Bhagavad-gita (with Vaishnava commentaries)
by Narayana Gosvami | 2013 | 327,105 words
The Bhagavad-gita Verse 17.7, English translation, including the Vaishnava commentaries Sarartha-varsini-tika, Prakashika-vritti and Rasika-ranjana (excerpts). This is verse Verse 17.7 from the chapter 17 called “Shraddha-traya-vibhaga-yoga (Yoga through discerning the three types of Faith)�
Verse 17.7
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 17.7:
आहारस् त्व् अप� सर्वस्� त्रि-विधो भवति प्रियः �
यज्ञस् तपस् तथ� दानं तेषा� भेदम� इम� शृणु � � �tv api sarvasya tri-vidho bhavati ⲹ� |
yajñas tapas ٲٳ dāna� teṣāṃ bhedam ima� śṛṇ || 7 ||�–the food; tu–iԻ; api–e; sarvasya–of all living beings; ٰ-�–according to the three qualities; bhavati–i; ⲹ�–d; ⲹñ�–sھ; ٲ貹�–aܲٱٲ; ٲٳ–a; Բ–cٲ; ٱṣām–all of these; bhedam–dDz; imam–t; śṛṇ–now hear.
Even the food that is dear to a person is of three kinds, in accordance with that person’s individual qualities. The same is true of sacrifice, austerity and charity. Now hear of the distinctions between them.
Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇ� Ṭīkā
(By Śīla վśٳ 䲹ī Ṭhܰ; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings�)
Those who discard the injunctions of scripture and act whimsically enter the demoniac species of life. This was mentioned in the previous chapter. This chapter describes how those of a demoniac nature who worship ۲ṣa, ṣa and spirits also enter the demoniac species of life. One can categorize people as divine or demoniac according to the type of food they eat. This will be explained in thirteen consecutive verses beginning here with tu.
Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇ� Prakāśikā-vṛtti
(By Śīla Bhaktivedānta ⲹṇa ҴDz峾ī ѲᲹ; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named ٳ-ṣiṇ�)
Having explained the three categories of ś, or faith, Śī ṛṣṇa describes the specific food, sacrifices and so forth corresponding to each. Those who are of a particular mode are inclined to food, sacrifices, austerities and charities in the same mode. Nowadays, some people imagine that food has no relationship with religious principles, while others think that protecting and maintaining the body is the basis of all religious practice (śī ⲹ� khalu dharma Բ). One should thus note that those who accept sense enjoyment as the only purpose of human life feel great satisfaction in drinking wine and eating meat, eggs and even cow-flesh. Fortunately, some people understand that the living entity’s tendency for sense enjoyment has caused his bondage to , by which he is undergoing so much misery life after life. For those who yearn to become free from all miseries, it is imperative to abandon the desire to indulge in sense enjoyment. Only those in this human life who have developed such awareness understand the need to accept pure ٳٱ첹 food. In their endeavour to transcend the three modes of the material energy, they first try to surmount the mode of ignorance by coming to the mode of passion; they then destroy the mode of passion by coming to ٳٱ-ṇa, the mode of goodness. Finally they eliminate the mundane quality of goodness and come to the platform of pure spirituality, śܻ-ٳٱ, being free from the modes of nature.
Saintly persons and scripture both state that control of the mind is indeed the root of all religion. The body’s nearest relative is the mind, and thus one’s inclination of mind becomes good or bad, depending on the type of food one takes. Evidence of this is common. Most people in the world today consume inedible and demoniac foodstuffs and indulge in acts of illicit sex, cheating, duplicity and violence. Proper moral conduct is rare. Therefore, after careful consideration, those who are wise should only accept such foodstuffs that nourish the body and purify the intelligence. For this reason, Śī has described the three types of foodstuffs that manifest the three modes. It is seen that those who aim to adopt the mode of goodness become disinterested in foods that are in the modes of passion and ignorance, being attracted to ٳٱ첹 foods only.
While commenting on this verse concerning foodstuffs, Śī 峾Գ峦ⲹ has cited two sources of evidence from the Śܳپ. (1) �Annamayam hi saumya-Բ�–one who eats grains will have a peaceful mind� and (2) �Ā-śuddhau sattva-śܻ�–if one’s food is pure, then one’s existence will become purified.� The Śܳپ have also cautioned us that purity of food determines purity of the mind. This can be easily understood by these proofs. We must, therefore, give up any food that scripture prohibits.
Śī ṛṣṇa Himself has lucidly explained this in Śīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.25.28):
貹ٳⲹ� pūtam anāyas tam ⲹ� ٳٱ첹� ṛt
Ჹ� Իⲹ-ṣṭ� 峾� ٳپ-śܳFood that is wholesome, pure and obtained without difficulty is in the mode of goodness. That which is very pungent, sour and salty and meant only to gratify the senses is in the mode of passion, and food that is collected from an impure place, contaminated and that causes distress is in the mode of ignorance. But that food approved by scripture and offered to Me is beyond the modes of nature.
From the word ca (and) in this verse (11.25.28), both Śīla վśٳ 䲹ī Ṭhܰ and Śīla Śīdhara Svāmī have concluded that any object that is offered to is Ծṇa. Those who violate these instructions of scripture and accept any type of impure food based on their fancy certainly fall into the category of asuras (demons).