SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
SlOkam – Original
yajanthE sAthvikA dhEvAn yaksharakshAmsi rAjasA: |
prEthAn bhUthagaNAmS chAnyE yajanthE thAmasA janA: ||
word-by-word meaning
sAthvikA: – Those who are having abundance of sathva guNam (goodness), and faith in such mode
dhEvAn – dhEvas (celestial beings)
yajanthE – worship;
rAjasA: – those who are having abundance of rajO guNam (passion), and faith in such mode
yaksha rakshAmsi (yajanthE) – worship yakshas (ghosts) and rAkshasas (demons);
anyE – others who are different from the aforementioned two categories of people
thAmasA: – those who are having abundance of thamO guNam (ignorance), and faith in such mode
prEthAn – dead people
bhUthagaNAn cha – devils
yajanthE – worship
Simple Translation
Those who are having abundance of sathva guNam (goodness), and faith in such mode, worship dhEvas (celestial beings); those who are having abundance of rajO guNam (passion) and faith in such mode, worship yakshas (ghosts) and rAkshasas (demons); those others who are different from the aforementioned two categories of people and who are having abundance of thamO guNam (ignorance) and faith in such mode, worship dead people and devils.
Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam
‘Those of Satvam worship the Devas; those of Rajas, the Yakshas and Rakshas; and then those of Tamas worship the Pretas and the hosts of the Bhūtas.’
Those in whom the Satva quality reigns, become united to the Satva-kind of faith, and they worship the Devas. That faith is called the faith of Satva, which concerns itself with the supreme bliss-fraught Deva-Sacrifices, —bliss unmixed with pain.
Those of Rajas-quality (similarly) resort to the worship of Yakshas and Rakshas; and those of Tamas-quality to Pretas and hosts of Bhūtas. The Rajas-faith is that which gives birth to some happiness but mixed with pain; the Tamas-faith is that which gives birth to little or no happiness, tantamount to pain itself.
Thus, fruits differ according to the qualities with which Sacrifices etc., are performed in faith, even when those Sacrifices are in accordance with Śāstra. (Lord Kṛishṇa) now declares what he had before reserved in his mind that not the smallest modicum of happiness attends the performance of anti-Śāstra penances, Sacrifices etc., inasmuch as they are opposed to His Mandates. Not only that no happiness results but positive evil attends.
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