Verse 17.1

ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विताः ।

तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वमाहो रजस्तमः ॥

17.1

Transliteration

ye śāstravidhimutsṛjya yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ |

teṣāṃ niṣṭhā tu kā kṛṣṇa sattvamāho rajastamaḥ ||

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3

Translation

Arjuna said Those who, setting aside the ordinances of the scriptures, perform sacrifice with faith, what is their condition, O Krishna? Is is Sattva, Rajas or Tamas?

From the owner's sheet · +1 more

Word by word

those who
the injunctions of scripture
setting aside
worship
with faith
endowed

their
standing
but
what
O Krishna
sattva
or
rajas
tamas

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08

Explanation

Arjuna picks up the closing words of the previous chapter, which made scripture the guide for action. He asks about people who do not follow scripture's rules yet worship sincerely with faith (śraddhā). Where do they stand: in sattva (clarity), rajas (passion) or tamas (inertia)? It is a fair and practical question, since many devout people know little of formal injunctions. The question shows Arjuna now thinking actively about the teaching, and it opens a chapter that classifies faith and religious practice by the three qualities (guṇa).