Bhagavad Gita BG 17.1
Chapter 17, Verse 1 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विताः । तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वमाहो रजस्तमः ॥
ye shastra-vidhim utsrjya yajante shraddhayanvitah tesham nishtha tu ka krishna sattvam aho rajas tamah
Meaning
Those who, setting aside scriptural injunctions, worship with faith — what is their state (nishtha), O Krishna? Is it sattva, rajas, or tamas?
Understanding
Arjuna's question opens the entire chapter and frames what follows. He has observed real people who genuinely believe — who worship with real shraddha — yet do not follow prescribed Vedic rites. Are they sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic? The question is existential: does sincerity of faith override the form of practice? Krishna's answer across Ch17 is subtle: both matter, but shraddha is the root. The state of one's faith tells you everything about the guna-nature that produced it. Shastra-vidhim utsrjya (setting aside scriptural injunction) — these are not rebels but sincere worshippers who have not received or followed formal instruction. Nishtha (state/standing) — what is their inner spiritual standing?
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| शास्त्रविधिम् | shastra-vidhim | scriptural injunction, the rule of scripture |
| उत्सृज्य | utsrjya | having set aside, abandoning |
| श्रद्धयान्विताः | shraddhayanvitah | endowed with faith, filled with shraddha |
| निष्ठा | nishtha | standing, state, foundation, settled condition |
| सत्त्वमाहो | sattvam aho | is it sattva — or (aho = or) |
| अर्जुन उवाच | arjuna uvāca | Arjuna said |
| ये | ye | those who |
| शास्त्र-विधिम् | śāstra-vidhim | the injunction of scripture |
| उत्सृज्य | utsṛjya | abandoning |
| यजन्ते | yajante | worship, sacrifice |
| श्रद्धया | śraddhayā | with faith |
| अन्विताः | anvitāḥ | endowed with |
| तेषाम् | teṣām | their |
| निष्ठा | niṣṭhā | conviction, standing |
| तु | tu | but |
| का | kā | what |
| कृष्ण | kṛṣṇa | O Krishna |
| सत्त्वम् | sattvam | goodness |
| आहो | āho | or |
| रजः | rajaḥ | passion |
| तमः | tamaḥ | ignorance |