अभिसन्धाय तु फलं दम्भार्थमपि चैव यत् ।इज्यते भरतश्रेष्ठ तं यज्ञं विद्धि राजसम् ॥
abhisaṃdhāya tu phalaṃ dambhārtham api caiva yat |ijyate bharataśreṣṭha taṃ yajñaṃ viddhi rājasam ||
- अभिसन्धाय · abhisaṃdhāya
- aiming at, with an eye to
- फलम् · phalam
- the fruit, reward
- दम्भार्थम् · dambhārtham
- for show
- इज्यते · ijyate
- is performed
- भरतश्रेष्ठ · bharataśreṣṭha
- O best of Bharatas
- तम् · tam
- that
- यज्ञम् · yajñam
- sacrifice
- विद्धि · viddhi
- know
- राजसम् · rājasam
- passionate, of rajas
“But sacrifice performed with an eye on the reward, or for the sake of show, O best of Bharatas — know that to be passionate.”
— Original plain-language translation
The same rite changes nature with motive: gain-seeking or audience-seeking makes it rajasic. Religion as investment or advertisement still binds. The test is always inward — whom was this really for?
— Reader's notes (original)