Verse-11
Chapter 17 — Shraddhatreya Vibhag Yoga
Verse 11
🕉 Original Sanskrit Shloka
aphalākāṅkṣibhiryajño vidhidṛṣṭo ya ijyate
yaṣṭavyameveti manaḥ samādhāya sa sāttvikaḥ
🕉 English Translation
Nichit kiya shastra ne jo yagya,
Jise mane ki karna aisa pharz.
Ho phal ki iccha na jisme kabhi,
Kehlata hai satvic yagya vahi.
📜 Translation
English
When it is considered as a duty to perform sacrifice, making the mind concentrated in this manner, without desire for fruits, this sacrifice which is performed as per the scriptural law by human beings is called satvic.
Along with food, the assurance to describe the three kinds of sacrifice, charity and austerity have been given in the 7th verse by the preacher of the Gita. After describing here the types of food is now described in this sequence the three types of sacrifice! First of all is the description of the satvic sacrifice.
In the background of the sacrifice there should not be any desire for fruits. There should be no craving for worldly wealth, fame and honour, etc. and even not the desire for heaven. Human birth has been given, but it should not be spent in just eating, drinking and sleeping or engaging in selfish actions! It is to acquire the benefit of life in the form of good and pure earnings by performing righteous deeds. Developing such an attitude and understanding that to perform the sacrifice is my duty, what will be my gain out of it-there should not be the slightest anxiety towards this-this is the satvic form of sacrifice.
Come and let us concentrate our mind. Associate the mind with these kinds of feelings. Make the mind understand properly. Give full respect to the scriptural laws. Which mantra can enhance the meaningfulness of a particular sacrifice, what are its procedures-this will be elucidated by the scriptures. No arbitrary procedures are to be followed. Understand the nature of the satvic sacrifice described in this verse; grasp, identify and derive inspiration from it.