Chapter 17 Shloka 4

यजन्ते सात्त्विका देवान्यक्षरक्षांसि राजसाः।

प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये यजन्ते तामसा जनाः।।४।।

Those of a sattvic disposition worship the gods;

those of a rajsic disposition worship the demons

and those of a tamsic disposition worship

the spirits of the dead and ghosts.

Chapter 17 Shloka 4

यजन्ते सात्त्विका देवान्यक्षरक्षांसि राजसाः।

प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये यजन्ते तामसा जनाः।।४।।

Speaking of the threefold worship, the Lord says:

Those of a sattvic disposition worship the gods; those of a rajsic disposition worship the demons and those of a tamsic disposition worship the spirits of the dead and ghosts.

The Lord is explaining the modes of worship followed by man in conformity with his inborn attributes. Actually He is expanding on the manifestation of sattvic, rajsic and tamsic faith. He is throwing light on the varied attributes of people in whose natural traits inhere:

a) qualities that attract each other;

b) qualities that are akin to one other;

c) qualities that are supportive of each other;

d) qualities that are friendly or partial or merely bear witness;

e) qualities that gratify the different types of people.

The trend of a man’s attributes are determined by his faith

Hence the Lord:

a) speaks of the innate attraction between qualities;

b) speaks of the individual’s innate nature;

c) explains that an individual’s inborn faith ignites a like conviction and inspires a similar nature.

Faith is inspired by one’s inclinations and tendencies. The life, worship and knowledge of one in whom sattvic attributes predominate will be sattvic, his engaging in action or abstinence from it will be impelled by this quality of sattva. Now hear from me a further elucidation of individuals who are inherently of a sattvic disposition. The Lord says, “Look! First consider the disposition of those whose faith is intrinsically sattvic.”

Sattvic faith

1. Such people are attached to luminescence.

2. They are attached to happiness.

3. They have an innate liking for the attributes of divinity.

4. They are inclined towards purity.

5. They appreciate the qualities of Truth.

6. They lean towards qualities that manifest sattva.

In other words, they who repose their faith in essentially sattvic beings, themselves possess a sattvic nature.

1. They worship those who are sattvic.

2. They are attracted towards people with divine qualities.

3. They revere and worship those who are replete with divine qualities.

4. They bow in humility before such people.

5. They themselves possess divine qualities as well.

6. They ‘use’ divine qualities in life.

7. They consider these divine qualities to be the greatest wealth of all.

8. They consider these divine qualities to be the living Truth.

9. They live in the Truth and serve those who tread the path of Truth.

In every deed of their life they:

a) utilise the Truth;

b) deal only in the business of Truth;

c) live with Truth as their support.

They are attached to Truth and happiness. Yet if they remain ignorant of scriptural injunction, they too, waste their lives. They are then unable to renounce attachment and thus often turn away from their duty.

My very own Kamla, now understand the attributes of the rajsic beings.

Rajsic faith

Those who possess rajsic faith:

a) are dominated by desire and craving;

b) are full of greed;

c) are replete with qualities full of ego, hypocrisy and arrogant pride;

d) possess qualities that seek the establishment of their body-self;

e) possess qualities that cause them to commit wicked and cruel deeds;

f) also possess the traits of cleverness, shrewdness and ingenuity;

g) possess qualities that belong to the demonic category.

Such people can perform the most difficult tasks. They are however, always dissatisfied. They possess a vile temper and do not hesitate to deceive even God Himself! They are highly selfish and pursue their duty only to achieve their own ends. Their worship is also inspired by similar motives. Their selfish aim is what they understand as the only Truth and they bow in humility only for their selfish gain. Having attained their goal, they regain their arrogant stance. Such people are always on the move.

1. Try to understand the type of worship they pursue.

2. Try to imagine the texture of their deeds and interaction.

3. Try to imagine the life they lead.

4. Try to understand their perspective regarding other human beings.

5. Try to imagine what sort of relationships they have with others.

If you can understand their rajsic tendencies you will understand why the Lord says that such people worship and bow low before the demons and the yakshas, or those who appear as humble servitors.

Yaksha (यक्ष)

1. The Lord of wealth is also called a yaksha.

2. The servant of wealth is also called a yaksha.

3. Those who protect wealth are also known as yakshas.

An unambiguous inference therefore emerges that those who are possessed of greed and avarice:

a) worship wealth and the wealthy;

b) worship those servitors of wealth who help them in the accumulation of more wealth;

c) are dependent on those who give them wealth.

