Gita 17.4
Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga
यजन्ते सात्त्विका देवान्यक्षरक्षांसि राजसाः | प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये यजन्ते तामसा जनाः ||४||
yajante sāttvikā devān yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi rājasāḥ | pretān bhūta-gaṇāṁś cānye yajante tāmasā janāḥ ||4||
In essence: What you worship reveals your inner nature: sattvic beings worship divine forces, rajasic beings worship power-entities, and tamasic beings worship ghosts and lower spirits.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "I worship Krishna - surely that's sattvic? Yet sometimes I pray for success in my work..."
Guru: "The object of worship matters, but so does the motivation. Praying to Krishna for liberation is sattvic. Praying to Krishna for a promotion might be rajasic worship dressed in sattvic clothing. Examine why you worship, not just whom."
Sadhak: "But aren't some deities inherently more elevated than others?"
Guru: "Yes, and the sattvic soul is naturally drawn to elevated deities. But even worship of the highest deity can be performed with rajasic or tamasic motivation. A person performing elaborate Vishnu puja while inwardly seeking power over others has rajasic worship. A person with simple heart offering water to the sunrise with pure aspiration has sattvic worship."
Sadhak: "What about ancestor worship? Is that always tamasic?"
Guru: "Not always. Honoring ancestors with gratitude, seeking their blessings for spiritual growth - this can be sattvic. But worship of the dead out of fear, or attempting to contact departed spirits for worldly gain, or remaining morbidly attached to those who have passed - this is tamasic. Again, motivation determines quality, not merely the external act."
Did this resonate with you? Share it with someone who needs to hear this.
🌅 Daily Practice
Before beginning any worship or spiritual practice, examine your motivation. Ask: 'Am I seeking purification and truth? Success and gain? Or acting from fear and confusion?' Set conscious intention to worship with sattvic motivation, whatever form your practice takes.
Observe what you 'worship' through your attention and energy throughout the day. Do you worship wealth through constant financial anxiety? Power through political obsession? The past through nostalgic attachment? These informal worships reveal your operative faith as much as formal religious practice.
End the day with sattvic worship - whatever that means in your tradition. Offer the day's activities to the Divine. Pray not for success tomorrow but for purity of heart, clarity of vision, and devotion. Let the last mental impression before sleep be directed toward the highest.