त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा । सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां शृणु ॥
tri-vidhā bhavati śraddhā dehināṃ sā svabhāva-jā | sāttvikī rājasī caiva tāmasī ceti tāṃ śṛṇu ||
Śraddhā of the embodied is threefold — born of svabhāva (one's own nature): sāttvikī, rājasī, tāmasī. Hear this.
Word by word (3)
- tri-vidhā bhavati śraddhā dehināṃ sā svabhāva-jā
- — threefold (tri-vidhā) is the śraddhā (faith) of the embodied (dehināṃ), and it is born (jā) of their own nature (svabhāva) — śraddhā is intrinsic, not imposed
- sāttvikī rājasī caiva tāmasī ceti
- — sāttvikī (sattvic), rājasī (rajasic), and tāmasī (tamasic) — the three varieties named; 'ca iti' = 'and thus/so' completing the list
- tāṃ śṛṇu
- — hear (śṛṇu) that (tām) — the imperative to attend carefully; Krishna is about to elaborate on all three
The śraddhā of embodied beings is threefold, born of their own nature: sāttvic, rājasic, and tāmasic. Hear about this.
A modern analogy
Seeds from three different trees will grow three different trees — no matter where you plant them. The svabhāva-ja śraddhā is like the seed: you don't choose what kind of seed you started with, but you can tend it, cultivate it, transform it through sādhana toward the sāttvic variety.
V2 gives the chapter's architecture: the three-fold śraddhā. This is Krishna's answer to V1: the guṇa of one's śraddhā determines the guṇa of one's entire spiritual life — worship, food, sacrifice, austerity, charity. The word svabhāva-jā (born of svabhāva) is crucial: it implies the three types arise from deep character (like the āsurī/daivī division of Ch.16), not from a single act. But svabhāva can be transformed — V19 will hint at this through sāttvic tapa.
Svabhāva-jā connects to the Sāṃkhya framework: each guṇa creates a characteristic svabhāva (own-nature). Tamas creates a tamasic svabhāva → tāmasī śraddhā; rajas creates rājasī; sattva creates sāttvikī. This is why the daivī-sampad (Ch.16 V1-3) includes sattva-saṃśuddhi (purification of being/sattva) — it's the inner work of transforming svabhāva from tamasic/rajasic toward sattvic.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Threefold is that faith born of the individual nature of the embodied — Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic. Do thou hear of it. [1]
Threefold is the Shraddha of the embodied, which is inherent in their nature — the Sattvika, the Rajasika and the Tamasika. Do thou hear of it. [4]
Faith is of three kinds, born of the individual nature of the embodied. It is called good, passionate, and dark. Hear about this. [9]
The faith of embodied creatures is of three kinds. It is also born of their individual natures. It is good, passionate, and dark. Hear now these. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Of all yogis, the one whose inner self is merged in Me, worshipping with śraddhā — that one I hold to be most united.
Krishna declares: 'I am the ground of Brahman — the Immortal, the Immutable, eternal Dharma, and perfect Bliss.'
Sattva, rajas, tamas — three guṇas born of Prakṛti — bind the indestructible ātman in every body.
OṀ Tat Sat: triple name of Brahman — by which brāhmaṇas, Vedas, and yajñas were ordained in the beginning.
Whatever is sacrificed, given, done, or tapas practiced without śraddhā — that is asat: naught here or hereafter.
I am the Goal, Lord, Witness, Abode, Refuge, Friend — and the Origin, Dissolution, Seed imperishable.