November 13, 2026
yaṣṭavyam eve ’ti manaḥ samādhāya sa sāttvikaḥ (XVII-11)
abhisaṁdhāya tu phalaṁ daṁbhārtham api cai ’va yat
ijyate bharataśreṣṭha taṁ yajñāṁ viddhi rājasaṁ (XVII-12)
vidhihīnam aṛṣṭānnaṁ mantrahīnam adakṣiṇaṁ
sraddhāvirahitaṁ yajñaṁ tāmasaṁ paricakṣate (XVII-13)
XVII/11. That sacrifice which is offered by men without desire for reward, as enjoined by the scripture with a firm faith that to do so is a duty, is sāttvika or pure.
XVII/12. The sacrifice which is offered, O Arjuna, seeking a reward and for ostentation, know thou that to be a rājasa yajña.
XVII/13. They declare that sacrifice to be tāmasa which is contrary to the ordinances of the scriptures, in which no food is distributed, which is devoid of mantra and gifts, and which is devoid of faith.
Swamiji's Commentary
This covers all forms of rituals and worships and could eventually be extended to embrace all departments of life itself.
It is easy to understand who performs the sāttvika and the rājasa types of sacrifices, and why. But it is difficult to understand the true significance of the tāmasa type. If I had not witnessed them, I would have refused to believe such a thing possible!
The ritual lacks scriptural sanction. No one concerned with its performance knows any mantra. The whole thing is a big farce and the carnival spirit prevails; and hence no one even thinks of charity (gifts of food, etc.), which might at least provide a relieving feature. On top of it all, the performer and those concerned have not the least faith in the ritual. Result: all sorts of sacrilegious words and deeds in the name of God and dharma. If all this had been done for the sake of earning name and fame, it would at best become rājasa. But no. It is done mechanically, prompted by a nebulous idea: “My grandfather used to do something like this.”
This carcass of a ritual is without justification for its existence. We should have the courage to revive the spirit of it, if at all possible, or bury it, replacing it by more meaningful rites.
Rituals have great spiritual value. They can effect a spiritual revolution within, if correctly performed.