ARJUNA:-

1. Those who forsake the law of the Scriptures and yet offer
sacrifice full of faith—what is this condition, Krishna/ is it of
Sattva, Rajas, or Tamas—of light, of fire, or of darkness?
KRISHNA:-
2. The faith of men, born of their nature, is if three kinds: of
light, of fire and of darkness. Hear now of these.
3. The faith of a man follows his nature, Arjuna. Man is made
of faith: as his faith is so he is.
4. Men of light—worship the gods of Light; men of fire
worship the gods of power and wealth; men of darkness
worship ghosts and spirits of night.
5. There are men selfish and false who moved by their lusts
and passions perform terrible austerities not ordained by
sacred books:
6. Fools who torture the powers of life in their bodies and me
who dwells in them. Know that their mind is darkness.
7. Hear now of three kinds of food, the three kinds of
sacrifice, the three kinds of harmony, and three kinds of gifts.
8. Men who are pure like food which is pure: which gives
health, mental power, strength and long life; which has taste,
is soothing and nourishing, and which makes glad the heart
of man.
9. Men of Rajas like food of Rajas: acid and sharp, and salty
and dry, and which brings heaviness and sickness and pain.
10. Men of darkness eat food which is stab and tasteless,
which is rotten and left over night, impure, unfit for holy
offerings.
11. A sacrifice is pure when it is an offering of adoration in
harmony with the holy law, with no expectation of a reward,
and with the heart saying ‘it is my duty’.
12. But a sacrifice that is done for the sake a reward or for
the sake of vainglory is an impure sacrifice of Rajas.
13. And a sacrifice done against the holy law, without faith,
and sacred words, and the gifts of food, and the due offering,
is a sacrifice of darkness.
14. Reverence for the gods of Light, for the twice-born, for
the teachers of Spirit and for the wise; and also purity,
righteousness, chastity and non-violence: this is the
harmony of the body.
15. Words which give peace, words which are good and
beautiful and true, and also the reading of sacred books: this
is the harmony of words.
16. Quietness of mind, silence, self-harmony, loving-
kindness and a pure heart: this is the harmony of the mind.
17. This threefold harmony is called pure when it is practised
with supreme faith with no desire for a reward and with
oneness of soul.
18. But false austerity, for the sake of reputation, honour and
reverence, is impure: it belongs to Rajas and is unstable and
uncertain.
19. When self-control is self-torture, due to dullness of the
mind, or when it aims at hurting another, then self-control is
of darkness.
20. A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right
person at the right time and at the right place, and when we
expect nothing in return.
21. But when it is given expecting something in return, or for
the sake of a future reward, or when it is given unwillingly,
the gift is of Rajas, impure.
22. And a gift given to the wrong person, at the wrong time
and the wrong place, or a gift which comes not from the
heart, and is given with proud contempt, is a gift of darkness.
23. OM, TAT, SAT, Each one of these three words is one
word for Brahman, from whom came in the beginning the
Brahmins, the Vedas and the Sacrifice.
24. Therefore with the word OM the lovers of Brahman begin
all work of sacrifice, gift or self-harmony, done according to
the Scriptures.
25. And with the word TAT, and with renunciation of all
reward, this same work of sacrifice, gift or self-harmony is
being done by those seekers of Infinite Liberty.
26. SAT is what is good and what is true: when therefore a
work is well done the end of that work is SAT.
27. Constant faithfulness in sacrifice, gift, or self-harmony is
SAT; and also all work consecrated to Brahman.
28. But work done without faith is ASAT, is nothing; sacrifice,
gift, or self-harmony done without faith are nothing, both in
this world and in the world to come.

End of Part Seventeen.