Chapter 17

Shloka 17.8 “Foods that promote life, vitality, strength, health, joy, and cheerfulness, savory, mild, substantial, agreeable, are dear to the sattvic.” Key Teaching: Sattvic foods promote vitality and health. Theme: Guidance, Jnana Yoga, Moksha Sannyasa Yoga. Description: Krishna describes sattvic foods as those promoting life, vitality, strength, health, joy, and cheerfulness, being savory, mild, substantial, […]

Shloka 17.7 “The food each prefers is also threefold, as are sacrifice, austerity, and charity; hear their distinctions.” Key Teaching: Food, sacrifice, austerity, and charity are threefold, based on gunas. Theme: Guidance, Jnana Yoga, Moksha Sannyasa Yoga. Description: Krishna states that food, sacrifice, austerity, and charity are threefold, based on gunas, and will explain their

Shloka 17.6 “They, weakening the body’s elements, also torment Me, the dweller in the body; know them as demonic in resolve.” Key Teaching: Unscriptural austerities harm the body and Krishna within. Theme: Guidance, Jnana Yoga, Moksha Sannyasa Yoga, Bhakti Yoga. Description: Krishna warns that those weakening the body’s elements through unscriptural austerities also torment Him,

Shloka 17.5 “Those who perform severe austerities not enjoined by scriptures, driven by hypocrisy and ego, impelled by desire and passion.” Key Teaching: Unscriptural austerities driven by ego and desire are flawed. Theme: Guidance, Jnana Yoga, Moksha Sannyasa Yoga, Karma Yoga. Description: Krishna describes those performing severe, unscriptural austerities driven by hypocrisy, ego, desire, and

Shloka 17.4 “Sattvic men worship gods, rajasic worship yakshas and rakshasas, tamasic worship ghosts and spirits.” Key Teaching: Worship reflects faith’s nature: sattvic to gods, rajasic to yakshas, tamasic to spirits. Theme: Guidance, Jnana Yoga, Moksha Sannyasa Yoga, Bhakti Yoga. Description: Krishna explains that sattvic men worship gods, rajasic worship yakshas and rakshasas, and tamasic

Shloka 17.3 “The faith of each is according to his nature, O Bharata; man is made of faith; as his faith is, so is he.” Key Teaching: Faith reflects one’s nature, defining their being. Theme: Guidance, Jnana Yoga, Moksha Sannyasa Yoga. Description: Krishna states that each person’s faith aligns with their nature, and man is

Shloka 17.2 “The Blessed Lord said: Threefold is the faith of embodied beings, born of their nature: sattvic, rajasic, tamasic; hear of it.” Key Teaching: Faith is threefold, based on sattva, rajas, or tamas. Theme: Guidance, Jnana Yoga, Moksha Sannyasa Yoga. Description: Krishna explains that the faith of embodied beings is threefold—sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic—based

Shloka 17.1 “Arjuna said: Those who discard scriptures but worship with faith, what is their condition, O Krishna? Sattva, rajas, or tamas?” Key Teaching: Arjuna questions the faith of those who worship without scriptures. Theme: Guidance, Jnana Yoga, Moksha Sannyasa Yoga. Description: Arjuna asks Krishna about the condition of those who discard scriptures but worship