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Pancharatra: Bhagavad Gita 17th chapter.
Arjuna said:
O Krishna, those who, abandoning scriptural rules, worship with faith, what is the nature of their faith? Is it characterized by goodness, passion, or ignorance?
The Blessed Lord said:
Faith in embodied beings is of three kinds, arising from their nature: it can be pure, passionate, or ignorant. Listen to this.
O Bharata, the faith of every person is in accordance with their nature. A person is made of faith; whatever faith they have, that is what they truly are.
People in the mode of goodness worship the gods, those in the mode of passion worship yakṣas and rākṣasas, while others, in the mode of ignorance, worship spirits and ghosts.
People who perform severe austerities not prescribed by the scriptures are filled with hypocrisy and ego, driven by desire, attachment, and strength.
Those who foolishly torment the elements of their own body and also me, who am situated within the body, should be known as having a demoniac determination.
The food that everyone prefers is of three kinds. Similarly, sacrifices, austerities, and charities are of three kinds. Listen to the distinctions of these.
Foods that are juicy, nourishing, stable, and pleasing to the heart increase longevity, purity, strength, health, happiness, and affection, and are favored by those who are pure.
Passionate people prefer foods that are pungent, sour, salty, very hot, sharp, dry, and burning, which lead to pain, sorrow, and illness.
Food that is stale, tasteless, rotten, putrid, leftover, and impure is preferred by those in the mode of ignorance.
A sacrifice performed without any desire for its fruits, according to scriptural injunctions, with a mind focused on the duty itself, is considered to be in the mode of goodness.
O best of the Bharatas, know that the sacrifice performed with the intention of gaining fruit and for show is in the mode of passion.
A sacrifice performed without adherence to proper procedures, without offering food, without chanting mantras, without giving gifts, and devoid of faith is considered to be in the mode of ignorance.
The worship of gods, the twice-born, teachers, and the wise, along with purity, simplicity, celibacy, and non-violence, is considered as physical austerity.
Speech that does not cause agitation, is truthful, pleasing, and beneficial, along with the study and practice of scriptures, is considered verbal austerity.
Serenity of mind, gentleness, silence, self-control, and purity of disposition are considered as mental austerity.
Austerity performed with great faith by those who do not seek any reward is considered to be in the mode of goodness.
Austerity performed with the intent of gaining respect, honor, and worship, and done with hypocrisy, is considered to be in the mode of passion, which is unstable and temporary.
Austerity that is performed with foolish stubbornness, causing self-torment or intended to harm others, is said to be in the mode of ignorance.
A gift given without expectation of return, at the proper place and time, and to a deserving person, is considered to be in the mode of goodness.
A gift given with the expectation of a return or with a specific result in mind, and given reluctantly, is considered to be in the mode of passion.
A gift given at the wrong time and place, to those who are unworthy, without respect and with disdain, is considered a gift of darkness.
The phrase "Om, Tat, Sat" is considered a threefold designation of Brahman. It is through this designation that the Brahmanas, the Vedas, and the sacrifices were established in ancient times.
Therefore, the knowers of Brahman always begin their prescribed activities of sacrifice, charity, and austerity by uttering 'Om'.
Acts of sacrifice, austerity, and charity are performed without attachment to the results by those who seek liberation.
The term 'Sat' is employed to denote the state of goodness and virtue, and it is also used, O son of Pṛthā, in the context of auspicious actions.
Steadfastness in sacrifice, austerity, and charity is said to be true, and so is action for such purposes.
O son of Pṛthā, actions such as offerings, giving, austerities, and deeds done without faith are considered unreal and hold no value here or in the afterlife.
