Verse 17.2
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
श्रीभगवानुवाच | त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा | सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां शृणु ||२||
Transliteration (IAST)
śrī bhagavān uvāca | trividhā bhavati śraddhā dehināṁ sā svabhāvajā | sāttvikī rājasī caiva tāmasī ceti tāṁ śṛṇu ||2||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
The Supreme Lord said: The faith of embodied beings is of three kinds, born of their own nature - sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic. Hear now about this.
Commentary
Krishna introduces the central thesis of this chapter: faith (śraddhā) is threefold according to the predominant guna of one's nature. Shankaracharya explains that svabhāva (innate nature) determines the quality of one's faith, which in turn shapes all actions. Madhva emphasizes that this classification helps aspirants identify and elevate their own tendencies.