Because they believe that:

1. Wealth can satiate their every desire.

2. Wealth can satisfy their unfulfilled greed.

3. Wealth can help them gain more wealth.

4. Wealth can help to gain access to political power.

5. Wealth can invest them with a capacity to attract the sincerity of others.

Wealth certainly possesses the ability to purchase the gross objects of this world. Thus such people are correct from their point of view. However, these fools fail to understand that:

a) compassion cannot be bought;

b) bliss cannot be purchased;

c) love is not for sale;

d) sincerity cannot be purchased – one cannot trade in sincerity;

e) one’s life and one’s intrinsic values based on the Truth are not purchasable;

f) the truth loving intellect cannot be bought;

g) peace and happiness cannot be purchased by wealth.

Then the Lord says that these rajsic beings worship the demons.

1. Demonic themselves, their innate interest and their leaning is towards people with similar tendencies.

2. Demons are afraid of other demons – therefore they try to keep them happy and satiated.

3. Fear is inevitable because those who possess demonic qualities seek to annihilate the other.

4. Those with demonic traits wish to eliminate every trace of the other’s existence and establish their own name. Therefore those who possess rajsic qualities are called demons.

This is the reason why they are demonic and worshippers of demons. When we are friendly with those who are akin to us, we can retain our self respect! If those who are demonic establish ties of friendship with sattvic individuals, they may feel ashamed of themselves. They will feel awkward to carry on with their wicked ways. Only thieves can co-exist in a den of thieves. Those devoid of honour can only associate with those who possess like qualities. How can a dacoit or thief cohabit with one who is attached to Truth or virtue? Friendship between those who possess opposite traits is extremely difficult.

The Lord is a friend of all. This is because He knows the method of dealing with all types of people. He is devoid of any selfish desire; He merely seeks to establish all.

However, those who are attached to or bound by certain qualities, possess the pride of those qualities. They can appreciate only those who possess like qualities – even though they often disagree and quarrel with such people.

a) What one considers to be the Truth,

b) Whatever one ‘uses’,

c) Whatever inspires us,

– is in accordance with our faith.

The rajsic individual is motivated by greed, avarice and desire; the greed may be for fame, power or wealth – actually this greed is only of ego establishment and its primal endeavour is to subjugate the other.

The basic attribute of the demon is pride which claims, ‘I can do this, I can kill this one, I can cause the downfall of that individual, I can attain this,’ etc. Such a one is blinded by ego.

The Lord says, those who are predominantly ruled by the attribute of tamas, worship the spirit of dead individuals and ghosts.

First understand the ramifications of the attribute of tamas.

Tamsic faith

1. A tamsic being is characterised by laziness and evasion of activity.

2. The attribute of tamas inspires sleep.

3. Such an individual has no notion of any sense of duty.

4. Possessed of an evil intellect, he is in fact devoid of intellect.

5. He is contemptuous of others.

6. He is gripped by ignorance, moha and darkness.

7. He is a perpetrator of low and despicable deeds.

8. He performs acts that bespeak his innate impurity.

9. Devoid of any scriptural tenets to live by, he is oblivious to the rules of living.

He is unable to forgive his enemies. If anyone wrongs him:

a) for the rest of his life he cannot renounce his grudges;

b) for the rest of his life he maligns that person;

c) for the rest of his life he is an everlasting enemy of that person;

d) for the rest of his life he poisons his own mind against that person.

Such a person is merciless and stone hearted. He does not know the meaning of love or compassion; he cannot even see that the other is also a human being.

Those who possess this quality attribute wrong meanings to scriptural tenets and distort such knowledge to suit their purpose.

Kamla! The truth is that this quality blinds the ordinary man.

Even though he has eyes to see, such a one lives like a blind man. He perceives all, yet sees nothing. He worships the ghosts and the spirits of the dead – in other words, he cannot disentangle himself from the corpses of dead – long passed moments and circumstances.

Therefore such people:

a) are veritable monsters;

b) are fallen souls who constantly endeavour to cause the downfall of others too;

c) are ever embroiled in actions full of hatred;

d) are devils;

e) are destructive, unashamed, stubborn and despicable;

f) are inclined to evil activities;

g) renounce their duties and live by delusionary principles.

1. In other words such people are lost souls on the path of life.

2. They are instrumental in changing the established laws of principled living.

3. They establish modes of conduct that are devoid of duty.

4. They prove the righteous to be wrong.

5. They are great sinners who pollute even scriptural decree with their distorted perceptions of it.

6. They evade duty in their own lives and dissuade others too from following their path of duty.

7. They are unable to conduct their lives in the spirit of yagya and change the meanings of the Scriptures to suit their purpose.

