Bhagavad Gita 17.12अभिसंधाय तु फलं दम्भार्थमपि चैव यत्।इज्यते भरतश्रेष्ठ तं यज्ञं विद्धि राजसम् ॥
abhisandhāya tu phalaṁ dambhārtham api chaiva yat
ijyate bharata-śhreṣhṭha taṁ yajñaṁ viddhi rājasam
Sanskrit recitation
Food, effort, and giving · 17.7–17.22 · Teaching
Translation
The sacrifice that is offered, O Arjuna, seeking a reward and for show, know that to be a Rajasic Yajna.
Hindi translation
परन्तु हे भरतश्रेष्ठ अर्जुन ! जो यज्ञ फलकी इच्छाको लेकर अथवा दम्भ-(दिखावटीपन-) के लिये भी किया जाता है, उसको तुम राजस समझो।
Meaning
If anyone performs a sacrifice in order to obtain, heaven, son, wealth, or name and fame, then it is a sacrifice of a Rajasic nature. The performer of this kind of sacrifice has the motive of increasing his own importance, for popularising his own name in the world, for gaining some reward, for showing himself off as a great, pious and learned man, for making an exhibition of his riches for his own glorificaion. He has no aspiration for attaining the knowledge of the Self.
After Swami Sivananda
Food, effort, and giving· 17.7–17.22→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 17.7The food that is dear to each is threefold, as well as sacrifice, austerity, and…
- 17.8The foods that increase life, purity, strength, health, joy, and cheerfulness (good…
- 17.9The foods that are bitter, sour, salty, overly hot, pungent, dry, and burning are liked by…
- 17.10That which is stale, tasteless, putrid, rotten, rejected, and impure is the food liked by…
- 17.11That sacrifice which is offered by men without desire for reward, as enjoined by the…
17.12The sacrifice that is offered, O Arjuna, seeking a reward and for show, know that to be a…
- 17.13They declare that sacrifice to be Tamasic which is contrary to the ordinances of the…
- 17.14Worship of the gods, the twice-born, the teachers, and the wise; purity,…
- 17.15Speech that causes no excitement, is truthful, pleasant, and beneficial; the practice of…
- 17.16Serenity of mind, good-heartedness, self-control, and purity of nature—this is called…
- 17.17This threefold austerity, practiced by steadfast men, with the utmost faith, desiring no…
- 17.18The austerity that is practiced with the aim of gaining good reception, honor, and…
- 17.19That austerity which is practised out of a foolish notion, with self-torture, or for the…
- 17.20That gift which is given to one who does nothing in return, knowing it to be a duty to…
- 17.21And, that gift which is given with the intention of receiving something in return, or…
- 17.22The gift that is given in the wrong place and at the wrong time, to unworthy persons,…
Word-by-word→
- tu
- but
- api
- also
- cha
- and
- eva
- certainly
- tam
- that
- yat
- that which
- artham
- for the sake of
- dambha
- pride
- ijyate
- is performed
- phalam
- the result
- viddhi
- know
- yajñam
- sacrifice
- rājasam
- in the mode of passion
- abhisandhāya
- motivated by
- bharata-śhreṣhṭha
- Arjun, the best of the Bharatas
Read this when you feel
Related verses
- 8.8With the mind not moving towards any other thing, made steadfast through the practice of…
- 18.6But even these actions should be performed, leaving aside attachment and the desire for…
- 7.23Verily, the reward (fruit) that accrues to those men of small intelligence is finite. The…
- 4.11In whatever way men approach Me, even so do I reward them; My path do men tread in all…