CHAPTER XVII
The Three-Fold Faith
The concluding two verses of the last chapter introduced an idea that the Shastra is the final court of appeal in all doubts, and for the power of discrimination in us to arrive at all its moment-to-moment judgements. But it is very difficult for the average person to develop that amount of proficiency in the spiritual codes. Thus we cannot get a ready-reckoner which will easily guide us in our life's pilgrimage. Now, Arjuna's appetite to live the Higher-life more intensely has been fully whetted and he is mentally planning to give Krishna's philosophy a fair trial. As a man of action, when he mentally plans to live the Geeta way-of-life, he finds it hard, because of its insistence upon the 'knowledge" of the Shastras. At the same time, he is confident that he has developed in himself a sufficient 'faith' (Shraddhaa) in the nobler way-of-life, as enunciated in this sacred scripture.
This chapter opens with these doubts: is it sufficient if one lives with 'faith' a life of good conduct and noble aspirations, or is it necessary that he must 'know' the Shastra and work with 'faith,' implicitly obedient to the injunctions laid down in the Shastra?
Earlier also in the Geeta, on more than one occasion, (IV-39; XVI-23). 'faith' (Shraddhaa) has been prescribed as the fuel required for the seeker to soar higher. The emphasis and importance given to Shraddhaa are almost equal to those given to the Shastra, and therefore, Arjuna has every right to raise the question whether, even without the knowledge of the Shastras, blind-faith alone can take the seeker far!
The special capacity of the human intellect, not only to know and appreciate the Shastra, but also, to absorb and assimilate the noble ideals, so completely as to bear upon all one's actions, is called 'Shraddhaa.' It is that powerful, impelling force which springs forth spontaneously from within, and propelled by which, all layers of personality in an individual act in their appointed fields. 'Faith' is the content and the very essence of the equipments of man's whole being. 'Faith' gives the direction, the dash, and provides a destination for one's determination.
Instead of directly answering the question, the philosopher in Krishna takes this opportunity to give a thorough exposition of 'Faith' as seen in the various fields of man's endeavours --- his physical indulgences (ahara), his dedicated activities (yajna), his self-denials (tapas), and his charities (daana).
In the scheme of this discourse, the Lord first of all explains that Shraddhaa is of three kinds, according to the nature of the temperament (gunas) which the individual entertains in himself. The three classifications under which the temperaments fall are (1) balanced joy (Sattwa), (2) ambitious and feverish activities (Rajas), (3) vegetative existence and heedlessness (Tamas). Earlier this topic of the three gunas governing and controlling the mental and intellectual life of men was exhaustively dealt with. How men, under the influence of these gunas in varying proportions, would come to live the religious values, and strive for spiritual unfoldment is now being discussed. From a close study of this discourse, we can direct our activities away from the influence of the lower urges and guide our spiritual practices consistently on the royal path of sure success.
|| Chapter - 17 ||
Source: The Holy Geeta
The Three-Fold Faith
The concluding two verses of the last chapter introduced an idea that the Shastra is the final court of appeal in all doubts, and for the power of discrimination in us to arrive at all its moment-to-moment judgements. But it is very difficult for the average person to develop that amount of proficiency in the spiritual codes. Thus we cannot get a ready-reckoner which will easily guide us in our life's pilgrimage. Now, Arjuna's appetite to live the Higher-life more intensely has been fully whetted and he is mentally planning to give Krishna's philosophy a fair trial. As a man of action, when he mentally plans to live the Geeta way-of-life, he finds it hard, because of its insistence upon the 'knowledge" of the Shastras. At the same time, he is confident that he has developed in himself a sufficient 'faith' (Shraddhaa) in the nobler way-of-life, as enunciated in this sacred scripture.
This chapter opens with these doubts: is it sufficient if one lives with 'faith' a life of good conduct and noble aspirations, or is it necessary that he must 'know' the Shastra and work with 'faith,' implicitly obedient to the injunctions laid down in the Shastra?
Earlier also in the Geeta, on more than one occasion, (IV-39; XVI-23). 'faith' (Shraddhaa) has been prescribed as the fuel required for the seeker to soar higher. The emphasis and importance given to Shraddhaa are almost equal to those given to the Shastra, and therefore, Arjuna has every right to raise the question whether, even without the knowledge of the Shastras, blind-faith alone can take the seeker far!
The special capacity of the human intellect, not only to know and appreciate the Shastra, but also, to absorb and assimilate the noble ideals, so completely as to bear upon all one's actions, is called 'Shraddhaa.' It is that powerful, impelling force which springs forth spontaneously from within, and propelled by which, all layers of personality in an individual act in their appointed fields. 'Faith' is the content and the very essence of the equipments of man's whole being. 'Faith' gives the direction, the dash, and provides a destination for one's determination.
Instead of directly answering the question, the philosopher in Krishna takes this opportunity to give a thorough exposition of 'Faith' as seen in the various fields of man's endeavours --- his physical indulgences (ahara), his dedicated activities (yajna), his self-denials (tapas), and his charities (daana).
In the scheme of this discourse, the Lord first of all explains that Shraddhaa is of three kinds, according to the nature of the temperament (gunas) which the individual entertains in himself. The three classifications under which the temperaments fall are (1) balanced joy (Sattwa), (2) ambitious and feverish activities (Rajas), (3) vegetative existence and heedlessness (Tamas). Earlier this topic of the three gunas governing and controlling the mental and intellectual life of men was exhaustively dealt with. How men, under the influence of these gunas in varying proportions, would come to live the religious values, and strive for spiritual unfoldment is now being discussed. From a close study of this discourse, we can direct our activities away from the influence of the lower urges and guide our spiritual practices consistently on the royal path of sure success.
|| Chapter - 17 ||
Source: The Holy Geeta
