Indian stream·Bhagavad Gita·Discourse 17: The Yoga of the Threefold Faith

Source context

Theme

threefold differentiation of faith, worship, food, sacrifice, and ascetic practice according to the gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas)

Soul-faculty

Intellectual Soul

Steiner

• GA 146, 1913-06-05Steiner treats the three gunas — sattva, rajas, tamas — as a key structural principle of the Bhagavad Gita's teaching, mapping them onto stages of soul development and the graduated ascent toward self-consciousness.
• GA 142, 1912-12-28Steiner identifies the Bhagavad Gita as a harmonious interpenetration of three spiritual streams (Vedic philosophy, Sankhya, and Yoga), all of which bear on the tripartite framework that Discourse 17 applies to faith and practice.

Cross-tradition

• Aristotelian ethics (virtue as mean)Cross-tradition congruence exists between the Gita's threefold faith-typology and Aristotle's distinction of three character-dispositions (virtue, excess, deficiency), each producing characteristically different forms of worship, diet, and self-discipline.
• Kabbalistic three-column schema (Etz Chayyim)Cross-tradition congruence appears between the sattva/rajas/tamas triad structuring human religiosity in Discourse 17 and the Kabbalistic three-column arrangement of the Tree of Life, which similarly distributes cosmic and psychic qualities across three qualitative poles.
• Platonic tripartite soul (logistikon / thymoeides / epithymetikon)Cross-tradition congruence is present between the Gita's assignment of faith-quality to innate soul-constitution and Plato's tripartition of the soul in the Republic, where the rational, spirited, and appetitive parts determine the character of a person's piety and moral practice.

Discourse 17: The Yoga of the Threefold Faith

17:1Arjuna said: Those that sacrifice full of faith, but casting aside the ordinances of
the Scriptures, what is verily their condition, O Krishna? Is it one of Purity, Passion, or Darkness?

17:2The Blessed Lord said: Threefold is by nature the inborn faith of the embodied
— pure, passionate, and dark. Hear thou of these.

17:3The faith of each is shaped to his own nature, O Bharata. The man consists of
his faith; that which his faith is, he is even that.

17:4Pure men worship the Gods; the passionate, the gnomes and giants; the others,
the dark folk, worship ghosts and troops of nature spirits.

17:5The men who perform severe austerities, unenjoined by the Scriptures, wedded
to vanity and egoism, impelled by the force of their desires and passions,

17:6Unintelligent, tormenting the aggregated elements forming the body, and Me
also, seated in the inner body, know these demoniacal in their resolves.

17:7The food also which is dear to each is threefold, as also sacrifice, austerity and
almsgiving. Hear thou the distinction of these.

17:8The foods that augment vitality, energy, vigour, health, joy and cheerfulness,
delicious, bland, substantial and agreeable, are dear to the pure.

17:9The passionate desire foods that are bitter, sour, saline, over-hot, pungent, dry
and burning and which produce pain, grief and sickness.

17:10That which is stale and flat, putrid and corrupt, leavings also and unclean, is
the food dear to the dark.

17:11The sacrifice which is offered by men without desire for fruit, as enjoined by
the ordinances, under the firm belief that sacrifice is a duty, that is pure.

17:12The sacrifice offered with a view verily to fruit, and also indeed for self-
glorification, O best of the Bharatas; know thou that to be of passion.

17:13The sacrifice contrary to the ordinances, without distributing food, devoid of
words of power and without gifts, empty of faith, is said to be of darkness.

17:14Worship given to the Gods, to the twice-born, to the teachers and to the wise,
purity, straightforwardness, continence and harmlessness, are called the austerity of the body.

17:15Speech causing no annoyance, truthful, pleasant and beneficial, the practice of
the study of the Scriptures, are called the austerity of speech.

17:16Mental happiness, equilibrium, silence, self-control, purity of nature—this is
called the austerity of the mind.

17:17This threefold austerity, performed by men with the utmost faith, without
desire for fruit, harmonised, is said to be pure.

17:18The austerity which is practised with the object of gaining respect, honour and
worship, and for ostentation, is said to be of passion, unstable and fleeting.

17:19That austerity done under a deluded understanding, with self-torture, or with
the object of destroying another, that is declared of darkness.

17:20That alms given to one who does nothing in return, believing that a gift ought
to be made in a fit place and time to a worthy person, that alms is accounted pure.

17:21That given with a view to receiving in return, or looking for fruit again, or
grudgingly, that alms is accounted of passion.

17:22That alms given at unfit place and time, and to unworthy persons,
disrespectfully and contemptuously, that is declared of darkness.

17:23"AUM TAT SAT," this has been considered to be the threefold designation of
the Eternal. By that were ordained of old Brahmanas, Vedas and sacrifices.

17:24Therefore with the pronunciation of "AUM" the acts of sacrifice, gift and
austerity as laid down in the ordinances are always commenced by the knowers of the Eternal.

17:25With the pronunciation of "TAT" and without aiming at fruit are performed the
various acts of sacrifice, austerity and gift, by those desiring liberation.

17:26"SAT" is used in the sense of reality and goodness; likewise, O Partha, the
word "SAT" is used in the sense of a good work.

17:27Steadfastness in sacrifice, austerity and gift is also called "SAT", and an action
for the sake of the Supreme is also named "SAT".

17:28Whatsoever is wrought without faith, oblation, gift, austerity, or other deed,
"ASAT" it is called, O Partha; it is nought, here or hereafter.

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