Chapter 17: Sraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga, verse 3
सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत।
श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः ॥
Say itsattvānurūpā sarvasya śhraddhā bhavati bhārata
śhraddhā-mayo ‘yaṁ puruṣho yo yach-chhraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ
Translation
The faith of each is in accordance with their nature, O Arjuna. People consist of their faith; as a person's faith is, so are they.
Swami Sivananda
O scion of the Bharata dynasty, the faith of all beings is in accordance with their minds. This person is composed of faith as the dominant factor. He is indeed what his faith is.
Swami Gambirananda
Follows the commentary of Shankara (Advaita).
O Arjuna, the faith of everyone is in accordance with their inner organ (Antahkarana). Each person consists of faith; whatever their faith is, that is who they are.
Swami Adidevananda
Follows the commentary of Ramanuja (Vishishtadvaita).
Corresponding to one's own sattva, O descendant of Bharata, everybody has faith. The person predominantly consists of faith. Whatever one has faith in, that he becomes certainly.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
Follows the commentary of Abhinavagupta (Kashmir Shaivism).
Every person's faith conforms to their nature. By nature, they are full of faith. They are, in fact, what their faith makes them.
Shri Purohit Swami
हे भारत ! सभी मनुष्योंकी श्रद्धा अन्तःकरणके अनुरूप होती है। यह मनुष्य श्रद्धामय है। इसलिये जो जैसी श्रद्धावाला है, वही उसका स्वरूप है अर्थात् वही उसकी निष्ठा -- स्थिति है।
Swami Ramsukhdas
हे भारत सभी मनुष्यों की श्रद्धा उनके सत्त्व (स्वभाव, संस्कार) के अनुरूप होती है। यह पुरुष श्रद्धामय है, इसलिए जो पुरुष जिस श्रद्धा वाला है वह स्वयं भी वही है अर्थात् जैसी जिसकी श्रद्धा वैसा ही उसका स्वरूप होता है।
Swami Tejomayananda
Classical commentariesFor deeper study. Most are in the original Sanskrit.
Advaita
Non-dual: the self and the absolute are one.
Vishishtadvaita
Qualified non-dual: souls are real parts of the divine.
Dvaita
Dual: the soul and God are eternally distinct.
Shuddhadvaita
Pure non-dual, centred on grace and devotion.
Kashmir Shaivism
The Gita read through Trika Shaiva philosophy.
Modern teachers
20th-century teachers writing for today's readers.