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Bhagavad Gita

Chapter 17

Sraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga

"The Yoga of the Division of the Three Types of Faith"

Chapter 17 explores the three types of faith (sraddha) based on the three modes of nature. Krushna explains how faith determines one's worship, food preferences, charity, austerity, and ultimately their spiritual destination.

🛐 Three Types of Faith and Worship

  • Sattvic Faith: Those in goodness worship demigods and follow scriptural regulations
  • Rajasic Faith: Those in passion worship demons, ghosts, and spirits for material gain
  • Tamasic Faith: Those in ignorance worship ghosts and spirits with wrong understanding
  • Everyone has faith according to their nature—even atheists have faith in their disbelief
  • Faith determines the type of spiritual practice and ultimate destination
"According to the modes of nature acquired by the embodied soul, one's faith can be of three kinds—in goodness, in passion or in ignorance. Now hear about this." (Verse 2)

🍽️ Food and the Three Modes

  • Sattvic Food: Promotes longevity, virtue, strength, health, happiness—sweet, juicy, fattening, wholesome
  • Rajasic Food: Causes distress, misery, disease—bitter, sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry, burning
  • Tamasic Food: Food that is stale, tasteless, putrid, rotten, refuse, unclean
  • Food preferences reveal one's mental and spiritual state
  • Proper diet supports spiritual practice and mental clarity
"Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one's existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart." (Verse 8)

🎁 Charity in Three Modes

  • Sattvic Charity: Given at proper place and time to worthy person without expecting return
  • Rajasic Charity: Given reluctantly, expecting some return or for fame and recognition
  • Tamasic Charity: Given at wrong place and time to unworthy person, without respect
  • The attitude and motivation behind charity determines its spiritual value
  • Pure charity purifies the giver and creates spiritual merit
"Charity given out of duty, without expectation of return, at the proper time and place, and to a worthy person is considered to be in the mode of goodness." (Verse 20)

🧘 Austerity in Three Modes

  • Sattvic Austerity: Performed with faith, without desire for results, following spiritual principles
  • Rajasic Austerity: Performed for gaining respect, honor, and reverence—hypocritical and unstable
  • Tamasic Austerity: Performed foolishly with self-torture or to harm others
  • True austerity involves discipline of body, speech, and mind
  • Proper austerity develops spiritual strength and purification
"Austerity of the body consists in worship of the Supreme Lord, the brahmanas, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father and mother, and in cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy and nonviolence." (Verse 14)

🕉️ Om Tat Sat - The Eternal Truth

  • Om: Represents the Supreme Absolute Truth; chanted before spiritual activities
  • Tat: Means "that" referring to the Supreme; used when performing sacrifice without attachment to results
  • Sat: Means "eternal truth"; represents reality, goodness, and auspiciousness
  • These three words designate the Supreme Absolute Truth
  • Acts performed without faith are considered "asat" (false) and have no value in this life or next
"From the beginning of creation, the three words om tat sat were used to indicate the Supreme Absolute Truth. These three symbolic representations were used by brahmanas while chanting the hymns of the Vedas and during sacrifices for the satisfaction of the Supreme." (Verse 23)