Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17, Verse 18

Chapter 17 – Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

सत्कारमानपूजार्थं तपो दम्भेन चैव यत् ।
क्रियते तदिह प्रोक्तं राजसं चलमध्रुवम् ॥

Transliteration

satkāramānapūjārthaṃ tapo dambhena caiva yat .
kriyate tadiha proktaṃ rājasaṃ calamadhruvam ॥

Meaning

Austerity practised to gain respect, honour and reverence, and with ostentation, is said here to be rajasic; it is unstable and fleeting.

Word meanings

सत्कार – respect, being well received
मान – honour
पूजा – reverence, being worshipped
अर्थम् – for the sake of
तपः – austerity
दम्भेन – with ostentation
च एव – and also
यत् – which
क्रियते – is practised
तत् – that
इह – here
प्रोक्तम् – is said to be
राजसम् – rajasic
चलम् – unstable
अध्रुवम् – fleeting, uncertain

Anvaya (word order)

यत् तपः सत्कारमानपूजार्थं दम्भेन च एव क्रियते, तत् इह चलम् अध्रुवं राजसं प्रोक्तम् ।

Explanation

Krishna now describes rajasic austerity. Its motive is satkara-mana-pujartham: the desire for respect, honour and reverence. Shankara explains the three separately. Satkara is being praised: 'What a great ascetic he is!' Mana is being honoured, people rising to greet and bow. Puja is being worshipped, people washing one's feet and bringing offerings. Such an ascetic seeks to please society through his practice, not God.

Dambhena chaiva: 'and with ostentation', that is, for show. Such austerity is performed with great fanfare in public but has no existence in private. Its value depends on the presence of an audience.

Krishna gives two features of this austerity: chalam and adhruvam. Chala means unstable: it lasts only as long as praise continues and is dropped as soon as the praise stops. Adhruva means uncertain or fleeting: its fruit is not lasting either. Whatever honour it brings is momentary, and it brings no self-purification at all.

The verse warns of a subtle danger in spiritual life. When a seeker makes some progress, people begin to honour him. If he starts to relish that honour, his practice gradually turns rajasic. That is why genuine seekers prefer to keep their practice hidden.

Context

The previous verse described sattvic austerity; this verse describes rajasic austerity. The next verse describes tamasic austerity.

Life lesson

A practice undertaken for praise stops when the praise stops. Keep your spiritual practice as private and simple as you can, with God alone as its witness.

Key terms

Rajasic tapas: Austerity practised for respect, honour, reverence and show
Chala: Unstable, wavering
Adhruva: Fleeting, of uncertain and impermanent result