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Ch 17 · Śraddhātraya-Vibhāga-Yoga
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Bhagavad Gītā Chapter 17, Verse 3: Krishna to Arjuna — Śraddhātraya-Vibhāga-Yoga

Bhagavad Gītā 17.3Chapter 17 · Śraddhātraya-Vibhāga-Yoga · Krishna → Arjuna · Bhārata · anuṣṭubh
सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत ।
श्रद्धामयो ऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः ॥
sattv← sattva(20 verses)compound (compound member)purity, lightness (the first guṇa); being, essenceānurūpā sarvasya← sarva(138 verses)genitive masculine singular nounall, entireattested in commentariesadvaitaप्राणिजातस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारतviśiṣṭādvaitaपुरुषस्य अन्तःकरणानुरूपा श्रद्धा भवति अन्तःकरणं यादृशगुणयुक्तम्, तद्विषया श्रद्धा जायते इत्यर्थःdvaitaश्रद्धा भवति इति वचनं कथं न व्याहतं इत्यत आह -- सत्त्वे तिbhaktiविवेकिनोऽविवेकिनो वा लोकस्य श्रद्धा भवतिadvaita-bhaktiप्राणिजातस्य सत्त्वानुरूपा श्रद्धा सत्त्ववैचित्र्याद्विचित्रा भवति सत्त्वप्रधानेऽन्तःकरणे सात्त्विकी, रजःप्रधाने,तस्मिन śraddhā← śraddhā(13 verses)nominative feminine singular nounfaith, trust, convictionattested in commentariesadvaitaभवति भारतviśiṣṭādvaitaभवति अन्तःकरणं यादृशगुणयुक्तम्, तद्विषया श्रद्धा जायते इत्यर्थःdvaitaत्रिविधेत्युक्ता, पुनःसत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति इति वचनं कथं न व्याहतं इत्यत आह -- सत्त्वे तिśuddhādvaitaभवति पूर्वसंस्कारानुगतमन्तःकरणं यादृशं तादृशी श्रद्धा येषां शास्त्रज्ञानरहितमन्तःकरणं तेषां श्रद्धाऽपि तथा येषां न तथाbhaktiसात्त्विक्येव सत्त्वकार्यत्वेन त्वयैव भगवता उद्धवं प्रति निर्दिष्टत्वात् bhavati← √bhū(51 verses)present indicative 3rd person singular verbto be, become; the earth (verbal root / noun)attested in commentariesadvaitaभारत। यदि एवं ततः किं स्यादिति, उच्यते -- श्रद्धामयः अयं श्रद्धाप्रायः पुरुषः संसारी जीवः। कथम् यः यच्छ्रद्धः या श्रद्धviśiṣṭādvaitaअन्तःकरणं यादृशगुणयुक्तम्, तद्विषया श्रद्धा जायते इत्यर्थःdvaitaइति वचनं कथं न व्याहतं इत्यत आह -- सत्त्वे तिśuddhādvaitaपूर्वसंस्कारानुगतमन्तःकरणं यादृशं तादृशी श्रद्धा येषां शास्त्रज्ञानरहितमन्तःकरणं तेषां श्रद्धाऽपि तथा येषां न तथा तेषांbhakti। तस्मादयं पुरुषो लौकिकः श्रद्धामयः श्रद्धाविकारः। त्रिविधा श्रद्धया विक्रियत इत्यर्थः। तदेवाह -- यो यच्छ्रद्धः यादृशी शadvaita-bhaktiसत्त्वप्रधानेऽन्तःकरणे सात्त्विकी, रजःप्रधाने,तस्मिन् राजसी, तमःप्रधाने तु तस्मिंस्तामसीति bhārata← bhārata(22 verses)vocative masculine singular noundescendant of Bharata; epithet of Arjunaattested in commentariesadvaita। यदि एवं ततः किं स्यादिति, उच्यते -- श्रद्धामयः अयं श्रद्धाप्रायः पुरुषः संसारी जीवः। कथम् यः यच्छ्रद्धः या श्रद्धा यस्advaita-bhaktiमहाकुलप्रसूत ज्ञाननिरतेति वा शुद्धसात्त्विकत्वं द्योतयति
śraddhā-mayo 'yaṃ puru← puruṣa(23 verses)nominative masculine singular nounperson, man; the cosmic Person; the Self (Sāṅkhya/Vedānta)ṣo yo yac-chraddhaḥ sa← tad(305 verses)nominative masculine singular nounthat (distal demonstrative); also 3rd-person pronoun eva← eva(174 verses)indeed, truly, only (emphatic particle) saḥ← tad(305 verses)nominative masculine singular nounthat (distal demonstrative); also 3rd-person pronoun
spokensingle-voice recital; rendered via IndicF5 conditioned on a Sanskrit reference clip
meaning

A person's faith takes the shape of their own inner nature; each person is made of their faith, and whatever they put their faith in, that is what they are.

