Verse 17.2

Verse 17.:2 The Exalted-One Spake: “Of three kinds is the faith that naturally belongs to embodied souls: Satvika [Sattvika], Rajasa and Tamasa: Listen as I describe it now.

Commentary called Jnaneshwari by Jnaneshwar:

Shri Bhagavan [Bhagavan] said, “Oh Partha, I have come to know the bent of your mind: you are feeling the study of the Scriptures as a great handicap. You appear to cling fast only to ‘faith’ for the attainment of the great seat (Supreme Brahman). But it is not, Oh Wise one, so easy. It is not proper, Oh Kiriti, merely to say ‘I’ have got faith,” and depend upon it. Were a twice-born (Brahmin) to associate himself intimately with the lowest caste person, would he not be reduced to the status of that caste? Just think: one ought not to take (drink or eat) anything contained in a liquor pot, even though it might be the holy water of the Ganges. Does not sandal wood, even though pleasantly cool by itself, bum the fingers holding it, once it is set on fire? Or, if pure gold is mixed up with an alloy, melted in a mould and taken as pure gold, would that, Oh Kiriti, not cause a loss? ‘Faith’ by itself is a very fine (pure) principle; yet the being, to whose lot it goes, is naturally constituted of the three Gunas (Constituent aspects), by the power of Maya (Illusion) which exists from all eternity. Of the three, two get weakened, while the third gets strong and dominates over the tendency of the being.

The mind follows these tendencies, while the actions follow the mind, and then after death the being takes (re) birth in a new body-form in accordance with the actions in his past life. The seed (form) is disintegrated and developes [develops] into a tree: the tree (form) ends and is stored up in the seed (form): and this rotation goes on for crores of Kalpas: yet the tree genus does not become extinct. In that way, there take place innumerable births and deaths, and yet the being is invariably accompanied by the three Gunas (constituting the being).

Therefore, whatever may be the faith that falls to the lot of the being it is you may see moulded, according to the individual combination of the three Gunas. Should, by chance, the Sattva Guna dominate, it invites knowledge; yet there are the two others (Rajas and Tamas) destructive to the third (Sattva). With the help of Sattva the faith enters on the way leading to liberation: yet there stand the Rajas and Tamas that are adverse to Sattva; how could they rest quiet? The Rajas defeats the Sattva and gets the upper hand (ascends the sky) with the result that the faith is reduced to (the position of) a broom for clearing (performing) actions. Then the Tamas rises into power, and transforms the faith into a new type in which it goes after undesirable enjoyment (of sense-objects).