Chapter XVII · Śloka 12
Śrī Kṛṣṇa uvāca
अभिसंधाय तु फलं दम्भार्थमपि चैव यत् |
इज्यते भरतश्रेष्ठ तं यज्ञं विद्धि राजसम् ||
इज्यते भरतश्रेष्ठ तं यज्ञं विद्धि राजसम् ||
abhisandhāya tu phalaṃ dambhārtham api caiva yat |
ijyate bharata-śreṣṭha taṃ yajñaṃ viddhi rājasam ||
ijyate bharata-śreṣṭha taṃ yajñaṃ viddhi rājasam ||
But that sacrifice performed with an eye toward fruit, or for show — know that to be rājasika, O best of the Bharatas.
Rājasika sacrifice is transactional: the rite is a vehicle for acquisition, whether material reward or social esteem. The form of worship is present but the spirit has been colonized by desire. The offering carries its own future disappointment within it.