सत्कारमानपूजार्थं तपो दम्भेन चैव यत् | क्रियते तदिह प्रोक्तं राजसं चलमध्रुवम् || 18 || |
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This verse highlights the performance of certain actions with a mindset driven by desire for recognition, personal gain, or rewards. Let’s understand the verse in detail:
Acts of sacrifice (satkara): These refer to various rituals and ceremonies performed with the intention of receiving honor, respect, or appreciation from others. They may include elaborate religious ceremonies, public displays of generosity, or acts of charity that are done with the expectation of gaining recognition or social status. Such actions, driven by a desire for personal glory, fall under the category of rajasic behavior.
Acts of worship (manapuja): This refers to the performance of rituals, prayers, and worship with the motive of gaining specific benefits or favors from the deities. It involves offering worship or making offerings with the expectation of receiving blessings, material wealth, or desired outcomes. When the worship is performed primarily to fulfill personal desires and lacks a genuine sense of devotion and surrender, it falls under the mode of passion.
Acts of penance (tapo): These are austerities or self-disciplinary practices undertaken for the purpose of gaining specific rewards or benefits. It includes practices such as fasting, rigorous physical discipline, or ascetic practices performed with the expectation of achieving personal goals, spiritual powers, or purification. When such penances are performed with the motive of personal gain and without a deep understanding of their true purpose, they are in the mode of passion.
These actions performed with expectations and desires for personal rewards or recognition are categorized as rajasic. They are considered unstable and impermanent because they are driven by fleeting desires and are often influenced by ego, attachment, and the desire for personal gratification. The verse emphasizes that such actions, although they may have some temporary results, do not lead to lasting fulfillment or spiritual growth.
In contrast, actions performed with selflessness, without attachment to outcomes, and in alignment with higher principles and virtues are in the mode of goodness (sattva). They are characterized by purity, steadfastness, and a sense of duty and are more conducive to spiritual progress and inner transformation