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BG 17.18

सत्कारमानपूजार्थं तपो दम्भेन चैव यत्
क्रियते तदिह प्रोक्तं राजसं चलमध्रुवम्

satkāramānapūjārthaṃ
tapo dambhena caiva yat
kriyate tad iha proktaṃ
rājasaṃ calam adhruvam

SYNONYMS

satkāra: respect | māna: praise | pūjā: reverence | artham: for the sake of gaining | tapaḥ: austerity | dambhena: with ostentation | ca: and | eva: certainly | yat: which | kriyate: is practised | tat: that | iha: here | proktam: is said | rājasam: Rajasa | calam: unsteady | adhruvam: impermanent |

TRANSLATION

That austerity, practised with ostentation for the sake of gaining respect, praise and reverence, is here said to be Rajasa. It is unsteady and impermanent.

PURPORT

‘Respect’ means recognition by others. ‘Praise’ means verbal adulation. ‘Reverence’ means corporeal actions such as prostration etc. That austerity, practised with expectation of rewards like respect, etc., mentioned above—it is here said to be Rajasa. It is unsteady and impermanent, because of the temporary nature of its rewards like heaven etc.; ‘unsteadiness’ is the result of the fear of falling. ‘Impermanent’ means the tendency to perish.