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सत्कारमानपूजार्थं तपो दम्भेन चैव यत्।क्रियते तदिह प्रोक्तं राजसं चलमध्रुवम्।।17.18।।

satkāra-māna-pūjārthaṁ tapo dambhena chaiva yat kriyate tad iha proktaṁ rājasaṁ chalam adhruvam

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 17, Verse 18
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
The austerity that is practiced with the aim of gaining good reception, honor, and worship, and with hypocrisy, is said to be Rajasic, unstable, and transient.

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: austerity performed for the sake of respect, honor, and reverence, with hypocrisy, is said to be of passion, unstable and impermanent, again naming performative motivation as producing something inherently unstable rather than genuinely sustaining.

In life: discipline maintained purely for the respect or admiration it earns from others tends to be genuinely less stable over time than discipline maintained for its own intrinsic value, since the motivation depends on an external audience continuing to notice and approve.

Teaching: check whether a discipline you're currently maintaining depends on ongoing external respect or recognition to keep it going, if so, expect it to be less stable long-term than a discipline you'd maintain even with no one watching or acknowledging it.

sat-kārarespect
mānahonor
pūjāadoration
arthamfor the sake of
tapaḥausterity
dambhenawith ostentation
chaalso
evacertainly
yatwhich
kriyateis performed
tatthat
ihain this world
proktamis said
rājasamin the mode of passion
chalamflickering
adhruvamtemporary

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
17.18 सत्कारमानपूजार्थम् with the object of gaining good reception? honour and worship? तपः austerity? दम्भेन with hypocrisy? च and? एव even? यत् which? क्रियते is practised? तत् that? इह here? प्रोक्तम् is said? राजसम् Rajasic? चलम् unstable? अध्रुवम् transitory.Commentary Penance that is performed with no sincere belief? for mere show? with a view to increase selfimportance? in order that the world may pay respect to the performer and place him in the seat of honour? and that everyone may sing his praise? is declared to be of a passionate nature.Iha In this world Such penance yields fruit only in this world.Satkara Good reception with such words as? Here is a good Brahmana of great austerities.Mana Honour Rising from ones seat to greet? and saluting with reverence.Chalam Unstable Yielding momentary effect or result.Adhruvam Without Niyama or fixity.Penance that is performed in the hope of gaining fame is worse than useless. It bears no fruit. It is abandoned though incomplete? when it is seen that is can result in no gain.