Chapter XVII · Śloka 1
Arjuna uvāca
अर्जुन उवाच |
ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विताः |
तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वमाहो रजस्तमः ||
ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विताः |
तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वमाहो रजस्तमः ||
arjuna uvāca |
ye śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ |
teṣāṃ niṣṭhā tu kā kṛṣṇa sattvam āho rajas tamaḥ ||
ye śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ |
teṣāṃ niṣṭhā tu kā kṛṣṇa sattvam āho rajas tamaḥ ||
Arjuna said: O Krishna, what is the standing of those who worship with faith but set aside scriptural injunctions? Is it sattva, rajas, or tamas?
Arjuna's question is penetrating: if someone has genuine śraddhā but no scriptural grounding, where do they stand? He senses that śraddhā is not simple — it has texture and quality — and asks Krishna to illuminate its inner nature.