Gita Selected Slokas

Date 25 Dec 2021

Chapter 17

श्रद्धा त्रय विभाग योग

Sraddhā-Traya-Vibhāga-Yoga 

Sloka 1

अर्जुन –
अनेक ऐसे हैं जो अपने में या दूसरों में भी विशवास रखते हैं। पूरा मन लगाकर , जी जान , निष्ठा , आत्म-विश्वासभरपूर श्रद्धा से वह युक्त हैं।पर वह या तो शास्त्र के अनुसार नहीं चलते – या तो शास्त्र उनको बकवास लगता है , या शायद शाश्त्र पढ़ने , सुनने समझने का कोई मौका नहीं मिला , या कुछ ज्यादा ही नियम बंधन जैसा उन्हें दीखता है

वैसे लोगों की श्रद्धा को कैसा मानें – सात्विक , राजसिक या तामसिक

e.g One who usually has faith in law of land but is not much educated about the शास्त्र विधि ( Constitution or Code of Law ) or has much contempt for having need for such rules of conduct..

Even Greats like Sri Ramkrishna has not studied much of Shastras , but he did know the names of many such shastras like Gita, Bhagwad, Ramayan Puran Upanishad etc and though he did not do study like Pandits do , he did do sadhana and the place were he reached or stage of his evolution was such that his thought, values, behavior , conduct became harmonious with what the Shastras say and rather even much of what shastras say and sometime don’t make sense or is not evident gets new light and become clearer to comprehend and grasp in light of his life and teachings.

As such he cannot be said to have acted contrary to शास्त्र or शास्त्रविधि . He even accepted the various superstitions e.g. गिरकिट की टिकटिकी and would acknowledge the sound as even though it may not be the highest knowledge , yet at some level of human development many have to go through that phase . It is not about Right शास्त्र Vs Wrong शास्त्र but rather – Lower शास्त्र to higher शास्त्र .

When while in school , I read that Swamiji, a voracious reader with prodigious memory and who could read so fast had been able to just read only some of the Shastras and not much , I could sense the vastness of literature and the immensity of task. The vedas , Upanishad , Gita, Mahabharata , Puranas Ramayan , Various Smritis , Artha Shastra , Ayurveda etc did look like enormous works and almost over whelming

One monk gives this great assurance – The number of Truths are but few throughout history . Different books are various elaborations of that . If even One or two books one studies with faith , depth , diligently , one will be able to grasp and reach the insights into same truth in Other Shastras.

E.g. Even if One has time only for ONE Upanishad e.g. ISHA Upansihad a small one , or a bigger one like Bhagwad gita or Ram Charit Manas or Larger one like Mahabhrata . he will grasp the essentials and need not read so many books.

This same kind of hint helped me in clearing almost all entrance exams applied for in the first attempt itself ( Kurukshetra, ISM, DCE ) , though I was in intelligence and knowledge , concepts far less than my elder brother.

How – I saved time through the one hint. When I was not able to understand a concept , I was tempted to go for Resnik Haliday, HC Verma, Feynman Lectures , Irodov etc ‘ Same with Chemistry

And he said

You have two years, You have so many other subjects as well . And you have to pass Board exams also and at least 65 % .. ( That Time IIT needed that kind of marks in Board )

You will not have time left

So just take up one best Book that you feel like , Let others pick what they consider best

But don’t be tempted to look into those.

Just master One book each in Chemistry , Maths, Physics – I don’t recall which book in Maths I Took But OP Agrawal in chemistry and Resnik Haliday in Physics proved enough for me

Accidentally or due to lack of exposure to much books , In class 3 , 4, 5 I studied Grammar Book from only One Source – Brighter Grammar – ( It used to be by Orient Longman back then ) – Four volumes .

Later in college someone showed my – Big Fat – Wren and Martin . Telling me it was a more advanced one and Not a Kid’s grammar book .

I was tempted to delve into it. But DCE or hazar tarah ke distractions – Engifest and Workshops etc .. And I did not go beyond few pages .

But to my surprise , even though I could not blurt out any of the rules of grammar , I had developed enough common sense to be able to answer almost all the Exercise questions right and even spot grammatical errors.

This was tested already when in ISM , Dhanbad there were out of some 40 questions in English ( mostly Grammar ) , I could answer all 40 right .

So my take for life is gravitating to this

Unless One is Going to Focus fully one English only in life , One need not go to such extremes to read so many Versions of Grammar This has opportunity cost and other high priority areas get neglected

. And Unless one is to become a Pandit , one need not even try to go for various Shashtras

A few will suffice , But then let there be regularity and depth in those chosen few and one will see the light .

