Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga
Three kinds of faith. Three kinds of food. Three kinds of sacrifice and giving. The Gita on what your daily choices reveal about you.
All 28 verses of this chapter on one page. Read straight through, or press play and follow each verse as it is recited.
अर्जुन उवाच ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयाऽन्विताः । तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वमाहो रजस्तमः ॥
Arjuna said: O Krishna, what is the standing of those who worship with faith while setting aside the rules of scripture? Is it sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic?
श्री भगवानुवाच त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा । सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां श्रृणु ॥
The faith of embodied beings is born of their nature. It is of three kinds: sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic. Listen to this.
सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत । श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः ॥
O Bharata, each person's trust matches their inner nature. A person is made of trust; whatever trust he holds, that is what he becomes.
यजन्ते सात्त्विका देवान्यक्षरक्षांसि राजसाः । प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये यजन्ते तामसा जनाः ॥
The sattvic worship radiant beings; the rajasic worship yakshas and rakshasas; the tamasic worship spirits and hosts of the dead.
अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जनाः । दम्भाहङ्कारसंयुक्ताः कामरागबलान्विताः ॥
People who perform harsh austerities without scriptural guidance, driven by vanity, ego, desire, attachment, and stubbornness, are not purified by them.
कर्षयन्तः शरीरस्थं भूतग्राममचेतसः । मां चैवान्तःशरीरस्थं तान्विद्ध्यासुरनिश्चयान् ॥
Those who are ignorant and perform terrible austerities without scriptural guidance, wasting away the body’s elements and Me dwelling within the body, should be known as having demonic resolve.
आहारस्त्वपि सर्वस्य त्रिविधो भवति प्रियः । यज्ञस्तपस्तथा दानं तेषां भेदमिमं श्रृणु ॥
Food, sacrifice, charity, and austerity are each of three kinds. Listen to these distinctions.
आयुःसत्त्वबलारोग्यसुखप्रीतिविवर्धनाः । रस्याः स्निग्धाः स्थिरा हृद्या आहाराः सात्त्विकप्रियाः ॥
Foods that increase life, purity, strength, health, happiness, and cheerfulness, and are tasty, smooth, firm, and pleasing, are dear to the sattvic person.
कट्वम्ललवणात्युष्णतीक्ष्णरूक्षविदाहिनः । आहारा राजसस्येष्टा दुःखशोकामयप्रदाः ॥
Bitter, sour, salty, overly hot, pungent, dry, and burning foods are dear to the passionate person. They bring pain, grief, and illness.
यातयामं गतरसं पूति पर्युषितं च यत् । उच्छिष्टमपि चामेध्यं भोजनं तामसप्रियम् ॥
Food that is half-cooked, tasteless, foul-smelling, stale, leftover, and impure is dear to people ruled by tamas.
अफलाकाङ्क्षिभिर्यज्ञो विधिदृष्टो य इज्यते । यष्टव्यमेवेति मनः समाधाय स सात्त्विकः ॥
A sacrifice performed according to scriptural rule by people without desire for reward, with the mind settled on “it must be done,” is sattvic.
अभिसंधाय तु फलं दम्भार्थमपि चैव यत् । इज्यते भरतश्रेष्ठ तं यज्ञं विद्धि राजसम् ॥
But, best of the Bharatas, know that sacrifice to be rajasic when it is performed for reward or for show.
विधिहीनमसृष्टान्नं मन्त्रहीनमदक्षिणम् । श्रद्धाविरहितं यज्ञं तामसं परिचक्षते ॥
They call a sacrifice dark when it lacks scriptural rule, food offering, mantra, fee, and trust.
देवद्विजगुरुप्राज्ञपूजनं शौचमार्जवम् । ब्रह्मचर्यमहिंसा च शारीरं तप उच्यते ॥
Worship of the radiant beings, the wise, the teacher, and the enlightened; purity, simplicity, celibacy, and non-violence — these are called bodily austerity.
अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रियहितं च यत् । स्वाध्यायाभ्यसनं चैव वाङ्मयं तप उच्यते ॥
Speech that does not agitate, is truthful, pleasant, and beneficial, together with study and practice, is called austerity of speech.
मनःप्रसादः सौम्यत्वं मौनमात्मविनिग्रहः । भावसंशुद्धिरित्येतत्तपो मानसमुच्यते ॥
Serenity of mind, gentleness, silence, self-control, and purity of feeling are called mental austerity.
श्रद्धया परया तप्तं तपस्तत्त्रिविधं नरैः । अफलाकाङ्क्षिभिर्युक्तैः सात्त्विकं परिचक्षते ॥
That threefold discipline of body, speech, and mind, performed with supreme trust and without craving results, is called sattvic.
सत्कारमानपूजार्थं तपो दम्भेन चैव यत् । क्रियते तदिह प्रोक्तं राजसं चलमध्रुवम् ॥
Austerity done for honor, praise, and worship, or with a show of display, is said to be rajasic here. It gives unstable, temporary results.
मूढग्राहेणात्मनो यत्पीडया क्रियते तपः । परस्योत्सादनार्थं वा तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥
Austerity done with foolish stubbornness, by torturing oneself or harming others, is called tamasic.
दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे । देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ॥
A gift given with the feeling that giving is a duty, offered to a worthy person at the right place and time, is called sattvic.
यत्तु प्रत्युपकारार्थं फलमुद्दिश्य वा पुनः । दीयते च परिक्लिष्टं तद्दानं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥
But charity given in return, or for a desired result, and given grudgingly, is said to be rajasic.
अदेशकाले यद्दानमपात्रेभ्यश्च दीयते । असत्कृतमवज्ञातं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥
Charity given at the wrong place and time, to an unworthy recipient, without respect and with contempt, is called tamasic.
तत्सदिति निर्देशो ब्रह्मणस्त्रिविधः स्मृतः । ब्राह्मणास्तेन वेदाश्च यज्ञाश्च विहिताः पुरा ॥
Om, Tat, and Sat are the three names by which the supreme reality is known. By that, the Vedas, the priests, and the sacrifices were established in the beginning.
तस्मादोमित्युदाहृत्य यज्ञदानतपःक्रियाः । प्रवर्तन्ते विधानोक्ताः सततं ब्रह्मवादिनाम् ॥
Therefore, the ritual acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity prescribed by scripture are always begun by uttering Om, for those who speak of Brahman.
तदित्यनभिसन्धाय फलं यज्ञतपःक्रियाः । दानक्रियाश्च विविधाः क्रियन्ते मोक्षकाङ्क्षि ॥
Thinking “all this is for the supreme reality,” seekers of freedom perform many kinds of sacrifice, austerity, and giving without wanting the result.
सद्भावे साधुभावे च सदित्येतत्प्रयुज्यते । प्रशस्ते कर्मणि तथा सच्छब्दः पार्थ युज्यते ॥
O Partha, the word sat is used for existence itself, for noble being, and for praiseworthy action.
यज्ञे तपसि दाने च स्थितिः सदिति चोच्यते । कर्म चैव तदर्थीयं सदित्येवाभिधीयते ॥
Steadfastness in sacrifice, austerity, and giving is called sat. Action done for that purpose is also called sat.
अश्रद्धया हुतं दत्तं तपस्तप्तं कृतं च यत् । असदित्युच्यते पार्थ न च तत्प्रेत्य नो इह ॥
O Partha, sacrifice, charity, austerity, and any deed done without trust are called unreal. Its fruit exists neither here nor after death.