असदित्युच्यते पार्थ न च तत्प्रेत्य नो इह ॥ २८ ॥
aśraddhayā hutaṃ dattaṃ tapastaptaṃ kṛtaṃ ca yat .
asadityucyate pārtha na ca tatpretya no iha .. 28 ..
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Given: to the brahmanas. Deed: such as adoration and obeisance. Asat: as they are quite outside the path by which I (the Īśvara) may be reached. It is naught: though costing much trouble, it is of no use here as it is despised by the wise; nor can it produce any effect hereafter.
The teaching of the discourse summed up.
[The teaching of this discourse may be thus summed up:—There are devotees, who, though ignorant of the scriptures, are yet endued with faith, and who, according to the nature of their faith, may be classed as Sattvic, Rajasic, or Tamasic. These should cultivate pure Sattva by avoiding Rajasic and Tamasic kinds of food, worship, gift and austerity, and resorting exclusively to Sattvic ones. When their acts of worship, gift, and austerity are found defective, they may be perfected by uttering the three designations of Brahman, ‘Om,’ ‘Tat,’ and ‘Sat.’ With their reason (buddhi) thus purified, they should engage in the study of scriptures and in the subsequent stages of investigation into the nature of Brahman. Thereby they attain a direct perception of Truth and are finally liberared.—A.]
श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे श्रद्धात्रयविभागयोगो नाम
सप्तदशोऽध्यायः ॥