Chapter 17, Verse 18 (Bhagavad Gita 17.18)
Chapter 17: Śhraddhā Traya Vibhāg Yog – Yoga through Discerning the Three Divisions of Faith
Sanskrit Shloka
सत्कारमानपूजार्थं तपो दम्भेन चैव यत्।क्रियते तदिह प्रोक्तं राजसं चलमध्रुवम्
Transliteration
satkāra-māna-pūjārthaṁ tapo dambhena chaiva yat kriyate tad iha proktaṁ rājasaṁ chalam adhruvam
Word Meanings
sat-kāra—respect; māna—honor; pūjā—adoration; artham—for the sake of; tapaḥ—austerity; dambhena—with ostentation; cha—also; eva—certainly; yat—which; kriyate—is performed; tat—that; iha—in this world; proktam—is said; rājasam—in the mode of passion; chalam—flickering; adhruvam—temporary
Translation
Austerity that is performed to gain respect, honor, and adoration, and also out of hypocrisy, is declared to be Rajasic; it is unstable and transient.
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound revelation, Lord Krishna exposes the spiritual vanity that often masquerades as devotion. When a seeker performs penance not for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, but for the applause of the material world, they entangle themselves further in the web of ego. Bhagwan Shri Krishna warns that such actions are inherently unstable because they rely on the fickle opinions of others rather than the eternal truth of the soul. True austerity, as Yogeshwar Krishna teaches, must be rooted in selfless surrender to Him, transforming the heart from a vessel of pride into a sanctified dwelling for the Divine. Only by abandoning the desire for prestige can a soul move beyond the transient nature of Rajasic actions toward the eternal peace of Moksha.