrifice and austerity as enjoined in the scriptures always begun by the students of Brahman.

Verse 25

Uttering Tat, without aiming at the fruits, are the acts of sacrifice and austerity and the various acts of gift performed by the seekers of liberation.

Verse 26

The word Sat is used in the sense of reality and of goodness; and so also, O Arjuna, it is used in the sense of an auspicious act!

Verse 27

Steadfastness in sacrifice, austerity and gift, is also called Sat, and also action in connection with these (or for the sake of the Supreme) is called Sat.

Verse 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).

Hari Om Tat Sat

Iti Srimad Bhagavadgeetaasoopanishatsu Brahmavidyaayaam Yogashaastre Sri Krishnaarjunasamvaade Shraddhaatrayavibhaagayogo Naama Saptadasho’dhyaayah

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 entitled:

“The Yoga of the Division of the Three Fold Path”.

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 205

Chapter 17

THE YOGA OF THE DIVISION OF THE THREE FOLD PATH


Verse 1

Arjuna said:

Those who, setting aside the ordinances of the scriptures, perform sacrifice with faith, what is their condition, O Krishna? Is it that of Sattwa, Rajas or Tamas?

Verse 2

The Blessed Lord said:

Threefold is the faith of the embodied, which is inherent in their nature—the Sattwic (pure), the Rajasic (passionate), and the Tamasic (dark). Do thou hear of it.

Verse 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.

Verse 4

The Sattwic or pure men worship the gods; the Rajasic or the passionate worship the Yakshas and the Rakshasas; the others (the Tamasic or the deluded) worship the ghosts and the hosts of nature-spirits.

Verse 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,

Verse 6

Senseless, torturing all the elements in the body and Me also, who dwells in the body—know thou these to be of demoniacal resolves.

Verse 7

  

The food also which is dear to each is threefold, as also sacrifice, austerity and alms-giving. Hear thou the distinction of these.

Verse 8

Foods which increase life, purity, strength, health, joy and cheerfulness, which are oleaginous and savoury, substantial and agreeable, are dear to the Sattwic people.

Verse 9

The foods that are bitter, sour, saline, excessively hot, dry, pungent and burning, are liked by the Rajasic and are productive of pain, grief and disease.

Verse 10

That which is stale, tasteless, putrid, rotten and impure refuse, is the food liked by the Tamasic.

Verse 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 Sattwic (or pure).

Verse 12

The sacrifice which is offered, O Arjuna, seeking a reward and for ostentation, know thou that to be a Rajasic Yajna!

Verse 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 and gifts, and which is devoid of faith.

Verse 14

Worship of the gods, the twice-born, the teachers and the wise, purity, straightforwardness, celibacy and non-injury—these are called the austerities of the body.

Continued… 


Love.

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.