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Chapter 17

Bhagavad-gītā 17.1

Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.

अर्जुन उवाचये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयाऽन्विताः।तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वमाहो रजस्तमः।।17.1।।

arjuna uvācha ye śhāstra-vidhim utsṛijya yajante śhraddhayānvitāḥ teṣhāṁ niṣhṭhā tu kā kṛiṣhṇa sattvam āho rajas tamaḥ

Verse translation

Those who setting aside the ordinance of the Shâstra, perform sacrifice with Shraddhâ, what is their condition, O Krishna? (Is it) Sattva, Rajas or Tamas?

English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.

The strands of nature for Bhagavad-gītā 17.1Qualities weave experience and conduct. This composition is unique to Bhagavad-gītā 17.1 and uses the verse's key terms.1arjunaḥ uvācha2niṣhṭhā3tamaḥBhagavad-gītā 17.1
The strands of natureQualities weave experience and conduct
Word by word

Build the sentence from its parts

Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.

15word links
Sanskrit formMeaning here
arjunaḥ uvāchaArjun said
yewho
śhāstra-vidhimscriptural injunctions
utsṛijyadisregard
yajanteworship
śhraddhayā-anvitāḥwith faith
teṣhāmtheir
niṣhṭhāfaith
tuindeed
kāwhat
kṛiṣhṇaKrishna
sattvammode of goodness
āhoor
rajaḥmode of passion
tamaḥmode of ignorance
Explanation and elucidation

Use the word map to follow the relation among arjunaḥ uvācha (Arjun said), niṣhṭhā (faith), and tamaḥ (mode of ignorance). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to faith expressed through daily choices. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 17.1.

Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Trace how faith, worship, food, sacrifice, austerity and gift are described under the three guṇas.

Gaudiya study and reading shelf

Five careful reading routes

Rights-aware references

The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Bhagavad-gita As It Is
Modern protected edition

For Bhagavad-gita 17.1, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.

Find the authorized edition

Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Rasika-ranjana
Classical original-language work

A verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 17.1 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.

Independent rendering pending review

Baladeva Vidyabhushana

Gita-bhushana-bhashya
Public-domain Sanskrit original

The original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 17.1 must be verified before publication.

Independent translation pending review

Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura

Sarartha-varshini-tika
Public-domain Sanskrit original

The original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 17.1 must be verified before publication.

Independent translation pending review

Other Gaudiya acharyas

Authorized Gaudiya editions
Mixed rights status

For Bhagavad-gita 17.1, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.

Use an authorized edition
Diagram

Meaning map

Flow chart

Follow the thought

  1. 1

    Those who setting aside the ordinance of the Shâstra, perform sacrifice with Shraddhâ, what is their condition, O Krishna? (Is it) Sattva, Rajas or Tamas?

  2. 2

    arjunaḥ uvācha: Arjun said

  3. 3

    niṣhṭhā: faith

The strands of nature for Bhagavad-gītā 17.1Qualities weave experience and conduct. This composition is unique to Bhagavad-gītā 17.1 and uses the verse's key terms.1arjunaḥ uvācha2niṣhṭhā3tamaḥBhagavad-gītā 17.1
The strands of natureQualities weave experience and conduct
Easy way to remember

Look, link, cover, teach

1

Look

Picture three kinds of faith.

2

Link

Use the line starts: arjuna uvācha / ye śhāstra-vidhim / teṣhāṁ niṣhṭhā.

3

Cover

Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.

4

Teach

Explain the flow to another person without looking.

Keep what you learned

Turn this reading into a study record

Save it, return from memory, and write one idea in your own words. Your record stays in this browser unless you export it.

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A simple learning rhythm

Do more than reread

  1. 1ReadTake in one small piece.
  2. 2RememberClose it and bring it back.
  3. 3UseConnect it to a real choice.
  4. 4ExplainSay it clearly in your own words.
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