17-2

श्री भगवान् उवाच -
त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनाम् सा स्वभावजा ।
सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति ताम् शृणु ॥ २ ॥

zrI bhagavAn uvAca -
trividhA bhavati zraddhA dehinAm sA svabhAvajA |
sAttvikI rAjasI caiva tAmasI ceti tAm zRNu || 2 ||

श्री भगवान् उवाच [zrI bhagavAn uvAca] The Lord said - देहिनाम् श्रद्धा [dehinAm zraddhA] Those who own a body have focus त्रिविधा भवति [trividhA bhavati] of three types: सात्त्विकी [sAttvikI] serene, राजसी [rAjasI] resourceful च [ca] and तामसी [tAmasI] lazy. सा स्वभावजा [sA svabhAvajA] It comes from their own state of being. इति ताम् शृणु [iti tAm zRNu] Listen to them.

Where does difficulty come from?

Everyone who owns a body has three types of focus. It comes from their own state of being. This ‘state of being’ is unique to them. It is shaped by the influence of actions committed since ancient times. It is specialized by their likes and dislikes, so their focus is directed by their tastes in life.

This ‘focus’ - श्रद्धा [zraddhA] - is the eagerness in their endeavor, filled with the conviction that it will achieve their belief. The influence of past deeds, the consequent tastes and this focus make up the ‘conduct’ of the Self. This conduct comes from contact with the three qualities .

It’s possible to describe the three qualities only by their effects. The three qualities come from experiencing things around us - things like our body - which is composed out of these qualities .

We perceive the world by using our body, our sense organs and our mind. This perception is a product of the three qualities and gives rise to the conduct of the Self - in the form of motivation, tastes and focus.

Hence, this focus - श्रद्धा [zraddhA] - is of three types - serene, resourceful and lazy, going by the three qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas . Listen to this focus and its characteristics.