Bhagavad Gita 17.12
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 12 of 28
अभिसन्धाय तु फलं दम्भार्थम् अपि चैव यत् । इज्यते भरतश्रेष्ठ तं यज्ञं विद्धि राजसम् ॥
abhisandhāya tu phalaṃ dambhārtham api caiva yat | ijyate bharata-śreṣṭha taṃ yajñaṃ viddhi rājasam ||
Rājasic yajña: performed targeting fruit and for ostentation — know this, O best of Bharatas.
Word by word (3)
- abhisandhāya tu phalam
- — but having targeted/aimed at (abhisandhāya) a fruit/result (phalam) — the opposite of V11's aphalākāṅkṣin; the mind locked onto reward before performing
- dambhārtham api caiva yat ijyate
- — and even performed for the sake of (artham) ostentation/show (dambha — here as noun) — the motivation is display, not duty
- taṃ yajñam viddhi rājasam
- — know (viddhi) that (tam) sacrifice (yajñam) to be rājasic (rājasam) — the double corruption: fruit-seeking (phala) + showmanship (dambha)
But that sacrifice which is performed with an eye on the fruit and also for the sake of show/ostentation — know that, O best of the Bharatas, to be rājasic.
A modern analogy
Rājasic sacrifice is like donating to charity only when the cameras are present — or when it provides a tax benefit. The external act may look identical to genuine giving, but the internal motivation is reward (phala) and reputation (dambha). The act is there; the purity is absent.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
That which is offered, O best of the Bharatas, with a view to reward and for ostentation, know it to be a Rajasic worship. [1]
That which is performed, O best of the Bharatas, seeking for fruit and for ostentation, know it to be a Rajasika Yajna. [4]
But when a sacrifice is performed, O highest of the descendants of Bharata! with an expectation of fruit (from it), and for the purpose of ostentation, know that sacrifice (to be) passionate. [9]
But that which is performed in expectation of fruit and even for the sake of ostentation, know that sacrifice, O chief of the sons of Bharata, to be of the quality of passion. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
With that faith, the devotee worships that deity and gains the desired objects — these being dispensed by Me alone.
Sāttvic dāna: given with 'this must be given,' to one expecting no return, at right place, time, and recipient.
Tāmasic yajña: against ordinance, no food-sharing, no mantras, no dakṣiṇā, no śraddhā — declared tāmasic.
Rājasic tapas: done for reception, honour, worship, and show — unstable and transient.
Sāttvic tyāga: niyata karma done ONLY because 'this must be done,' having abandoned attachment and fruit.
Free from pride, moha, attachment and desire, the dvandva-unbound, undeluded ones reach the imperishable goal.
Verse 12 of 28 · back to Chapter 17