17.3 sathvAnurUpA sarvasya

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

Chapter 17

<< Chapter 17 Verse 2

SlOkam – Original

sathvAnurUpA sarvasya SradhdhA bhavathi bhAratha |
SraddhAmayO’yam purushO yO yachchradhdha: sa Eva sa: ||

word-by-word meaning

bhAratha – Oh descendant of bharatha clan!
sarvasya – for everyone
sathvAnurUpA – as per their desire
SradhdhA bhavathi – faith occurs;
ayam purusha: – this person
SradhdhA maya: – is a transformation of such faith;
ya: – who
yachchradhdha: – whatever faith he is with
sa Eva sa: – he is a result of that such only.

Simple Translation

Oh descendant of bharatha clan! For all individuals, their faith occurs as per their desire; this person is a transformation of such faith; whatever faith a person is with, he is a result of such faith only.

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

‘The faith of every one, Bhārata! accords with his mind; one is saturated with faith; of what one is, he is that.'[1. ‘Desire first fathers the thought, and then thought woos belief’ says Alger.]

Satvam=Antaḥ-karaṇam=(The inner-sense), the mind. As is the mind, so is the faith of every person; in other words, whatever quality is the mind conjoined with, faith is begot for such things as are of that quality. The term satvam (mind) implies the body and the senses mentioned afore-said (See Comm: Stanza[2. TBD.]).

Śraddhāmayaḥ or the man saturated with faith: means that man is the embodiment of faith itself.

Of whatever faith he is united to, into that faith he becomes transformed. The sense is that if a person is filled with faith for a meritorious work, he becomes entitled to meritorious fruit thereof; so that faith of any kind leads to a fruit corresponding to that faith.

The subject is further expanded:

>> Chapter 17 Verse 4

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