Bhāṣyakāra purports

  • Śaṅkaraadvaita

    Each being's faith conforms to the antahkarana (inner instrument) shaped by prior samskara (conditioning-impressions); the samsarin (transmigrating self) is constituted by faith, for Shankara says 'shraddhamayah ayam shraddha-prayah purushah samsari jivah.' The gunas of the antahkarana determine faith's quality, not any autonomous choice of the jiva. One's venerations — of devas, ancestors, or bhutas — merely index the guna-composition of the inner instrument, inferring sattva or its absence from the observable act of worship.

  • Rāmānujaviśiṣṭādvaita

    Ramanuja reads 'sattvam' as the antahkarana itself: the inner organ, conditioned by the gunas instilled through prior karma and Bhagavan's own orchestration, determines the character of one's faith. 'Shraddhamayah' means that a person is literally shaped into the form of his faith — 'shraddha-parinamah' — so that a person faithful toward punya-karma (meritorious action) becomes fruit-connected to that merit. The verse teaches that sraddha is not merely instrumental but constitutive: the quality of one's service-orientation (kainkarya) to Bhagavan is disclosed by the very texture of one's inner organ.

  • Madhvadvaita

    Madhva's commentary is terse and precise: faith is proportioned to the citta (mind-stuff), 'sattvanurupah cittanurupah.' The person of sattvika-shraddha is sattvika; the rajas-dominated person has rajasika faith — no exceptions, no mixing. For Madhva the jiva is eternally distinct and dependent; the quality of faith reflects Hari's sovereign allotment of guna-composition to each jiva, not the jiva's self-construction. Worship of devas or bhutas in the following verses will confirm the guna-gradient already encoded here.

  • Vallabhaśuddhādvaita

    Vallabha, reading through the lens of Pusti-marga, emphasizes that the antahkarana inherits its orientation from purva-samskara (prior-life impressions), and where shastric knowledge is absent the antahkarana has no corrective; 'yesham shastra-jnana-rahitam antahkaranam tesham shraddha-pi tatha.' The guna-composition of the antahkarana is thus a form of Krsna's own lila-prasada (grace-play) shaping each vessel differently. The verse's conclusion — 'yo yac-chraddha sa eva sah' — affirms that the soul's very identity is its faith: in Pusti-marga this means the soul is what Krsna has made it through the grace of that particular faith.

  • Śrīdharabhakti

    Sridhara Svami meets an implied objection head-on: if faith is a sattvika vrtti (sattvic function) as stated elsewhere, why does the Gita speak of three kinds? He answers that faith participates in the trigunic modulation of the antahkarana — rajas and tamas color sattva, yielding threefold faith. For the viveki (discerning person) fortified by shastric knowledge, sattva prevails and faith remains ekaka-sattviki (purely sattvic); for the aviveki (undiscerning), faith mirrors the guna-dominance of the moment. The verse thus doubles as a diagnosis and a prescription: identify your shraddha, diagnose your antahkarana, and apply shastric viveka (discernment) to re-orient it.

  • Madhusūdanaadvaita-bhakti

    Madhusudana Sarasvati offers the most layered account: shraddha-vicitrya (variety of faith) arises from two distinct causes — the vasana-rupa (impression-form) nimittakarana (efficient cause) from prior births, AND the antahkarana itself as upadana-karana (material cause), itself differentiated by guna-panchikarna (quintuplication of elements) into devas (sattva-dominant), yaksas (rajas-tinged), and pretas (tamas-dominated). Humans are typically vyamisra (mixed), but shastric viveka-vijnana can cause sattva to rise and suppress rajas-tamas. 'Shraddhamayah' uses the mayat suffix as in 'annamayah' — the person IS faith as its predominant modification. For Madhusudana this is not a deterministic trap: the verse opens the path back to shuddha-sattva through shastric discipline, and the address 'Bharata' (noble-lineaged one) quietly signals that purity is already within Arjuna's reach.

Sūtrakṛt-Gītā · v1.0 · gita.ekrasworks.com