Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 17: The Three Kinds of Faith
Bhagavad Gita 17.1
ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विताः ।
तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वमाहो रजस्तमः ॥
ye śāstravidhimutsṛjya yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ | teṣāṃ niṣṭhā tu kā kṛṣṇa sattvamāho rajastamaḥ ||
Those who set aside the rules of scripture but still worship with faith: where do they stand, Krishna? Is their state one of clarity, of passion, or of inertia?
Modern context
Arjuna picks up where the last chapter ended. Krishna said to follow scripture. But what about people who do not know the rules, or set them aside, yet still worship with sincere faith? This is a fair and important question. Many good people have little formal knowledge of religious law. Are they lost? Krishna's answer turns the focus from rules to the quality of faith itself.