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यजन्ते सात्त्विका देवान्यक्षरक्षांसि राजसाः।प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये यजन्ते तामसा जनाः।।17.4।।

yajante sāttvikā devān yakṣha-rakṣhānsi rājasāḥ pretān bhūta-gaṇānśh chānye yajante tāmasā janāḥ

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 17, Verse 4
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
The sattvic, or pure, men worship the gods; the rajasic, or passionate, worship the yakshas and rakshasas; the others, the tamasic or deluded people, worship ghosts and hosts of nature-spirits.

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: the good worship the gods, the passionate worship demigods and demons, others of dark nature worship spirits and ghosts, mapping the three qualities onto the actual objects a person's devotion tends to gravitate toward.

In life: what or who you actually devote your energy and admiration toward, celebrities, causes, people, ideals, tends to reveal something real about your current inner state, worth examining honestly rather than assuming it's arbitrary.

Teaching: look honestly at what or who currently receives the bulk of your admiration and devoted attention, and consider what that choice might actually reveal about your current inner state, according to this verse's framework.

yajanteworship
sāttvikāḥthose in the mode of goodness
devāncelestial gods
yakṣhasemi-celestial beings who exude power and wealth
rakṣhānsipowerful beings who embody sensual enjoyment, revenge, and wrath
rājasāḥthose in the mode of passion
pretān-bhūta-gaṇānghosts and spirits
chaand
anyeothers
yajanteworship
tāmasāḥthose in the mode of ignorance
janāḥpersons

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
17.4 यजन्ते worship? सात्त्विकाः the Sattvic or pure men? देवान् the gods? यक्षरक्षांसि the Yakshas and the Rakshasas? राजसाः the Rajasic or the passionate? प्रेतान् ghosts? भूतगणान् the hosts of Bhutas or the naturespirits? च and? अन्ये the others? यजन्ते worship? तामसाः the Tamasic? जनाः people.Commentary Lord Krishna? after defining faith? tells Arjuna how this faith determines the object of worship. The nature of the faith (whether it is Sattvic? Rajasic or Tamasic) has to be inferred from its characteristic effects? viz.? the worship of the gods and the like. Each man selects his object of worship according to the ruling Guna of his being. The expression of a mans faith depends on the Guna that is predominant in him. A Sattvic man will give his faith the Sattvic expression? a Rajasic man the Rajasic expression and a Tamasic man the Tamasic expression.Sattvic persons or people with Sattvic faith who are devoted to the worship of the gods? are rare in this world.Yakshas are the brothers of Kubera? the lord of wealth gnomes? the spirits that guard wealth.Rakshasas Beings of strength and power such as Nairrita demons giants gifted with illusive powers.Bhutas Ghosts.