Gyaneshwari -Sant Gyaneshwar
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Chapter-17
Three Kinds of Faith
11. That which is offered according to injunction by persons without desiring fruit, with the conviction that one ought to sacrifice, is of sattva quality. Just as the chaste wife does not allow her desire to grow for anyone other than her husband, or the river Ganga does not go forward after joining the sea or the Vedas observe silence after the vision of the Supreme Self, they become absorbed in the performance of sacrifices in furtherance of their weal and do not entertain a desire for the fruit. When the roots of a tree are watered, the water does not recede but soaks into all the parts of the tree. In the same way, they decide to perform sacrifices and become absorbed in their heart and soul, in a disinterested spirit (171-175). Giving up the desire for their fruit and becoming indifferent to all things, except their religious duty, they complete the sacrifice, perfect in all ways. Just as one sees clearly, his own face in the mirror, or the jewel placed on his palm in lamp-light, or the way after sun-rise, they observe all the injunctions laid down by the scriptures and prepare all materials like sacrificial pit, pavilions, altar etc. as if the scriptures incarnate have come there and made all preparations. Just as ornaments properly worn on their respective limbs look nice, all the things needed for the sacrifice are arranged in a proper order (176180). In what words should I praise the sattvic sacrifice? It is as if the sacrificial lore has assumed that glamorous form. Just as a tulsi plant is grown by irrigation water without the expectation of fruit, flower or shade (which it does not give), so a sacrifice performed as prescribed without a desire for its fruit or fame, is sattvic sacrifice. |
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