Bhagavad Gītā Decoded
Verse 17.1
Verse 17.1
Authenticity: Straight Way To Liberation
17.1
अर्जुन उवाच | ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विता: | तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्वमाहो रजस्तम:
arjuna uvāca ye śāstravidhim utsṛjya yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ / teṣāṁ niṣṭhā tu kā kṛṣṇa sattvamāho rajastamaḥ / / 17.1
Arjuna says: What is the mode of devotion of those who perform spiritual practices with authenticity, but without following the scriptural injunctions, O Kṛṣṇa? Is it in the mode of goodness, aggression or ignorance?
arjuna uvāca — Arjuna says
ye — those
śāstravidhiṁ — the regulations of scripture
utsṛjya — giving up
yajante — worship
śraddhayā — authenticity
anvitāḥ — possessed of
teṣāṁ — of them
niṣṭhā — faith
tu — but
kā — what is that
Kṛṣṇa — O Kṛṣṇa
sat- tvaṁ — in goodness
āho — said
rajas — in aggression
tamaḥ — in ignorance.
Is it in the mode of goodness [satva], aggression [rajas] or ignorance [tamas]? Arjuna asks a beautiful question. Arjuna asks: ‘Kṛṣṇa, those who discard the ordinances of the scriptures, śāstras and perform sacrifices, what is their position?Isitsātvic,rājasicortāmasic?Whatisthestateofpeoplewhodon’t follow the instructions of the scriptures, the ancient books, and instead worship with śraddha, authenticity according to their own beliefs? Is it rajas, tamas or satva? Are they in a peaceful (sātvic) state, restless (rājasic) state or an ignorant (tāmasic) state?’ ye śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ I teṣāṁ niṣṭhā tu kā kṛṣna sattvam āho rajas tamaḥ II 17.1 Please listen. Worship can occur at many levels. Arjuna’s question is based upon the three attributes or guṇas.
Worship is also dependent on our energy levels. Many people are comfortable worshipping at the physical level, the gross level, through techniques such as pūjā, going to temples to worship the deities, bathing in holy rivers, etc. From an energy point of view, these are linked to the earth energy and the water energy. At another level of energy, one may perform fire sacrifices such as yajña or homa. These are related to the fire energy. Typically the energy of the fire is transferred to water pots that are placed around the sacrificial ŚraddhatrayaVibhāgaYogaḥ Authenticity:StraightwayTo Liberation 1195 fireplace. This water, which is energized by the ritual, is then poured over idols, or sprinkled over people or upon the earth to energize them.
The energy of air, vāyu can be accessed through breathing techniques such as prāṇāyāma or chanting of verses. In the first nine verses of Śiva Sutra, Lord Śiva explains these types of techniques to Devi, His disciple. It is possible to access the etheric energy, ākāśa through meditation, though this requires understanding and awareness. Each form of worship or sacrifice is based upon one’s aptitude and inclination. Each of these is guided by scriptural instructions on how to perform the worship, when and where, etc. Arjuna asks, ‘How important is it to follow these instructions? What happens when one follows one’s own inclinations and worships?’ This is an interesting question.
A saint named Kannappan in Tamil Nadu worshipped Śiva with such intensity that he cut out his eyes and placed them on the Śiva liṅga. Other Masters placed all kinds of material at the altar including raw meat. Rāmakṛṣṇa placed a thread under the nose of Kāli’s deity to check whether She was breathing before he offered Her the ritual food! Many Masters have followed their inclination when worshipping their favorite deity god, Iśṭa Devatā. Scriptures never stood in their way of worship. However, these Masters were completely authentic in what they were doing. They had śraddha. That is important. Arjuna’s query is in this connection. Don’t Torture Me