17.1 yE SAsthravidhim uthsrujya

SrI:  SrImathE SatakOpAya nama:  SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:  SrImath varavaramunayE nama:

Chapter 17

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SlOkam – Original

arjuna uvAcha
yE SAsthravidhim uthsrujya yajanthE SradhdhayAnvithA: |
thEshAm nishtA thu kA krishNa sathvam AhO rajas thama: ||

word-by-word meaning

arjuna uvAcha – arjuna spoke
krishNa – Oh krishNa!
yE – those
SAsthra vidhim uthsrujya – even after disregarding the rules of SAsthram
SradhdhayA anvithA: – with faith
yajanthE – performing yagya
thEshAm thu – their
nishtA – state
kA – in which?
sathvam – is it in sathva guNam (goodness)?
AhO raja: – or is it in rajO guNam (passion)?
(AhO) thama: – or is it in thamO guNam (ignorance)?

Simple Translation

Oh krishNa! In which state are those  who are performing yagya with faith even after disregarding the rules of SAsthram? Is it in sathva guNam (goodness), rajO guNam (passion) or in thamO guNam (ignorance)?

Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam

‘How is that Sacrifice characterized, Kṛishṇa! which by men, is done in faith (śraddhā), but incompatible with Śāstra’s canons?’

What is that (spiritual) status (nishṭhā) which consists in one renouncing Śāstrā’s biddings, but who yet performs a Sacrifice in full faith. —Is that characterizable as falling under any one of the three qualities (of matter) Satvam, or Rajas or Tamas?

Thus questioned, Bhagavān, reserving the subject of the futility of performing anti-Śāstra Sacrifices etc., albeit they be performed in faith, first expounds the three-fold nature of even the Śāstra-conforming works, thus:

>> Chapter 17 Verse 2

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