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BG 17.12 — 17.12 The sacrifice which is offered, O Arjuna, seeking a reward and for ostentation, know thou that to be a Rajasic Yajna.
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अभिसन्धाय तु फलं दम्भार्थमपि चैव यत् |
इज्यते भरतश्रेष्ठ तं यज्ञं विद्धि राजसम् ||१७-१२||

abhisandhāya tu phalaṃ dambhārthamapi caiva yat . ijyate bharataśreṣṭha taṃ yajñaṃ viddhi rājasam ||17-12||


17.12 The sacrifice which is offered, O Arjuna, seeking a reward and for ostentation, know thou that to be a Rajasic Yajna.

Word-by-word meanings

17.12 अभिसंधाय seeking for? तु indeed? फलम् fruit? दम्भार्थम् for ostentation? अपि also? च and? एव even? यत् which? इज्यते is offered? भरतश्रेष्ठ O best of the Bharatas? तम् that? यज्ञम् sacrifice? विद्धि know? राजसम् Rajasic.Commentary If anyone performs a sacrifice in order to obtain? heaven? son? wealth? or name and fame? then it is a sacrifice of a Rajasic nature. The performer of this kind of sacrifice has the motive of increasing his own importance? for popularising his own name in the wor

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Sri Shankaracharya

17.12 Tu, but; yat, that which; is ijyate, performed; abhisandhaya, having in view; a phalam, result; api ca, as also; dambhartham, for ostentation; viddhi, know; tam, that; yajnam, sacrifice; to be rajasam, done through rajas; bharatasrestha, O greatest among the descendants of Bharata.

Swami Gambirananda

17.12 But that sacrifice which is performed having in veiw a result, as also for ostentation,-know that sacrifice to be done through rajas, O greatest among the descendants of Bharata.

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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