What the scriptures say about faith

1. Doubt
2. Faith
3. practice
4. success

Arjuna fears that one who has trust but falls short is lost from both worlds like a torn cloud. Krishna says that no one who does good comes to a bad end. What was gained is picked up again. It carries one forward. The one who keeps at it arrives. In this path no beginning is wasted.

• Arjuna

  अर्जुन उवाच अयतिः श्रद्धयोपेतो योगाच्चलितमानसः । अप्राप्य योगसंसिद्धिं कां गतिं कृष्ण गच्छति ॥

  arjuna uvāca ayatiḥ śraddhayopeto yogāccalitamānasaḥ | aprāpya yogasaṃsiddhiṃ kāṃ gatiṃ kṛṣṇa gacchati ||

  Arjuna said: One who has faith but does not strive enough, whose mind falls away from yoga before reaching perfection, what end does he come to, Krishna?

  Bhagavad Gita 6.37

• Arjuna

  कच्चिन्नोभयविभ्रष्टश्छिन्नाभ्रमिव नश्यति । अप्रतिष्ठो महाबाहो विमूढो ब्रह्मणः पथि ॥

  kaccinnobhayavibhraṣṭaśchinnābhramiva naśyati | apratiṣṭho mahābāho vimūḍho brahmaṇaḥ pathi ||

  Fallen from both, does he not perish like a broken cloud, without support, mighty-armed one, bewildered on the path to Brahman?

  Bhagavad Gita 6.38

• Arjuna

  एतन्मे संशयं कृष्ण छेत्तुमर्हस्यशेषतः । त्वदन्यः संशयस्यास्य छेत्ता न ह्युपपद्यते ॥

  etanme saṃśayaṃ kṛṣṇa chettumarhasyaśeṣataḥ | tvadanyaḥ saṃśayasyāsya chettā na hyupapadyate ||

  Krishna, please cut away this doubt of mine completely. No one but you can remove it.

  Bhagavad Gita 6.39

1. Grief
2. the vast
3. Joy
4. action
5. Steadiness
6. Faith
7. understanding
8. understanding
9. truth
10. Self-knowledge

Narada knows every science and says that he knows the words, not the self, and he grieves. Sanatkumara leads him inward. One speaks truth when one understands. One understands when one reflects. One reflects when one has trust. One has trust when one is steadfast. One is steadfast when one acts. One acts when one finds joy. Joy is in the vast, not in the small.

• Narada

  सोऽहं भगवो मन्त्रविदेवास्मि नात्मविच्छ्रुतꣳ ह्येव मे भगवद्दृशेभ्यस्तरति शोकमात्मविदिति सोऽहं भगवः शोचामि तं मा भगवाञ्छोकस्य पारं तारयत्विति तꣳ होवाच यद्वै किंचैतदध्यगीष्ठा नामैवैतत् ॥

  so’haṃ bhagavo mantravidevāsmi nātmavicchrutaꣳ hyeva me bhagavaddṛśebhyastarati śokamātmaviditi so’haṃ bhagavaḥ śocāmi taṃ mā bhagavāñchokasya pāraṃ tārayatviti taꣳ hovāca yadvai kiṃcaitadadhyagīṣṭhā nāmaivaitat ||

  'Sir, I know only the texts; I do not know the self. I have heard from people like you that one who knows the self crosses beyond sorrow. I am in sorrow, sir. Please take me across.' He said to him: 'Whatever you have studied is only name.'

  Chhandogya Upanishad 7.1.3

• Sanatkumara

  यदा वै करोत्यथ निस्तिष्ठति नाकृत्वा निस्तिष्ठति कृत्वैव निस्तिष्ठति कृतिस्त्वेव विजिज्ञासितव्येति कृतिं भगवो विजिज्ञास इति ॥

  yadā vai karotyatha nistiṣṭhati nākṛtvā nistiṣṭhati kṛtvaiva nistiṣṭhati kṛtistveva vijijñāsitavyeti kṛtiṃ bhagavo vijijñāsa iti ||

  When one acts, one becomes steadfast. One does not become steadfast without acting; only by acting does one become steadfast. So action itself must be understood. 'Sir, I wish to understand action.'

  Chhandogya Upanishad 7.21.1

• Sanatkumara

  यदा वै सुखं लभतेऽथ करोति नासुखं लब्ध्वा करोति सुखमेव लब्ध्वा करोति सुखं त्वेव विजिज्ञासितव्यमिति सुखं भगवो विजिज्ञास इति ॥

  yadā vai sukhaṃ labhate’tha karoti nāsukhaṃ labdhvā karoti sukhameva labdhvā karoti sukhaṃ tveva vijijñāsitavyamiti sukhaṃ bhagavo vijijñāsa iti ||

  When one finds happiness, one acts. No one acts without finding happiness; only by finding happiness does one act. So happiness itself must be understood. 'Sir, I wish to understand happiness.'

  Chhandogya Upanishad 7.22.1

1. Faith
2. control of the senses
3. knowledge
4. Peace

The one who has trust, is intent, and has the senses in hand gains knowledge. Having gained it, that person soon reaches the highest peace.

• Krishna

  श्रद्धावाँल्लभते ज्ञानं तत्परः संयतेन्द्रियः । ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति ॥

  śraddhāvāṁllabhate jñānaṃ tatparaḥ saṃyatendriyaḥ | jñānaṃ labdhvā parāṃ śāntimacireṇādhigacchati ||

  The person of faith, devoted to it and with senses controlled, gains knowledge. Having gained knowledge, he soon reaches supreme peace.

  Bhagavad Gita 4.39

1. what our thoughts have made us
2. becoming
3. Faith

Whatever state one keeps remembering, that one becomes. A person is made of their faith, and as the faith is, so is the person.

• Krishna

  सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत । श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः ॥

  sattvānurūpā sarvasya śraddhā bhavati bhārata | śraddhāmayo’yaṃ puruṣo yo yacchraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ ||

  Everyone's faith follows their nature, Bharata. A person is made of faith; as a person's faith is, so is that person.

  Bhagavad Gita 17.3