arjuna uvāca
1. ye śāstravidhimutsṛjya yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ |
teṣāṁ niṣṭhā tu kā kṛṣṇa sattvamāho rajastamaḥ ||
Arjuna said:
What is the position (situation) of those who, throwing aside the injunctions of the scriptures, yet filled with śraddhā, offer sacrifices, O Kṛṣṇa? Is it sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic?
śrībhagavān uvāca
2. trividhā bhavati śraddhā dehināṁ sā svabhāvajā |
sāttvikī rājasī caiva tāmasī ceti tāṁ śṛṇu ||
The Beautiful Lord said:
The śraddhā of those embodied is of three types, born of their intrinsic nature: sattva, rajas, and tamas. Now hear about them.
3. sattvānurūpā sarvasya śraddhā bhavati bhārata |
śraddhāmayo ‘yaṁ puruṣo yo yacchraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ ||
Śraddhā closely follows the form of one’s nature. Humans are composed of their trust in their metaphysical assumptions. What one’s śraddhā is, that one is.
4. yajante sāttvikā devān yakṣarakṣāṁsi rājasāḥ |
pretān bhūtagaṇāṁścānye yajante tāmasā janāḥ ||
Sattvic people worship the gods; rajasic, the spirits and the demons (Yakṣas and Rakṣas) of the departed. Others, tamasic people, worship the spirits and the hordes of ghosts.
5. aśāstravihitaṁ ghoraṁ tapyante ye tapo janāḥ |
dambhāhaṅkārasaṁyuktāḥ kāmarāgabalānvitāḥ ||
People who perform terrible austerities not ordained by the scriptures, joined with hypocrisy and egotism, accompanied by lust, passion, and force.
6. karśayantaḥ śarīrasthaṁ bhūtagrāmamacetasaḥ |
māṁ caivāntaḥśarīrasthaṁ tān viddhyāsuraniścayān ||
Unthinking, torturing the multitude of elements within the body and also Me dwelling within the body, know them to be of demonic intention.
7. āhārastvapi sarvasya trividho bhavati priyaḥ |
yajñastapastathā dānaṁ teṣāṁ bhedamimaṁ ṣṛṇu ||
But also the food preferred by all is of those three kinds, as are the sacrifices, austerities, and gifts. Listen to the distinctions between them.
8. āyuḥsattvabalārogya sukhaprītivivardhanāḥ |
rasyāḥ snigdhāḥ sthirā hṛdyā āhārāḥ sāttvikapriyāḥ ||
Foods dear to the sattvic (people) nourish life, harmony, strength, freedom from disease, happiness, and satisfaction (good cheer) and are flavorful, smooth, firm, and pleasant.
9. kaṭvamlalavaṇātyuṣṇa tīkṣṇarūkṣavidāhinaḥ |
āhārā rājasasyeṣṭā duḥkhaśokāmayapradāḥ ||
Foods desired by the rajasic cause pain, grief, and sickness and are bitter, sour, too salty, too hot, harsh, astringent, and burning.
10. yātayāmaṁ gatarasaṁ pūti paryuṣitañca yat |
ucchiṣṭam api cāmedhyaṁ bhojanaṁ tāmasapriyam ||
Spoiled, tasteless, putrid, leftover, which is rejected and impure, is the food dear to the tamasic.
11. aphalākāṅkṣibhiryajño vidhidṛṣṭo ya ijyate |
yaṣṭavyameveti manaḥ samādhāya sa sāttvikaḥ ||
Sacrifice that is done with an eye to scriptural direction, by those with no longing for the fruit, concentrating the mind on only what is to be offered, that is sattvic.
12. abhisandhāya tu phalaṁ dambhārtham api caiva yat |
ijyate bharataśreṣṭha taṁ yajñaṁ viddhi rājasam ||
But having in mind the fruit or for the sake of show, know, O Best of Bharatas, that sacrifice is rajasic.
13. vidhihīnamasṛṣṭānnaṁ mantrahīnamadakṣiṇam |
śraddhāvirahitaṁ yajñaṁ tāmasaṁ paricakṣate ||
Sacrifice empty of śraddhā, without scriptural direction, where no food is offered, no mantra chanted, and no compensation given to the priest, is seen as tamasic.
14. devadvijaguruprājña pūjanaṁ śaucamārjavam |
brahmacaryamahiṁsā ca śārīraṁ tapa ucyate ||
Attending reverence to the gods, the twice-born, the teachers and the wise; cleanliness, virtue, continence, and nonviolence are said to be the austerity of the body.
