In the Bhagavad-gita’s seventeenth chapter, Krishna indicates that faith isn’t just about something we believe; it is integral to our very existence, it’s about how we live. Indeed, we are made of our faith; and as our faith is, so we will become in future (17.03). 

 To aid in assessing faith, Krishna analyzes faith in terms of several important aspects of daily living: the object of worship (17.04), dietary choices (17.07-10), sacrifices (17.11-13), austerities (17.14-19) and charity (17.20-22). Why these particular aspects? Because they demonstrate our understanding of how we connect with and contribute to something bigger than ourselves. A little reflection can reveal to us that our very existence depends on factors beyond our control: for example, food, water, air, heat and light. Given our immense dependence on things beyond ourselves, how we conceive the rest of existence and our relationship with it is constitutive of who we are — it reflects our faith. And that conception is revealed significantly through the aspects listed by Krishna. 

Ultimately, that conception needs to evolve till it aligns with the actualities of existence: we are eternal parts of the ultimate reality (15.07). And that ultimate reality, Krishna is both transcendentally personal (12.02) and universally pervasive throughout existence (07.07). We can align with that reality through a mood of service and sacrifice (03.09). To the extent we are self-centered — as can be seen through how we do the above listed activities — to that extent our faith is under-evolved. 

In the revelation of the universal form, Krishna calls Arjuna to become a selfless instrument of the Divine (11.33), a call that Arjuna accepts wholeheartedly (18.73), thus demonstrating his super-evolved faith. 

One-sentence summary: 

Faith is not just about what we believe, but about how we live, essentially, how we link with the rest of existence beyond ourselves. 

Think it over: 

  • How does Krishna expand our understanding of faith?
  • How is our faith related with the particular aspects of daily life listed by Krishna in the seventeenth chapter?
  • How is Krishna’s explanation of faith relevant for Arjuna on the battlefield? 

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17.03: O son of Bharata, according to one’s existence under the various modes of nature, one evolves a particular kind of faith. The living being is said to be of a particular faith according to the modes he has acquired.

 

To know more about this verse, please click on the image