BHAGAVAD-GITA 17:3

[Guest guest]

BHAGAVAD-GITA 17:3

 

sattvanurupa sarvasya

sraddha bhavati bharata

sraddha-mayo 'yam puruso

yo yac-chraddhah sa eva sah

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

sattva-anurupa--according to the existence; sarvasya--of everyone;

sraddha--faith; bhavati--becomes; bharata--O son of Bharata;

sraddha--faith; mayah--full of; ayam--this; purusah--living entity;

yah--who; yat--having which; sraddhah--faith; sah--thus;

eva--certainly; sah--he.

 

TRANSLATION

 

O son of Bharata, according to one's existence under the various modes

of nature, one evolves a particular kind of faith. The living being is

said to be of a particular faith according to the modes he has

acquired.

 

PURPORT

 

Everyone has a particular type of faith, regardless of what he is. But

his faith is considered good, passionate or ignorant according to the

nature he has acquired. Thus, according to his particular type of

faith, one associates with certain persons. Now the real fact is that

every living being, as is stated in the Fifteenth Chapter, is

originally a fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Therefore

one is originally transcendental to all the modes of material nature.

But when one forgets his relationship with the Supreme Personality of

Godhead and comes into contact with the material nature in conditional

life, he generates his own position by association with the different

varieties of material nature. The resultant artificial faith and

existence are only material. Although one may be conducted by some

impression, or some conception of life, originally he is nirguna, or

transcendental. Therefore one has to become cleansed of the material

contamination that he has acquired, in order to regain his

relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is the only path back without

fear: Krsna consciousness. If one is situated in Krsna consciousness,

then that path is guaranteed for his elevation to the perfectional

stage. If one does not take to this path of self-realization, then he

is surely to be conducted by the influence of the modes of nature.

 

The word sraddha, or "faith," is very significant in this verse.

Sraddha, or faith, originally comes out of the mode of goodness. One's

faith may be in a demigod or some created God or some mental

concoction. One's strong faith is supposed to be productive of works

of material goodness. But in material conditional life, no works are

completely purified. They are mixed. They are not in pure goodness.

Pure goodness is transcendental; in purified goodness one can

understand the real nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As

long as one's faith is not completely in purified goodness, the faith

is subject to contamination by any of the modes of material nature.

The contaminated modes of material nature expand to the heart.

Therefore according to the position of the heart in contact with a

particular mode of material nature, one's faith is established. It

should be understood that if one's heart is in the mode of goodness

his faith is also in the mode of goodness. If his heart is in the mode

of passion, his faith is also in the mode of passion. And if his heart

is in the mode of darkness, illusion, his faith is also thus

contaminated. Thus we find different types of faith in this world, and

there are different types of religions due to different types of

faith. The real principle of religious faith is situated in the mode

of pure goodness, but because the heart is tainted we find different

types of religious principles. Thus according to different types of

faith, there are different kinds of worship.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.