The Yoga of the Three Kinds of Faith

Arjuna asks Krishna a careful question: "Some people don't follow the rules written in the scriptures, yet they worship with their whole heart, full of faith. So where do they stand? Is their faith bright and clear, or restless, or dull?" He wants to know which of the three qualities, sattva, rajas, or tamas, guides a person who believes deeply but follows no rulebook.

Krishna answers: "The faith that lives in people comes in three kinds, and it is born from each person's own nature — the way a plant grows from its own seed. There is sattvic faith, which is bright and clear; rajasic faith, which is restless and hungry; and tamasic faith, which is dim and heavy. Listen, and I will tell you about all three."

Krishna says: "Everyone's faith matches their inner nature, Arjuna. A person is, in the end, made of their faith: whatever you believe in and hold close, that is what you slowly become." It is one of the most famous lines in the whole Gita: as a person's faith is, so is that person. What we quietly trust and dwell on shapes who we grow into.

Krishna explains how the three kinds of faith show up in what people reach toward: "Those of bright, clear faith worship the shining gods, the high and good powers. Those of restless faith worship strong, hungry spirits, the yakshas and rakshasas, hoping for power. And those of dim, heavy faith reach out to ghosts and shadowy spirits." Each person's faith reaches for what matches it inside.

Krishna describes a misguided kind of discipline: "Some people put themselves through fierce, harsh hardships that no scripture ever asked for. They are full of showing off and big-headed pride, and they are pushed along by craving, by burning wants, and by sheer force." It is discipline done for the wrong reasons, to impress and to feel powerful, rather than to grow truer inside.

Krishna finishes the thought from before: "These people, doing harsh hardships for show, wear down the very elements that make up their body, and they wear down Me, too, for I dwell within that body. Such people have lost their good sense. Know that their resolve is misguided and unwise." Hurting yourself in the name of being holy harms the divine spark living inside you.

Krishna says: "Even the food each person loves to eat comes in three kinds, and so do the three good things people do: worship, discipline, and giving. Listen now, and I will show you how each of these three splits into three."

Krishna says: "Foods that lengthen life and brighten the mind, that give strength and health and happiness and joy; foods that are tasty and smooth, that fill you up and leave you steady, that please the heart: these are the foods the pure-hearted love." Such food fills the stomach and leaves you clear, strong, and glad.

Krishna says: "Foods that are too bitter, too sour, too salty, too hot, too sharp, too dry, and burning: these are the foods a restless, excited person craves. But they bring pain, sadness, and sickness in the end." A little of these is fine; it is the 'too much' that stirs the body up and leaves it hurting.

Krishna says: "Food that was cooked long ago and has gone stale, that has lost all its taste, that smells bad or has been left out overnight, that is half-eaten and leftover, or simply unclean: this is the food a dull, sluggish mind reaches for." Such food gives nothing back; it leaves a person heavy and half-asleep.

Krishna says: "When worship is offered the right way, just because it is the right thing to do, with the mind held steady and quiet, and with no hope of getting anything in return, that worship is pure and bright. It is sattvic." The heart simply does its duty and asks for no prize.

Krishna says: "But when worship is offered with an eye on the reward it will bring, or simply to show off in front of others, know that kind of worship, O best of the Bharatas, to be restless and proud. It is rajasic." The fire may look the same, but the heart behind it is reaching for a prize or for applause.

Krishna says: "There is a third, lowest kind of worship. It is done with no rule followed, no food shared with anyone, no sacred words sung, and no gift of thanks given, and worst of all, with no faith in the heart at all. Such empty worship, Arjuna, is called tamasic, the kind that comes from dullness."

Krishna says: "Now hear what good discipline of the body looks like, Arjuna. It means honouring the gods, the wise and learned, your teachers, and all who truly know; keeping yourself clean inside and out; being straight and honest; living simply and mastering your wants; and never hurting any living thing. All of this together is called the discipline of the body."

Krishna says: "Now the discipline of speech, Arjuna. It means words that do not upset others, words that are true, and words that are both kind and helpful, all at the same time. And it includes the steady habit of reading and reciting good things aloud. Speech used this way is called the discipline of words."

Krishna says: "And now the discipline of the mind, Arjuna. It means a calm, settled heart; a gentle and kindly nature; a quiet stillness inside; the power to hold your own self steady; and a heart that is clean and honest in its feelings. All of this together is called the discipline of the mind."

Krishna says: "When these three disciplines, of body, speech, and mind, are practised with the highest faith by people who are steady and balanced, and who want nothing back in return, then this threefold discipline is called sattvic, the kind that shines with goodness."

Krishna says: "But discipline that is done only to be respected, to look important, to be praised, or done as a show for others, is called rajasic, the kind that comes from restless wanting. Such discipline is shaky and never lasts, because the moment the praise stops, so does the effort."

Krishna says: "Some people put themselves through hard discipline for the wrong reasons: because a confused, mixed-up idea has taken hold of them, or just to hurt their own body, or even to bring harm to somebody else. That kind of discipline, done from confusion and meant to wound, is the lowest kind, the kind clouded by darkness."

Krishna says: "When you give something simply because giving is the right thing to do, to someone who can never pay you back, in the right place, at the right time, expecting nothing at all in return, that is the purest, brightest kind of giving. It comes from a clear and good heart."

Krishna says: "But sometimes a gift is given hoping to get a favour back, or with one eye on a reward, or given grudgingly, as if it hurts a little to let it go. That kind of giving is the restless, middle kind. It is still giving, but the heart behind it is busy wanting something for itself."

Krishna says: "And then there is giving done at the wrong place or the wrong time, or handed to people it should not go to, or given rudely, without respect, even with a sneer, as if the giver looks down on the one who receives. That kind of giving is the lowest, clouded kind, because there is no warmth or care in it at all."

Krishna says: "There are three sacred words that point toward Brahman, the vast Truth behind everything: 'Om — Tat — Sat.' In the very beginning, long ago, it was from these three words that the wise ones, the Vedas, and all the sacred offerings first came forth. They are like three doorways that all open onto the same boundless light."

Krishna says: "Because of this, those who truly know Brahman always begin every act of sacrifice, every gift they give, and every discipline they keep by first saying 'Om' aloud, just as the old rule teaches. The sacred sound comes first, like ringing a bell before the prayer: it turns the heart toward the Boundless before the hands begin their work."

Krishna says: "Those who long to be free say 'Tat,' which means 'That,' a name of the Boundless, and then do all their many acts of sacrifice, discipline, and giving without grabbing for any reward. They are not asking, 'What will I get for this?' They offer the act itself to the One beyond all names, and let go of the fruit."

Krishna says: "The third word is 'Sat,' Arjuna. It carries two meanings at once. It means what is real — what truly exists and never fades. And it means what is good — a heart that is kind and true. So the word 'Sat' is also used for any act that is worthy of praise, an act so good that people point to it and say, 'Yes — that is real, that is right.'"

Krishna says: "When you stand firm in sacrifice, in discipline, and in giving, staying steady and not giving up, that steadfastness is also called 'Sat.' And any act you do for the sake of That, for the Supreme, is called 'Sat' too. So 'Sat' means what is real and good, and also the faithful sticking-with-it, and every act offered up to the Boundless."

Krishna says: "But listen, Arjuna, whatever is offered, whatever is given, whatever discipline is kept, whatever is done, if it is done without faith, without any heart in it, then it is called 'Asat': empty, unreal, as if it never was. Such an act helps you nothing, neither here in this world nor in the world to come. The heart is what makes an act real."