Chapter 17, Verse 4 (Bhagavad Gita 17.4)
Chapter 17: Śhraddhā Traya Vibhāg Yog – Yoga through Discerning the Three Divisions of Faith
Sanskrit Shloka
यजन्ते सात्त्विका देवान्यक्षरक्षांसि राजसाः।प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये यजन्ते तामसा जनाः
Transliteration
yajante sāttvikā devān yakṣha-rakṣhānsi rājasāḥ pretān bhūta-gaṇānśh chānye yajante tāmasā janāḥ
Word Meanings
yajante—worship; sāttvikāḥ—those in the mode of goodness; devān—celestial gods; yakṣha—semi-celestial beings who exude power and wealth; rakṣhānsi—powerful beings who embody sensual enjoyment, revenge, and wrath; rājasāḥ—those in the mode of passion; pretān-bhūta-gaṇān—ghosts and spirits; cha—and; anye—others; yajante—worship; tāmasāḥ—those in the mode of ignorance; janāḥ—persons
Translation
Shri Krishna says: Men of sattva (goodness) worship the devas (demigods); men of rajas (passion) worship the yakshas and rakshasas; and others, who are of tamas (ignorance), worship the pretas (ghosts) and the hosts of spirits.
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound revelation, Bhagwan Shri Krishna explains that the object of one’s worship is a direct reflection of their own internal conditioning or guna. By identifying what a soul seeks, Shri Krishna reveals the stage of spiritual evolution that individual currently occupies. Through these words, the Lord invites every seeker to examine their desires and impulses, urging a transcendence from lower modes of existence toward the purity of sattva and ultimately toward Himself. Worship is not merely an external act; it is the fundamental resonance of the heart, determining one's path toward liberation or continued entanglement in the cycle of birth and death.