श्री भगवानुवाचत्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा ।
सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां श्रृणु ॥
सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां श्रृणु ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
श्रीभगवान् बोले मनुष्योंकी वह स्वभावसे उत्पन्न हुई श्रद्धा सात्त्विकी तथा राजसी और तामसी ऐसे तीन तरहकी ही होती है, उसको तुम मेरेसे सुनो ॥
English
The faith of embodied beings is born of their nature. It is of three kinds: sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic. Listen to this.
What this verse means
Faith is not all the same. It comes from a person's nature and appears in three forms: clear, restless, or dull.
Context & commentary
Arjuna has asked why people worship in different ways. On the battlefield at Kurukshetra, Krishna begins his answer by explaining that faith itself reflects a person's nature, and that it can be clear, restless, or dull.
Why this verse still matters
You watch someone defend a choice they barely understand, then realise the energy behind it matters as much as the belief itself. The shape of faith reveals the state underneath.
The takeaway
Your deepest beliefs are not random; they reveal the quality of your inner state.
Word-by-word translation
त्रिविधा (threefold) / भवति (is) / श्रद्धा (faith) / देहिनां (of embodied beings) / सा (that) / स्वभावजा (born of nature) / सात्त्विकी (sattvic) / राजसी (rajasic) / च (and) / एव (indeed) / तामसी (tamasic) / चेति (thus) / तां (that) / श्रृणु (listen)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17: Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga — The Three Kinds of Faith, which contains 28 verses.
Explore related themes: gunas (47 verses), shraddha (34 verses), sattva (26 verses)