Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17, Verse 3

Chapter 17 – Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत ।
श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः ॥

Transliteration

sattvānurūpā sarvasya śraddhā bhavati bhārata .
śraddhāmayo.ayaṃ puruṣo yo yacchraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ ॥

Meaning

The faith of each person accords with his inner nature, O Bharata. A person is made of faith; whatever his faith is, that indeed he is.

Word meanings

सत्त्वानुरूपा – in accordance with one's inner nature
सर्वस्य – of everyone
श्रद्धा – faith
भवति – is
भारत – O Bharata
श्रद्धामयः – made of faith
अयम् – this
पुरुषः – person
यः – who
यच्छ्रद्धः – whatever his faith
सः – he
एव – indeed
सः – that

Anvaya (word order)

भारत, सर्वस्य श्रद्धा सत्त्वानुरूपा भवति । अयं पुरुषः श्रद्धामयः; यः यच्छ्रद्धः, सः एव सः ।

Explanation

This is one of the most profound psychological and spiritual formulas in the Gita. Shraddhamayo 'yam purushah: a person is made of faith. Yo yac-chraddhah sa eva sah: whatever his faith is, that he is.

The first sentence says sattvanurupa sarvasya shraddha bhavati: everyone's faith accords with his sattva. Here sattva does not mean the guna of that name but the inner instrument, the mind as shaped by past impressions. Shankara calls it 'the inner instrument endowed with particular tendencies'. As the mind is, so is the faith.

The second sentence goes deeper: a person is shraddhamaya. Just as a pot made of clay is called mrinmaya, 'made of clay', a human personality is made of faith. What we hold to be true and valuable determines how we think, what we want and how we act. Our faith shapes our decisions, our relationships and the direction of our lives. If someone's deepest faith is in money, his whole life will revolve around money; if it is in God, it will revolve around God.

Yo yac-chraddhah sa eva sah has two senses. A person is known by his faith; and a person gradually becomes what he places his faith in. The Upanishads likewise teach that one becomes what one resolves. Faith is not mere belief but a power of transformation.

This verse is the core of the answer to Arjuna's question. The standing of one who worships without scriptural guidance is decided by his faith, and his faith by his nature. So one can discern a person's nature from what he worships, as the next verse describes.

This teaching holds both hope and responsibility. The hope is that by changing our faith we can change ourselves; through good company, study and practice, faith can be turned in a higher direction. The responsibility is that we must choose with care what we put our faith in, because in the end we become it.

Context

The previous verse said that faith is threefold; here Krishna states its basis: a person is made of faith. The next verse names the objects of worship of the three types of people.

Life lesson

You gradually become whatever you place your deepest faith in. So choose thoughtfully what your faith rests on: wealth, ego, or truth and God.

Key terms

Sattvanurupa: In accordance with one's inner nature
Shraddhamaya: Made of faith — faith is the essence of personality
Yo yac-chraddhah sa eva sah: As one's faith is, so one is