• Arjuna. If men forsake the holy ordinance,
• Heedless of Shastras, yet keep faith at heart
• And worship, what shall be the state of those,
• Great Krishna! Sattwan, Rajas, Tamas? Say!
• Krishna. Threefold the faith is of mankind, and springs
• From those three qualities,- becoming "true,"
• Or "passion-stained," or "dark," as thou shalt hear!
• The faith of each believer, Indian Prince!
• Conforms itself to what he truly is.
• Where thou shalt see a worshipper, that one
• To what he worships lives assimilate,
• [Such as the shrine, so is the votary,]
• The "soothfast" souls adore true gods; the souls
• Obeying Rajas worship Rakshasas
• Or Yakshas; and the men of Darkness pray
• To Pretas and to Bhutas. Yea, and those
• Who practise bitter penance, not enjoined
• By rightful rule- penance which hath its root
• In self-sufficient, proud hypocrisies-
• Those men, passion-beset, violent, wild,
• Torturing- the witless ones- My elements
• Shut in fair company within their flesh,
• (Nay, Me myself, present within the flesh!)
• Know them to devils devoted, not to Heaven!
• For like as foods are threefold for mankind
• In nourishing, so is there threefold way
• Of worship, abstinence, and almsgiving!
• Hear this of Me! there is a food which brings
• Force, substance, strength, and health, and joy to live,
• Being well-seasoned, cordial, comforting,
• The "Soothfast" meat. And there be foods which bring
• Aches and unrests, and burning blood, and grief
• Being too biting, heating, salt, and sharp,
• And therefore craved by too strong appetite.
• And there is foul food- kept from over-night,
• Savourless, filthy, which the foul will eat,
• A feast of rottenness, meet for the lips
• Of such as love the "Darkness."
• Thus with rites;-
• A sacrifice not for rewardment made,
• Offered in rightful wise, when he who vows
• Sayeth, with heart devout, "This I should do!
• Is "Soothfast" rite. But sacrifice for gain,
• Offered for good repute, be sure that this,
• O Best of Bharatas! is Rajas-rite,
• With stamp of "passion." And a sacrifice
• Offered against the laws, with no due dole
• Of food-giving, with no accompaniment
• Of hallowed hymn, nor largesse to the priests,
• In faithless celebration, call it vile,
• The deed of "Darkness!"- lost!
• Worship of gods
• Meriting worship; lowly reverence
• Of Twice-borns, Teachers, Elders; Purity,
• Rectitude, and the Brahmacharya's vow,
• And not to injure any helpless thing,-
• These make a true religiousness of Act.
• Words causing no man woe, words ever true,
• Gentle and pleasing words, and those ye say
• In murmured reading of a Sacred Writ,-
• These make the true religiousness of Speech.
• Serenity of soul, benignity,
• Sway of the silent Spirit, constant stress
• To sanctify the Nature,- these things make
• Good rite, and true religiousness of Mind.
• Such threefold faith, in highest piety
• Kept, with no hope of gain, by hearts devote
• Is perfect work of Sattwan, true belief.
• Religion shown in act of proud display
• To win good entertainment, worship, fame,
• Such- say I- is of Rajas, rash and vain.
• Religion followed by a witless will
• To torture self, or come at power to hurt
• Another,- 'tis of Tamas, dark and ill.
• The gift lovingly given, when one shall say
• "Now must I gladly give!" when he who takes
• Can render nothing back; made in due place,
• Due time, and to a meet recipient,
• Is gift of Sattwan, fair and profitable.
• The gift selfishly given, where to receive
• Is hoped again, or when some end is sought,
• Or where the gift is proffered with a grudge,
• This is of Rajas, stained with impulse, ill.
• The gift churlishly flung, at evil time,
• In wrongful place, to base recipient,
• Made in disdain or harsh unkindliness,
• Is gift of Tamas, dark; it doth not bless!
• HERE ENDETH Chapter XVII OF THE

BHAGAVAD-GITA, Entitled "Sraddhatrayavibhagayog," Or "The Book of Religion by the Threefold Kinds of Faith."