At the end of the last chapter, Krishna told Arjuna to look to the scriptures to guide his actions, so that he can avoid the lower road that leads backwards to a less evolved state. Now Arjuna wants to know about those who do not follow the orthodox way set down in the scriptures, but who nevertheless offer some kind of worship with faith in their hearts.
In reply Krishna goes into greater detail about the three gunas – sattva, rajas, and tamas. He also stresses the importance of shraddha or faith. This is a difficult word. “Faith” is not an adequate translation, and the etymology of the word is obscure; it probably has an underlying meaning of “what is held in the heart.” We might say that our shraddha is the sum total of our values, what we really hold to be important in our lives. Every human being, Krishna says, is shraddhamaya,“made up of faith” – as the Bible puts it, as we think in our heart, so we are.
Here, as elsewhere in the Gita, shraddha is a positive quality. It is good to have faith; yet faith can be of different kinds, different qualities. Sattvic faith is the most evolved, the most pure. Rajasic faith is dynamic, evolving, yet tainted with selfish motives. Tamasic faith goes astray in a spiritual desert.
To illustrate this, Krishna tells Arjuna that sattvic people worship the devas – the gods of heaven, of light. The rajasic worship yakshas and rakshasas. The yakshas are servants of the god of wealth; rakshasas are powerful, fearsome spirits driven by the lust for power and pleasure.
Finally, tamasic people worship the spirits of the dead and ghosts.
In a practical digression, Krishna describes the different kinds of food liked by the sattvic, the rajasic, and the tamasic. Then he applies the three gunas to the act of worship and sacrifice or selfless service (yajna).
Verses 14–16 turn to the important question of tapas or sadhana, the disciplines undergone for the sake of spiritual growth. The Gita holds that no lasting progress is possible on the spiritual path without self-discipline. The root of the word tapas is tap, to be hot or to suffer pain; and in fact tapas can also mean heat or suffering.
When certain spiritual practices are mastered, they create a feeling of heat in the body, which is a sign of increased spiritual potency. Tapas also refers to the power gained through spiritual austerity. Krishna dispels the mistaken belief that tapas means mortifying or torturing the body, and points out that spiritual disciplines can be sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic. The sattvic kind of tapas is offered for a truly spiritual goal; rajasic tapas is performed to gain a selfish end, probably the admiration of others. Deluded by tamas, a person will undergo painful, foolish practices to try to gain power over, or even to injure, others.
Changing course for a moment, Krishna discusses the mantram Om Tat Sat. Om is the most ancient of Hindu mantrams; it is the sacred syllable that is Brahman, the cosmic sound heard in the depths of meditation. Tat is “That,” the supreme reality beyond what language can describe or thought can think. And sat means both “that which is” and “that which is good.” The mantram Om Tat Sat affirms that only the good really exists; the opposite word, asat, implies that evil is transient and therefore is not ultimately real.
The last verse concludes that no act or intention can add to spiritual growth if it is “faithless.” An act done without shraddha is asat, unreal; it cannot have meaning either in this world or the next. –D.M.
17: The Power of Faith
ARJUNA
1 O Krishna, what is the state of those who disregard the scriptures but still worship with faith? Do they act from sattva, rajas, or tamas?
KRISHNA
2 Every creature is born with faith of some kind, either sattvic,rajasic, or tamasic. Listen, and I will describe each to you.
3 Our faith conforms to our nature, Arjuna. Human nature is madeof faith. A person is what his shraddha is.
4 Those who are sattvic worship the forms of God; those who arerajasic worship power and wealth. Those who are tamasic worship spirits and ghosts.
5 Some invent harsh penances. Motivated by hypocrisy and egotism,
6 they torture their innocent bodies and me who dwells within. Blinded by their strength and passion, they act and think like demons.
7 The three kinds of faith express themselves in the habits of thosewho hold them: in the food they like, the work they do, the disciplines they practice, the gifts they give. Listen, and I will describe their different ways.
8 Sattvic people enjoy food that is mild, tasty, substantial, agreeable,and nourishing, food that promotes health, strength, cheerfulness, and longevity.
9 Rajasic people like food that is salty or bitter, hot, sour, or spicy – food that promotes pain, discomfort, and disease.
