Bhagavad Gita BG 17.2
Chapter 17, Verse 2 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा । सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां शृणु ॥
tri-vidhA bhavati shraddhA dehinam sa svabhava-ja sattviki rajasi caiva tamasi ceti tam shrnhu
Meaning
The shraddha of the embodied is of three kinds — born of one's own nature (svabhava). It is sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic. Hear of these.
Understanding
The Ch17 framework: shraddha (faith/heartfelt commitment) tri-vidha bhavati (is of three kinds). Dehinam (of embodied beings). Svabhava-ja (born of one's own nature/svabhava). The key insight: shraddha is not uniform — it takes the character of the dominant guna in the person. Just as the gunas color everything, they color one's faith: what one believes, what one values, what one is committed to. Sattvic faith is pure and oriented toward the divine; rajasic faith seeks power and status; tamasic faith is superstitious and inert.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| श्रद्धा | shraddhA | faith, heartfelt commitment, deep trust |
| त्रिविधा | tri-vidhA | of three kinds, threefold |
| स्वभावजा | svabhava-ja | born of one's own nature (svabhava = innate nature) |
| सात्त्विकी | sattviki | characterized by sattva, sattvic |
| राजसी | rajasi | characterized by rajas, rajasic |
| श्री भगवान् उवाच | śrī bhagavān uvāca | the blessed Lord said |
| त्रि-विधा | tri-vidhā | threefold |
| भवति | bhavati | is, becomes |
| श्रद्धा | śraddhā | faith |
| देहिनाम् | dehinām | of the embodied |
| सा | sā | it |
| स्वभाव-जा | svabhāva-jā | born of one's own nature |
| सात्त्विकी | sāttvikī | in the mode of goodness |
| राजसी | rājasī | in the mode of passion |
| च | ca eva | and also |
| तामसी | tāmasī | in the mode of ignorance |
| च | ca iti | and thus |
| तां | tāṃ | that |
| शृणु | śṛṇu | hear |