Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17 Verse 2 (17.2)

श्रीभगवानुवाच

त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा । सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां शृणु | | १७-२ | |

śhrī bhagavān uvācha trividhā bhavati śhraddhā dehināṁ sā svabhāvajā sāttvikī rājasī chaiva tāmasī cheti tāṁ śhṛiṇu

Word-by-word guide:

Line 0:

श्री (Sri) — श्री(the Blessed Lord said)
भगवान् (Bhagavan) — भगवान(the Blessed Lord said)
उवाच (uvacha) — बोले(the Blessed Lord said)

Line 1:

त्रिविधा (tri-vidha) — तीन प्रकार की(threefold)
भवति (bhavati) — है(is)
श्रद्धा (shraddha) — श्रद्धा(faith)
देहिनम् (dehinam) — देही को(of the embodied beings)
सा (sa) — वह(that)
स्वभावजा (svabhava-ja) — स्वभाव से उत्पन्न(born of their inherent nature)

Line 2:

सा (sa) — वह(that)
t joined in sāttvikī
तु (tu) — परन्तु(but)
i joined in sāttvikī
किम् (kim) — क्या(what)
रजसि (rajasi) — रज(passionate/in restless desire)
च (cha) — और(and)
iva joined in chaiva
तामसी (tamasi) — तामसिक(ignorant/in dullness)
ceti joined in cheti
तम् (tam) — वह(that)
शृणु (shrinu) — सुनो(hear)

English: Krishna said: Man has an inherent faith in one or another of the qualities -clarity, restless desire and lack of understanding. Now listen.

💡 Commentary Note

Krishna explains that faith is inherent to human nature and is shaped by past impressions (samskaras). It manifests in three distinct forms: pure (Sattvik), passionate (Rajasik), and ignorant (Tamasik).

Learnings from Shloka 2:

Faith is Inherent:: Faith is not superficial; it is born of our inherent nature and past impressions (samskaras).
Threefold Nature:: By observing whether our faith is Sattvik, Rajasik, or Tamasik, we can consciously elevate our thoughts.

Gita/Sanskrit Language Quiz

Practice this shloka vocabulary

Match Sanskrit words from shloka 17.2 with their Hindi and English meanings.

Practice vocabulary

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