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अभिसंधाय तु फलं दम्भार्थमपि चैव यत्।इज्यते भरतश्रेष्ठ तं यज्ञं विद्धि राजसम्।।17.12।।

abhisandhāya tu phalaṁ dambhārtham api chaiva yat ijyate bharata-śhreṣhṭha taṁ yajñaṁ viddhi rājasam

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 17, Verse 12
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
The sacrifice that is offered, O Arjuna, seeking a reward and for show, know that to be a Rajasic Yajna.

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: but that sacrifice performed for the sake of some benefit, or for the sake of show, know that to be of passion, again naming performative, self-interested motivation as the marker of the restless quality even when the outward act appears identical.

In life: performing a generous act primarily for show, for social recognition or personal gain, is a specific, recognizable pattern worth catching directly in yourself rather than mistaking for genuine generosity simply because the outward act looks the same.

Teaching: the next time you catch yourself performing a generous or dutiful act primarily for how it will look to others, name that motivation directly, this verse treats it as a meaningfully different act than genuine, unperformed generosity, even though the outward form is identical.

abhisandhāyamotivated by
tubut
phalamthe result
dambhapride
arthamfor the sake of
apialso
chaand
evacertainly
yatthat which
ijyateis performed
bharata-śhreṣhṭhaArjun, the best of the Bharatas
tamthat
yajñamsacrifice
viddhiknow
rājasamin the mode of passion

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
17.12 अभिसंधाय seeking for? तु indeed? फलम् fruit? दम्भार्थम् for ostentation? अपि also? च and? एव even? यत् which? इज्यते is offered? भरतश्रेष्ठ O best of the Bharatas? तम् that? यज्ञम् sacrifice? विद्धि know? राजसम् Rajasic.Commentary If anyone performs a sacrifice in order to obtain? heaven? son? wealth? or name and fame? then it is a sacrifice of a Rajasic nature. The performer of this kind of sacrifice has the motive of increasing his own importance? for popularising his own name in the world? for gaining some reward? for showing himself off as a great? pious and learned man? for making an exhibition of his riches for his own glorificaion. He has no aspiration for attaining the knowledge of the Self.