15. anudvegakaraṁ vākyaṁ satyaṁ priyahitañca yat |
svādhyāyabhyasanaṁ caiva vāṅmayaṁ tapa ucyate ||
Words that do not cause distress, that are honest, pleasant, and beneficial, as well as the recitation of sacred hymns, are the austerity of speech.
16. manaḥprasādaḥ saumyatvaṁ maunam ātmavinigrahaḥ |
bhāvasaṁśuddhirityetat tapo mānasam ucyate ||
Calm, clarity of the mind, gentleness, silence, detailed attention to the self, cleanliness of the deeper mind, this is called the austerity of mind.
17. śraddhayā parayā taptaṁ tapastat trividhaṁ naraiḥ |
aphalākāṅkṣibhiryuktaiḥ sāttvikaṁ paricakṣate ||
This threefold austerity practiced with the deepest śraddhā by people who are not longing for fruits and are steady in yoga is seen as sattvic.
18. satkāramānapūjārthaṁ tapo dambhena caiva yat |
kriyate tadiha proktaṁ rājasaṁ calam adhruvam ||
Austerity practiced for the goal of gaining good favor, honor, and reverence, practiced with hypocrisy, here in this world, is rajasic, wavering, and ungrounded.
19. mūḍhagrāheṇātmano yat pīḍayā kriyate tapaḥ |
parasyotsādanārthaṁ vā tat tāmasam udāhṛtam ||
Tapas done with deluded ideas of oneself that are competitive, tortured, and done for the sake of destroying another is said to tamasic.
20. dātavyamiti yaddānaṁ dīyate ‘nupakāriṇe |
deśe kāle ca pātre ca taddānaṁ sāttvikaṁ smṛtam ||
The gift made at the correct time and place, thinking only, “It is to be given,” to a worthy person who has not done a prior favor, is understood to be sattvic.
21. yat tu pratyupakārārthaṁ phalamuddiśya vā punaḥ |
dīyate ca parikliṣṭaṁ taddānaṁ rājasaṁ smṛtam ||
But the gift that is given reluctantly with the purpose of gaining a favor or again with regard to a fruit is considered to be rajasic.
22. adeśakāle yaddānam apātrebhyaśca dīyate |
asatkṛtam avajñātaṁ tat tāmasam udāhṛtam ||
That gift given at the wrong time or wrong place or to an unworthy person without respect and without wisdom is declared to be tamasic.
23. auṁ tat sat iti nirdeśo brahmaṇas trividhaḥ smṛtaḥ |
brāhmaṇāstena vedāśca yajñāśca vihitāḥ purā ||
“Oṁ tat sat” has been seen to be the threefold designation of Brahman. With this the Brāhmans, Vedas, and sacrifices were consecrated in ancient times.
24. tasmād aum ityudāhṛtya yajñadānatapaḥkriyāḥ |
pravartante vidhānoktāḥ satataṁ brahmavādinām ||
Therefore, with the chanting of Oṁ, acts of sacrifice, the giving of gifts, and the performing of austerities prescribed in the scriptures are always begun by the teachers of Brahman.
25. tadityanabhisandhāya phalaṁ yajñatapaḥkriyāḥ |
dānakriyāśca vividhāḥ kriyante mokṣakāṅkṣibhiḥ ||
With tat and without any interest in a fruit, acts of sacrifice and austerity, and all sorts of acts of giving, are done by those longing for freedom (mokṣa).
26. sadbhāve sādhubhāve ca sadityetat prayujyate |
praśaste karmaṇi tathā sacchabdaḥ pārtha yujyate ||
Sat is used with the meaning “reality” and also “goodness.” Thus, for an admirable action the word sat is also used, Son of Pṛthā.
27. yajñe tapasi dāni ca sthitiḥ saditi cocyate |
karma caiva tadarthīyaṁ sadityevābhidhīyate ||
Steadiness in sacrifice, austerity, and giving is also called sat, and any work serving that purpose is proclaimed as sat.
28. aśraddhayā hutaṁ dattaṁ tapastaptaṁ kṛtañca yat |
asad ityucyate pārtha na ca tat pretya no iha ||
Any oblation offered, austerity performed, or ritual done without śraddhā is called asat, O Pārtha; it is nothing to us here in the world or hereafter.