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Chapter 17 · The Divisions of Faith · 28 verses

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Character & ethicsChapter 17 · The Divisions of Faith
17.1717.19

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 17.18

Austerities of body, speech and mind

सत्कारमानपूजार्थं तपो दम्भेन चैव यत् ।

क्रियते तदिह प्रोक्तं राजसं चलमध्रुवम् ॥ १८ ॥

satkāra-māna-pūjārthaṁ

tapo dambhena caiva yat

kriyate tad iha proktaṁ

rājasaṁ calam adhruvam

Translation

Penance performed out of pride and for the sake of gaining respect, honor and worship is said to be in the mode of passion. It is neither stable nor permanent.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

What this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.

Penance in the Mode of Passion

  1. 1Penance done out of pride to gain respect, honor and worship is in the mode of passion.
  2. 2Prabhupāda explains that using penance to arrange worship and gifts from others brings only temporary results.
  3. 3Avoid performing penance just to attract attention and receive honor from others.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 17, The Divisions of Faith: austerities of body, speech and mind.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Cultivate divine qualities in character.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: daivī-sampat, dharma.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 17.18 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to character & ethics?

Practice

Choose one virtue to practice consciously today.

4

The story behind it

Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.

All stories for chapter 17 ›
5

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 17.14Austerities of body, speech and mindBG 17.15Austerities of body, speech and mindBG 12.13Qualities of a devotee dear to KrishnaBG 16.21Lust, anger and greed lead toward degradation.

Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.

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Back to step 3The key ideasNext · Step 5 of 7 · 5 minLive the teachingsBring it into your day with a practice and a question, straight from Prabhupāda's purports.