Bhagavad Gita · Shraddhatraya Vibhaga YogaChapter 17, Shloka 2 (17.2)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
श्रीभगवानुवाच
त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा
सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां शृणु
॥ 17.2 ॥
trividhā bhavati śraddhā dehināṃ sā svabhāvajā
sāttvikī rājasī caiva tāmasī ceti tāṃ śṛṇu
Translation
The Blessed Lord said: "The faith of embodied beings, born of their nature, is of three kinds — sattvic, rajasic and tamasic. Hear of it."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. janmāntarakṛtaḥ dharmādisaṃskāraḥ maraṇakāle abhivyaktaḥ svabhāvaḥ — the impressions (samskaras) of past lives form one's nature.
Acharya Ramanuja. prācīnavāsanānimittaḥ tattadruciviśeṣaḥ? yatra ruciḥ tatra śraddhā jāyate — liking arises from old tendencies; where there is liking, there faith arises; svābhimataṃ sādhayati etat iti viśvāsapūrvikā sādhane tvarā — "this will accomplish my goal" — from this conviction comes eagerness in the means.
Shridhara Swami. An important distinction: śāstratattvajñānataḥ pravartamānānāṃ … sāttvikī ekavidhaiva śraddhā — those who act from knowledge of the scriptures have only one kind of faith (sattvic); lokācāramātreṇa tu pravartamānānāṃ … trividhā — those who act merely by social custom have three kinds. And his most hopeful sentence: svabhāvam anyathā kartuṃ samarthaṃ hi śāstroktaṃ vivekajñānaṃ — discerning knowledge is capable of changing one's nature.
Madhusudana Saraswati. For him, those with rajasic and tamasic faith na śāstrīyasādhane 'dhikriyante — are not qualified for scriptural practice (his strict reading); but in the next verse he himself says that the inner instrument of human beings is prāyeṇa vyāmiśram — mostly mixed.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.