Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Now if someone will say if I don’t have any faith at all? No faith is essential, best is when faith is transcendental otherwise it should be scriptural, or at least some kind of faith is required, so Krishna is saying what happen when there is no faith at all? 

Bg 17.28

aśraddhayā hutaṁ dattaṁf
tapas taptaṁ kṛtaṁ ca yat
asad ity ucyate pārtha
na ca tat pretya no iha

Synonyms: 

aśraddhayā — without faith; hutam — offered in sacrifice; dattam — given; tapaḥ — penance; taptam — executed; kṛtam — performed; ca — also; yat — that which; asat — false; iti — thus; ucyate — is said to be; pārtha — O son of Pṛthā; na — never; ca — also; tat — that; pretya — after death; na u — nor; iha — in this life.

Translation: 

Anything done as sacrifice, charity or penance without faith in the Supreme, O son of Pṛthā, is impermanent. It is called asat and is useless both in this life and the next.

aśraddhayā hutaṁ dattaṁ, that which is performed without sraddha, hutaṁ, offered in sacrifice, dattaṁ means given in charity, 

tapas taptaṁ kṛtaṁ ca yat, whatever austerity is also performed, 

asad ity ucyate pārtha, then it is considered asat, it is considered not of much use, it is temporary or false as Srila Prabhupada translated over here, 

na ca tat pretya no iha, pretya means after death, and iha is in this world, means neither in this world nor the next world, 

aśraddhayā hutaṁ dattaṁ
tapas taptaṁ kṛtaṁ ca yat

if someone is faithless as Krishna earlier also said in 4.40 

nāyaṁ loko ’sti na paro
na sukhaṁ saṁśayātmanaḥ

if somebody is saṁśayātmanaḥ, filled with doubts that person cannot gain any good result or happiness neither in this life or next life.

Same is reiterated here na ca tat pretya no iha. Neither in next life nor in this life, if one is faithless one is not able to function anyway.

So here faith is used for those who doesn’t have faith in God but in general everyone have faith in something including atheists they have faith in godlessness as no one can prove that there is no God.

There is also a narrow meaning to have strong faith only in Krishna.

In CC Madhya 22.62

‘śraddhā’-śabde — viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya

kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya

Synonyms: 

śraddhā-śabde — by the word śraddhā; viśvāsa — faith; kahe — is said; sudṛḍha — firm; niścaya — certain; kṛṣṇe — unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; bhakti — devotional service; kaile — by executing; sarva-karma — all activities; kṛta — completed; haya — are.

Translation: 

“Śraddhā is confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service.

What is faith?

‘śraddhā’-śabde — viśvāsa kahe, 

Faith is unshakable confidence in something transcendental kahe sudṛḍha niścaya, 

sudṛḍha, determined, unshakable niścaya strong determination

what is that, that is kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile, if one does Krishna Bhakti then what happens by doing Krishna Bhakti?  sarva-karma kṛta haya, all other work is done, this faith He is talking about is the similar faith exhibited by the Gopis, they left everything and went to Krishna. This level of faith Krishna is calling at the end of BG sarva-dharmān parityajya verse… that forget everything else forget all other religion just surrender to Me, everything will be done, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo, even if you feel that you have not done this duty or that duty and some sinful reactions will come, I will take care of those sinful reactions don’t worry, just serve Me.

Faith is not monovalent word it is multivalent word means it has many meanings. Initially there may be simple faith that there is some God beyond this world and I wanted to know more about Him.

In the nine stages of Bhakti, the first is Sraddha which Srila Prabhupada translated as favorable curiosity. It starts with that curiosity what is that I wanted to know about that, so that is the beginning, that is also at one level of faith, NOD also uses the word Nistha in this verse, and Nistha is strong unshakable faith, it is realized faith, it is internalized faith, and ultimate stage is Prema when we love someone we are ready to give up everything and anything for that person and in that kind of love faith in implied. There can be love without faith e.g. mother and child. Also there can be faith without love e.g. patient and doctor. At highest level when love is there faith is implied in that. As Bhakti Vindo Thakur said Maro Bhe Rakho Bhe Jo Echa Tomar…it indicate such an implied and implicit level of faith that one knows without any doubt that whatever Krishna does is for my good and therefore I will not oppose it I will accept it gracefully and gratefully, that is a very advance level of faith where one accepts Krishna’s will, as in BG also Arjuna says Karisye Vacanam Tava, I will do Your will. In Bible Jesus said in the previous night before he is crucified let Thy will be done my Lord not my will. What Arjuna said in BG is even higher not that only let Your will be done but I will do Your will, Karisye Vacanam Tava. So there can be various level of faith. Our faith will increase when we associate with devotees who have faith, study scriptures, other way is faith increases by divine intervention certain moment’s experiences in our life. So most potent ways which are talked in NOD are Chanting of Holy Name, Study of Scriptures, Associate with devotees, Visit Holy places, and worship the deities. By these faith can be increased tremendously and over period of time it will be Nistha and then to Love.

End of transcription.