Bhagavad Gita 17.13 meaningYou are what you trust
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“A gift given without love or care is dull.”
What it means
“An offering made without guidance, without sharing food, without sacred words, without generosity and without faith is dull.”
The original Sanskrit
विधिहीनमसृष्टान्नं मन्त्रहीनमदक्षिणम् । श्रद्धाविरहितं यज्ञं तामसं परिचक्षते ॥
vidhihīnamasṛṣṭānnaṃ mantrahīnamadakṣiṇam śraddhāvirahitaṃ yajñaṃ tāmasaṃ paricakṣate
Translations
Literal translation
They declare that sacrifice as 'done through tamas' which is contrary to injunction, in which food is not distributed, in which mantras are not used, in which offerings are not made to priests, and which is devoid of faith.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
शास्त्रविधि से रहित, अन्नदान से रहित, बिना मन्त्रों, बिना दक्षिणा और बिना श्रद्धा के किये हुए यज्ञ को तामस यज्ञ कहते हैं।
Swami Tejomayananda
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Commentaries
How great teachers across 1,200 years have explained this verse.
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Keep reading · 17.14“Respecting the divine, the wise and your teachers; cleanliness, honesty, self-restraint and non-violence — this is discipline of the body.”