A core teaching · reflective in mood · a little context helps
“Faith reveals itself in what each person chooses to revere.”
The sattvic worship radiant beings; the rajasic worship yakshas and rakshasas; the tamasic worship spirits and hosts of the dead.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyworship · sattvic · radiant beings · yakshas and rakshasas · rajasic · spirits of the dead · hosts of beings · and · others · worship · tamasic · people
People worship different kinds of beings according to the quality that dominates their nature. Their faith shapes the form their devotion takes.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga" (The Three Kinds of Faith).
Verse 4 sits in Chapter 17 of the Bhagavad Gita — Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga, "The Three Kinds of Faith". The chapter has 28 verses in total.
A person who chases charisma, power, or fear usually reveals something about their own inner state. What you keep admiring is often a mirror of what rules you.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from outer worship to the quality of mind behind worship.
What this verse means
People worship different kinds of beings according to the quality that dominates their nature. Their faith shapes the form their devotion takes.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, with Arjuna still struggling to understand human nature, Krishna explains that faith is not neutral. The quality ruling a person’s mind shapes whom they worship: the clear worship the radiant, the restless seek powerful intermediaries, and the confused turn to darker forces.
Why this verse still matters
A person who chases charisma, power, or fear usually reveals something about their own inner state. What you keep admiring is often a mirror of what rules you.
“Your deepest tendencies quietly choose what you revere.”
Explore related themes: shraddha (34 verses), sattva (26 verses), rajas (21 verses)