Bhagavad Gita · Shraddhatraya Vibhaga YogaChapter 17, Shloka 3 (17.3)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत
श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः
॥ 17.3 ॥
sattvānurūpā sarvasya śraddhā bhavati bhārata
śraddhāmayo'yaṃ puruṣo yo yacchraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ
Translation
"O Bharata, everyone's faith accords with their inner being. This person is made of faith — as one's faith is, so one is."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. viśiṣṭasaṃskāropetāntaḥkaraṇānurūpā; śraddhāmayaḥ ayaṃ śraddhāprāyaḥ puruṣaḥ saṃsārī jīvaḥ; kāryeṇa liṅgena — one's standing is known by the mark of one's actions.
Acharya Ramanuja. sattvam antaḥkaraṇam; śraddhāmayaḥ śraddhāpariṇāmaḥ — a human being is the outcome of their faith.
Shridhara Swami. A reasoned question: the Bhagavata (Uddhava Gita) calls faith a mark of sattva alone — so how can it be of three kinds? Answer: rajastamoyuktapuruṣāśrayatvena rajastamomiśratvena sattvasya traividhyāc chraddhāyā api traividhyaṃ — because it dwells in a person with rajas and tamas, and because sattva is mixed with them, faith too becomes threefold.
Madhusudana Saraswati. The inner instrument takes three forms: in the devas sattva is dominant, in the yakshas it is overpowered by rajas, in the pretas by tamas; and manuṣyāṇāṃ tu prāyeṇa vyāmiśram eva — in human beings it is mostly mixed.
Madhvacharya. yo yacchraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ — one with sattvic faith is sattvic, and so on.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.