सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत ।
श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्ध: स एव स: ॥
sattvānurūpā sarvasya śraddhā bhavati bhārata |
śraddhāmayo’yaṁ puruṣo yo yac-chraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 17.3)
“The śraddhā of all beings corresponds to their disposition (sattva), O descendant of Bhārata. A person is made of śraddhā. One verily is the śraddhā one has.”
Commentary
sattvānurūpā sattva-tāratamyānusāriṇī sarvasya vivekino’vivekino lokasya śraddhā vikriyata ity arthaḥ | tad evāha yo yac chraddhaḥ yādṛśī śraddhā yasya, sa eva saḥ, tādṛśa-śraddhā-yukta eva saḥ | yaḥ pūrvaṁ sattvotkarṣeṇa sāttvika-śraddhayā yuktaḥ puruṣaḥ sa punas tādṛśa-sva-saṁskāreṇa sāttvika-śraddhayā yukta eva bhavati | yas tu rajasa utkarṣeṇa rājasa-śraddhayā yuktaḥ sa punas tādṛśa eva bhavati | yas tu tamasa utkarṣeṇa tāmasa-śraddhayā yuktaḥ sa punas tādṛśa eva bhavati | lokācāra-mātreṇa pravartamāneṣv evaṁ sāttvika-rājasa-tāmasa-śraddhā-vyavasthā | śāstra-janita-viveka-jñāna-yuktānāṁ tu svabhāva-vijayena sāttvikī ekaiva śraddheti prakaraṇārthaḥ |
(Excerpt from the Subodhinī-ṭīkā)
“The śraddhā of everyone, that is, both discerning and non-discerning persons, acts according to their disposition, that is, the gradation amid their dispositions (sattvānurūpā). This is the meaning, and thus, it is said that one verily is the sort of śraddhā which one has. A person who, as a result of a prior predominance of sattva, is endowed with sattvic śraddhā becomes again endowed [in a future life] with sattvic śraddhā as a result of their own saṁskāra for this. [Similarly,] One who is endowed with rajasic śraddhā as a result of a predominance of rajas again becomes this way, and one who is endowed with tamasic śraddhā as a result of a predominance of tamas again becomes this way. This constancy of sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic śraddhā [however] pertains [only] to those who act in accord with social customs (lokācāra). The śraddhā of those endowed with discriminating knowledge produced by śāstra, however, because this conquers over one’s svabhāva, is exclusively sattvic in nature. This is the meaning of this section.”