Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17, Verse 17 (BG 17.17) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

17.17 श्रद्धया with faith? परया highest? तप्तम् practised? तपः austerity? तत् that? त्रिविधम् threefold? नरैः by men? अफलाकाङ्क्षिभिः desiring no fruit? युक्तैः steadfast? सात्त्विकम् Sattvic? परिचक्षते (they) declare.Commentary Trividham Threefold -- physical? vocal and mental.Yuktaih Steadfast Balanced in mind? unaffected in success and failure.Sraddhaya With faith With belief in the existence of God? in the words of the preceptor? in the teachings of the scriptures and in ones own Self.

Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

Modern

When the disciplines of body, speech, and mind are practiced without attachment to their fruits, such discipline is called sattvic. Those yogis who are sattvic do not concern themselves with the results that may come in the future. They understand that nature operates with harmony and order. Therefore, they recognize that the future is but the inevitable consequence of all past actions, shaped by the present moment. The fruits to come depend entirely upon the skillfulness of action in the present. Thus, to worry about results and thereby lose the precious opportunities of the present is the mark of delusion. The sattvic person, having renounced attachment to fruits, practices the threefold discipline and thereby obtains the greatest benefit.