Verse 17.28

Verse 17.28: “What is (in Fire) preferred, or given away—whatever austerity is practised or act performed—(but) without faith; that is, O Son, of Pritha, called ‘Asat’. That (avails) neither hereafter nor here.” (414)

Commentary called Jnaneshwari by Jnaneshwar:

Performance of crores of sacrifices, making charity consisting of gem-stuffed earth or practising austerities by balancing the body on a single toe lasting thousands of Tapa (equal to a period of 12 years), or constructing reservoirs of water of the magnitude of the sea-actions like these when performed, discarding this (above-mentioned) arrangement, or breaking the very backbone of faith, or increasing the conceit of perverseness-are all of no avail. They are like rain fallen on rock, or oblations made on ash, or like trying to embrace a shadow or like slapping the sky, Oh Arjuna. All pomp and labours pertaining to them prove useless. Such actions only bring on poverty, just as by crushing stones in an oil-mill (one) gains neither oil nor oil-cake. If a man, tying a potsherd in the hem of his garment, goes round his own country or that of others (for selling it), it would fetch no value whatever, but would on the contrary bring starvation. In that way performance of actions in such a way (with no faith absolutely) gives no enjoyment of happiness here, in this world; what then of the other world? Therefore, transactions done with no faith whatever in Supreme Brahman, prove only a source of worry in this as well as in the other world.