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Chapter 17 · Verse 1 · Sraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 17.1

philosophical Bhakti & Devotion Jnana & Wisdom Self & Identity

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

Word by Word

arjunaḥ uvācha Arjun said
ye who
śhāstra-vidhim scriptural injunctions
utsṛijya disregard
yajante worship
śhraddhayā-anvitāḥ with faith
teṣhām their
niṣhṭhā faith
tu indeed
what
kṛiṣhṇa Krishna
sattvam mode of goodness
āho or
rajaḥ mode of passion
tamaḥ mode of ignorance
Simplified Perspective

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.

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Bhagavad Gita 17.1 — BG 17.1

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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