Same with professions also

What the Vyadha incident in Mahabharata narrates.

One can reach the Highest culmination of one’s life through any path he choses if he devotes himself of herself with full sincerity, focus , attention, – The Monk , the Vyadha and the Housewife – It does not really depend on the profession of life .

https://www.amazon.in/Brighter-Grammar-1-C-Eckersley/dp/8177587099

श्री कृष्ण –
स्वभाब से , ( naturally , spontaneously , by force of old habits , संस्कार ) , लोग तीन प्रकार के होते हैं।
सात्विक , राजसिक या तामसिक। अब उसके बारे में सुनो।

श्री कृष्ण –
हर कोई अपनी श्रद्धा के अनुरूप ही होते हैं। जैसी जिस्की श्रद्धा , वैसा ही वह होता है। यहाँ तक कि व्यक्ति वही है जो उसके श्रद्धा है।


एक बात जो स्मरण रहे वह यह है कि हर व्यक्ति में तीनों गुण होते हैं।
जब हम यह कहते हैं कि अमुक व्यक्ति सात्विक है , या तामसिक है – इसका अर्थ हुआ कि उसमें सत्व या तमस कि प्रचुरता है।
सुबह से रात्रि तक , अलग अलग मौसम में , जीवन के अलग अलग काल में – एक या अन्य कम या ज्यादा होता रहता है।

अगर लोई राजसिक है , उस व्यक्ति में रात्रि के वक्त भी तमस का प्रभाव न पड़े तो उसके लिए सो पाना मुश्किल होगा।
कोई बहुत ही सुस्त , आलसी , मूढ़ है – पर अगर जरा भी सत्व न हो जीवन में कुछ भी सीख ही नहीं पाएगा।

कभी सत्व गुण हावी होता है , प्रधान रूप से प्रकट होता है , कभी रजस कभी तमस।

एक के बृद्धि से अन्य दूसरे गुण उससे क्षीण हो जाते हैं।

There is a great tendency in modern times to talk too much of work and decry thought. Doing is very good, but that comes from thinking. Little manifestations of energy through the muscles are called work. But where there is no thought, there will be no work. Fill the brain, therefore, with high thoughts, highest ideals, place them day and night before you, and out of that will come great work. Talk not about impurity, but say that we are pure. We have hypnotised ourselves into this thought that we are little, that we are born, and that we are going to die, and into a constant state of fear.

Jnana-Yoga / → THE REAL NATURE OF MAN

अर्जुन उवाच

ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयाऽन्विताः।

तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वमाहो रजस्तमः।।17.1।।

Arjuna said: Those who, setting aside the ordinances of the scriptures, perform sacrifice with faith, what is their condition, O Krishna? Is it SATTWA, RAJAS or TAMAS?

arjuna uvāca = Arjuna said; ye = those who; śāstravidhiṃ = the regulations of scripture; utsṛjya = giving up; yajante = worship; śraddhayā = full faith; anvitāḥ = possessed of; teṣāṃ = of them; niṣṭhā = the faith; tu = but; kā = what; kṛṣṇa = O Krishna; sattvaṃ = in goodness; āho = or else; rajaḥ = in passion; tamaḥ = in ignorance.;

श्री भगवानुवाच

त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा।

सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां श्रृणु।।17.2।।

The Blessed Lord said: Three-fold is the faith of the embodied, which is inherent in their nature — the SATTVIC (pure) , the RAJASIC (passionate) and the TAMASIC (dull, dark) . Thus thou hear of it.


śrībhagavānuvāca = the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; trividhā = of three kinds; bhavati = becomes; śraddhā = the faith; dehināṃ = of the embodied; sā = that; svabhāvajā = according to his mode of material nature; sāttvikī = in the mode of goodness; rājasī = in the mode of passion; ca = also; eva = certainly; tāmasī = in the mode of ignorance; ca = and; iti = thus; tāṃ = that; śṛṇu = hear from Me.;

सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत।

श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः।।17.3।।

The faith of each is in accordance with his nature, O Bharata. Man consists of his faith; as a man’s faith is, so is he.


sattvānurūpā = according to the existence; sarvasya = of everyone; śraddhā = faith; bhavati = becomes; bhārata = O son of Bharata; śraddhā = faith; mayaḥ = full of; ayaṃ = this; puruṣaḥ = living entity; yaḥ = who; yat = having which; śraddhaḥ = faith; saḥ = thus; eva = certainly; saḥ = he.;