Yoga through Discerning the Three Divisions of Faith
Verse 17.11
अफलाकाङ्क्षिभिर्यज्ञो विधिदृष्टो य इज्यते।यष्टव्यमेवेति मनः समाधाय स सात्त्विकः।।17.11।।
aphalākāṅkṣhibhir yajño vidhi-driṣhṭo ya ijyate yaṣhṭavyam eveti manaḥ samādhāya sa sāttvikaḥ
Word Meanings
aphala-ākāṅkṣhibhiḥ—without expectation of any reward; yajñaḥ—sacrifice; vidhi-driṣhṭaḥ—that is in accordance with the scriptural injunctions; yaḥ—which; ijyate—is performed; yaṣhṭavyam-eva-iti—ought to be offered; manaḥ—mind; samādhāya—with conviction; saḥ—that; sāttvikaḥ—of the nature of goodness
Translation · English
That sacrifice which is offered by men without desire for reward, as enjoined by the ordinance (scripture), with a firm faith that doing so is their duty, is Sattvic or pure.
Deep Meaning · English
In this verse, Bhagavan Krishna delineates the Sattvic nature of duty, elevating 'Yajna' (sacrifice) from a mere ritualistic act to a state of surrendered consciousness. The Sattvic sacrifice is not defined by the grandiosity of the ceremony, but by the alignment of the inner landscape with the order of the Divine (vidhi). It is characterized by 'aphalakankshibhih'—a profound renunciation of the fruit, which effectively breaks the chain of Karma. When one acts because it is 'yastavyam eva' (one ought to offer), the action becomes an expression of the Divine Will rather than an assertion of the ego's desire. This shifts the focus from 'I am the doer' to 'This is the dharma,' transforming the act of sacrifice into an act of meditative presence. By steadying the mind (manah samadhaya) in the performance of duty as an end in itself, the seeker enters a state of equilibrium, where the distinction between the worker and the work dissolves into a seamless flow of grace. This is the essence of Sattvic life: acting with precision according to divine law, while remaining utterly untouched by the outcome, effectively burning away the seeds of future attachments.
True Sattvic sacrifice is the art of performing one's duty with disciplined focus on the sacred process, while completely releasing the ego's need for specific results.
Connected Verses
Reinforces the idea of performing prescribed duties as a Sattvic sacrifice simply because it ought to be done.
Connects the concept of Yajna to the sacred 'Om' and the wider Vedic injunctions described in the chapter.
Describes the Brahman-centric vision where the act of offering, the offering itself, and the fire are all recognized as Divine.
This establishes the foundational principle of performing duty without attachment to the results.
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