Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 17, Verse 18
सत्कारमानपूजार्थं तपो दम्भेन चैव यत्।क्रियते तदिह प्रोक्तं राजसं चलमध्रुवम्।।
satkāra-māna-pūjārthaṁ tapo dambhena caiva yat
kriyate tad iha proktaṁ rājasaṁ calam adhruvam
also searched as "satkaramanapujartham tapo dambhena chaiva yat"
Translation
That austerity, practiced with ostentation for the sake of gaining respect, praise, and reverence, is here said to be Rajasa. It is unsteady and impermanent.
Vāṇi's rendering
Austerity done to win respect, honour, and admiration, done for show — restless, and its fruit is brief and unsteady.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सत्कारsatkāra | good treatment, being welcomed with respect |
| मानmāna | honour, being held in high regard |
| पूजाpūjā | reverence, being admired and venerated |
| अर्थंarthaṁ | for the sake of (joined to pūjā by sandhi as pūjārthaṁ) |
| तपःtapaḥ | austerity, self-discipline (written tapo before dambhena) |
| दम्भेनdambhena | with show, with pretence |
| चca | and (joined with eva as caiva) |
| एवeva | indeed, merely |
| यत्yat | which |
| क्रियतेkriyate | is performed |
| तत्tat | that (written tad before iha) |
| इहiha | here, in this world |
| प्रोक्तंproktaṁ | is called, is declared |
| राजसंrājasaṁ | restless in nature, driven by craving |
| चलम्calam | moving, unsteady |
| अध्रुवम्adhruvam | not lasting, impermanent |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17 Verse 18 mean?
It names the austerity done to be seen. Fasting, vigil, hard discipline — all of it genuine as effort, all of it aimed at satkāra, māna, pūjā: welcome, honour, admiration. Krishna calls such practice rājasaṁ, restless, and says its fruit is calam adhruvam — unsteady and short-lived, gone as soon as the praise stops.
What is the meaning of satkaramanapujartham tapo dambhena chaiva yat?
For the sake of good treatment, honour and reverence, and merely for show — that is what the line says. Dambha is the key word: pretence, display. The austerity has an audience built into it. Krishna is not measuring how much you endured, but who you were enduring it for.
Why is austerity for respect called unsteady?
Because it rests on something that moves. Respect is given and withdrawn by others, and a practice held up by it must keep looking outward to see whether it still stands. Krishna calls this calam adhruvam. What depends on an audience ends when the audience leaves.
Does this mean I should hide my spiritual practice?
Not hide — simply stop needing it seen. Krishna is not prescribing secrecy; he is asking about aim. The same fast, the same silence, the same charity may be rājasika or sāttvika depending only on what you want back from it. Practise where others can see, and want nothing from their seeing.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
The fast was real. The discipline held, the hours were kept — Krishna does not deny the work was done. He asks what the work was for. Austerity aimed at respect must keep checking whether respect arrived, and so it can never settle; that checking is what rājasaṁ means here. And the fruit is brief, because admiration is brief. It is spent the moment it is spoken, and then the discipline must be performed again for a new audience. Arjuna is being taught to look at motive, not at effort. Ask what would remain of your practice if no one ever heard of it.