Verse 17.28

अश्रद्धया हुतं दत्तं तपस्तप्तं कृतं च यत् ।

असदित्युच्यते पार्थ न च तत्प्रेत्य नो इह ॥

17.28

Transliteration

aśraddhayā hutaṃ dattaṃ tapastaptaṃ kṛtaṃ ca yat |

asadityucyate pārtha na ca tatpretya no iha ||

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

Translation

Whatever is sacrificed, given or performed, and whatever austerity is practised without faith, it is called 'Asat', O Arjuna; it is naught here or hereafter (after death).

From the owner's sheet · +1 more

Word by word

without faith
offered in fire
given
austerity
practised
done
and
whatever

Asat unreal
thus
is called
O Partha
not
and
that
after death
nor
here

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

Explanation

Krishna closes the chapter with a warning. Whatever is offered, given or done, and whatever austerity is practised without faith (śraddhā), is called Asat, unreal or worthless. It bears no fruit either after death or in this life. This answers Arjuna's opening question from another angle: faith decides the value of practice. Ritual correctness without faith is empty, and faith shaped by sattva gives practice its worth. The chapter thus ends where it began, with the central role of faith.