8. They are unable to imbibe qualities of divinity within themselves and dub the world as illusory.

9. They cannot become good human beings themselves and thus disregard any knowledge that speaks of high principles or honourable living.

10. They are ever afraid of being measured by the rule of the Scriptures and proclaim ‘It is useless to study the Scriptures’.

11. They take the support of varied delusive ‘principles’ in order to conceal their own lacunae.

These people who worship the spirits of the dead and the demons, are all possessed of demonic attributes.

1. They destroy their own homes as well as those of others.

2. They corrupt the intellect of others.

3. They sow the seeds of evading one’s duty in people’s minds.

4. They are instrumental in destroying their own families and the families of others due to their innate ignorance.

5. If they dislike something about a person they snub him and reject him as wicked for the rest of his life.

6. They create lifelong enemies of those whom they once disliked – even though they may destroy their own home, their world, and even their family in the bargain.

7. They are prepared to remain blind for a lifetime to any reasoning on account of their enmity.

Little one, tamsic and rajsic people are indeed demonic. The astute can at times recognise the tamsic individual for what he is, but it is exceedingly difficult to discern the rajsic individual.

The minds of such individuals are replete with negative thoughts. They think ill of others and regard them as bad. They reject the world as ‘false’ and, taking the support of false sentiments and opinions, they absolve themselves of any blame. They inflict sorrow upon others and are themselves afraid of ghosts and the spirits of the dead. Yet, they worship such spirits.

Little one, worship here means:

a) offering courteous obeisance;

b) giving due respect;

c) worshipping the other as one worthy of regard.

Sattvic, rajsic and tamsic worship is determined by the predominant attribute of that person. People are attached to their own attributes. They live amongst people with similar qualities and endeavour to suppress individuals with attributes contrary to their own. However, this does not mean that they do not wish to suppress those with matching attributes. If it is possible for them to do so, they will seize the opportunity to try and suppress them.

Little one, the sincere practicant of spirituality endeavours to transcend all qualities and remain uninfluenced by them. Because:

1. The true sadhak makes every effort to forget his own qualities and live by the Lord’s perspective.

2. He endeavours to forget his own knowledge and understand the true connotations of knowledge from the Lord’s point of view.

3. He does not seek to be known as ‘good’, nor does he want to be ‘bad’, he merely tries to mould himself according to the circumstance he is placed in.

In fact, when has the world ever accepted a godlike being or a true devotee? Some acknowledge them as the Lord Himself, but most people never stop doubting them.

If one reviews the lives of Ram, Krishna, Mohammed, Christ, Guru Nanak, one will be able to understand the state of a gunatit.

Little one, a true sadhak:

a) does not differentiate between good and bad;

b) does not differentiate between enemy or friend;

c) does not differentiate between a wicked man and a sage.

He views them all impartially and interacts with each one in accordance with the other’s need.

“I look unto the other as the other looks unto Me.” (Chp.4, shloka 11). The Lord has clarified the secret of His life in this shloka. The Lord has also said:

1. The man of wisdom should not unsettle the minds of the ignorant and those who are attached to action. (Chp.3, shloka 26)

2. The man of wisdom should not confuse the ordinary man. (Chp.3, shloka 29)

3. Indeed he must perform actions similar to those of the ignorant, but devoid of attachment. (Chp.3, shloka 25)

The sincere follower of the Lord endeavours to transform his conduct to match the pure conduct of the Lord. Little one, the true and bold sadhak pays no heed to his own qualities. He is making every effort to relinquish his own body-self. Thus, how can he afford to be bound by any tendencies or characteristics – whether sattvic, rajsic or tamsic?

The Lord has proclaimed that the wise devotee is His very own Self. (Chp.7, shloka 11) Such a devotee forgets his very being in his love for the Lord. He then becomes akin to the Lord and a sincere follower of the Lord’s divine dharma.

Thus you can see that the gyani bhakta or the wise devotee is not bound by any qualities. All the qualities flow spontaneously from him in accordance with the particular circumstance. However, that renouncer of the body idea is not attached to any quality of his body-self.

Self

Little one, the Self is a sanctified residuum of the Lord’s manifest form. If one utilises the divine qualities of the Lord in life, one’s life becomes a yagyashesh – the blessed remnant of yagya.

1. Without attaining greatness in life, man cannot be exalted within.

2. Without having given proof of the divine qualities in life, one’s knowledge remains mere ignorance.

3. One cannot attain the Supreme State if one does not practice the divine qualities.

4. One cannot become Realised if one does not utilise the divine qualities.