सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत |
श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्ध: स एव स: || 3||
sattvānurūpā sarvasya śhraddhā bhavati bhārata
śhraddhā-mayo ‘yaṁ puruṣho yo yach-chhraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ
sattva-anurūpā—conforming to the nature of one’s mind; sarvasya—all; śhraddhā—faith; bhavati—is; bhārata—Arjun, the scion of Bharat; śhraddhāmayaḥ—possessing faith; ayam—that; puruṣhaḥ—human being; yaḥ—who; yat-śhraddhaḥ—whatever the nature of their faith; saḥ—their; eva—verily; saḥ—they
Translation:
The faith of each man is in accordance with his natural disposition. A man, Ο Bhārata, is made of his faith; what his faith is, that verily he is.
Commentary:
The mind (the inner organ) is alone the Jiva (man). So if the mind is pure, purity becomes the essence of that man. Here the word ‘sattva‘ means mind. Every individual acquires that nature which he has brought with him from his experience in former births. And his faith takes on that quality only. He is that faith, qualified by his Samskaras. So it is the duty of man to instill Sattvic disposition into his character and by practice transcend that also to reach the highest state. The Tamasic and Rajasic kinds of Sraddha should be abandoned, because they also pull man downwards into lower forms of existence. Among the qualities, Sattva is the nearest to Atma, and in Suddha-sattva, man directly perceives Atma, and enters the Nirguna state. That is the real Self of man, that is his final goal.
- “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” is a phrase from the Bible, Proverbs 23:7.
- One can attain success in any endeavor if one perseveres with firm determination (MB 12.153.116). Whatever a person of purified mind desires, is obtained (MuU 3.01.10). The doer of good acts becomes good, and the doer of evil becomes evil. One becomes virtuous by virtuous deeds and vicious by vicious acts (BrU 4.04.05). We all have the power to change. One becomes what one constantly and intensely thinks of, irrespective of reasons, such as reverence, fear, jealousy, love, or even hatred (BP 11.09.22). You always get what you look for — consciously or unconsciously. The thought produces action; action soon becomes habits and habit leads to success in any endeavor when it becomes passion. Become passionate about what you want to achieve, and you will achieve it. Burning desire brings out the dormant forces.
Question: What kind of Sraddha does man acquire?
Answer: It is in conformity with the disposition of his mind.
Question: With what is man filled?
Answer: Sraddha.
Question: What is the state of man?
Answer: It is just what his mind is. This state is called Jiva. (The real man is the supreme Self and not the reflected personality created in the mind).
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 17 🔻 (28 Verses)
