Chapter XVII · Śloka 3
Śrī Kṛṣṇa uvāca
सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत |
श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः ||
श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः ||
sattvānurūpā sarvasya śraddhā bhavati bhārata |
śraddhā-mayo 'yaṃ puruṣo yo yac-chraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ ||
śraddhā-mayo 'yaṃ puruṣo yo yac-chraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ ||
O scion of Bharata, the faith of every person is shaped by their inner nature. A person is made of their śraddhā — as one's faith is, so one is.
This is one of the Gita's most condensed psychological truths: a human being is not primarily their actions or words but their deep faith — the object, texture, and intensity of what they fundamentally trust. Know what someone worships and you know who they are.