Chapter 17: Śraddhā-traya-vibhāga-yoga:: Verse 1
अर्जुन उवाच ।
ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विता: ।
तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वमाहो रजस्तम: ॥
arjuna uvāca
ye śāstra-vidhim-utsṛjya
yajante śraddhayānvitā:
teṣāṃ niṣṭhā tu kā kṛṣṇa
sattvam-āho rajas-tama: – 17.1
Arjuna asked: Those who offer their sacrifice with full faith, but disregarding the scriptural injunctions, of what nature is their pursuit – sāttvika, rājasa or tāmasa?
Chapter 17: Śraddhā-traya-vibhāga-yoga: - Verse 1
Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha
Krishna concluded the earlier chapter by saying that although the sastras are the first and last word in discerning the good and bad for our life, the āsura people have no regard for sastras. They do everything driven by their desire and ego, and hence attain neither happiness nor success.
Krishna’s words touched Arjuna deeply, who instantly raises a relevant question: “Sastras being so adorable and indispensable, what is the fate of those who devoutly do their worship, but not conforming to the rules of the sastras?”
Are sastras more important or the faith, attention, and devotion? Obviously all cannot study the sastras, and follow their commands. At the same time, they cannot forgo their faithful worship too. Arjuna asks: “What is the kind of devotion or faith they have that motivates them to such worship or pursuit as they resort to? Can we categorize their pursuit according to the three gunas?”
