Chapter 17 · Verse 1 · Sraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 17.1
Sanskrit
अर्जुन उवाचये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयाऽन्विताः।तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वमाहो रजस्तमः।।17.1।।
Transliteration
arjuna uvācha ye śhāstra-vidhim utsṛijya yajante śhraddhayānvitāḥ teṣhāṁ niṣhṭhā tu kā kṛiṣhṇa sattvam āho rajas tamaḥ
In plain words
You're wondering if your way is wrong because it doesn't match what you were taught—or because you're going against the grain of tradition. The lesson for you: what matters is not whether you follow the old rules, but whether you're moving toward truth with genuine longing, or running from it in disguise. The quality of your seeking reveals itself; pay attention to whether your path is opening your heart or hardening it.
Word by Word
Arjuna asks a profound question that touches the heart of all spiritual seeking: when someone abandons the outer structure of scripture but approaches the Divine with genuine inner faith, what quality animates their devotion—is it the purity of sattva, the restlessness of rajas, or the delusion of tamas? This question reveals that Krishna is about to teach us that faith itself has texture and origin—it is not neutral, but colored by the very nature we cultivate.
In our modern lives, this invites us to examine whether our spiritual choices flow from genuine alignment with truth or from ego's need to rebel against tradition.
Listen
Bhagavad Gita 17.1 — BG 17.1
Your Mantra Prescription
This mantra is prescribed for clarity and purpose. Is that what you're going through?
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