10 Tamasic people like overcooked, stale, leftover, and impure food, food that has lost its taste and nutritional value.
11 The sattvic perform sacrifices with their entire mind fixed on the purpose of the sacrifice. Without thought of reward, they follow the teachings of the scriptures.
12 The rajasic perform sacrifices for the sake of show and the good it will bring them.
13 The tamasic perform sacrifices ignoring both the letter and the spirit. They omit the proper prayers, the proper offerings, the proper food, and the proper faith.
14 To offer service to the gods, to the good, to the wise, and to your spiritual teacher; purity, honesty, continence, and nonviolence: these are the disciplines of the body.
15 To offer soothing words, to speak truly, kindly, and helpfully, and to study the scriptures: these are the disciplines of speech.
16 Calmness, gentleness, silence, self-restraint, and purity: these are the disciplines of the mind.
17 When these three levels of self-discipline are practiced without attachment to the results, but in a spirit of great faith, the sages call this practice sattvic.
18 Disciplines practiced in order to gain respect, honor, or admiration are rajasic; they are undependable and transitory in their effects.
19 Disciplines practiced to gain power over others, or in the confused belief that to torture oneself is spiritual, are tamasic.
20 Giving simply because it is right to give, without thought of return, at a proper time, in proper circumstances, and to a worthy person, is sattvic giving.
21 Giving with regrets or in the expectation of receiving some favor or of getting something in return is rajasic.
22 Giving at an inappropriate time, in inappropriate circumstances, and to an unworthy person, without affection or respect, is tamasic.
23 Om Tat Sat: these three words represent Brahman, from which come priests and scriptures and sacrifice.
24 Those who follow the Vedas, therefore, always repeat the word Om when offering sacrifices, performing spiritual disciplines, or giving gifts.
25 Those seeking liberation and not any personal benefit add the word Tat when performing these acts of worship, discipline, and charity.
26 Sat means “that which is”; it also indicates goodness. Therefore it is used to describe a worthy deed.
27 To be steadfast in self-sacrifice, self-discipline, and giving is sat. To act in accordance with these three is sat as well.
28 But to engage in sacrifice, self-discipline, and giving without good faith is asat, without worth or goodness, either in this life or in the next.
Chapter Eighteen, Freedom & Renunciation
This final chapter of the Gita roams over many subjects, beginning with a discussion of the merits of renunciation versus the life of personally involved action. To begin with, Arjuna asks about two words commonly used for renunciation in Sanskrit, sannyasa and tyaga. Both words come from roots meaning to give up or abandon. Sannyasa acquired the specialized meaning of giving up ordinary life to live the austere, wandering life of a homeless pilgrim. A sannyasi is a monk: one who does not participate in family life and has withdrawn from society. In a sense, he has withdrawn from life. Krishna does not recommend this kind of renunciation. In fact, he says it is impossible for anyone to “give up” in this way, for as long as we have a body, we have to do a certain amount of work just to maintain it. Krishna does not advise dropping out of life, and the Gita is primarily aimed at people who live “in the world” yet desire genuine spiritual fulfillment.
The kind of renunciation Krishna recommends is tyaga, where it is not activity but selfish desire for the rewards of action – of work, of life – that is to be renounced. Arjuna is advised to fulfill all his responsibilities, but without a selfish motive. In particular, he should not give up the three great virtuous works – sacrifice, giving, and spiritual disciplines.
Having made plain to Arjuna that renunciation is essential, Krishna goes on to explain that renunciation can be of three kinds, depending upon the guna that dominates the individual’s personality. As may be expected, rajasic and tamasic renunciation leave something to be desired.
Many times Krishna has said that renunciation of the fruits of work is essential. Perhaps the verse in chapter 2 said it best – that we have control over our work and actions, but we have no command of the results. The word karma-phala-tyaga appears again and again, and the literal translation is “renunciation of the fruits of action.” In this final chapter, literally “The Freedom [moksha] That Comes from Renunciation,” Krishna sums up his teaching that in work, in life, one must not be driven by a selfish desire for any kind of reward, for such compulsive work can only stunt full spiritual development. In addition, Krishna points out, when we
