17.12 For the fruit, or for show Krishna speaks
अभिसंधाय तु फलं दम्भार्थमपि चैव यत्
इज्यते भरतश्रेष्ठ तं यज्ञं विद्धि राजसम्
abhisandhāya tu phalaṁ dambhārtham api chaiva yat
ijyate bharata-śhreṣhṭha taṁ yajñaṁ viddhi rājasam
But an offering made looking to its fruit, or for the sake of show — know that to be of restlessness.
Explanation
Two ways to spoil the same act.
Looking to the fruit, or performing for show — dambhārtham.
These are named together and they are not the same failing: one wants a result, the other wants an audience. The chapter treats them as the same grade because both put something outside the act at the centre of it.
Word by word
- abhisandhāya
- motivated by
- tu
- but
- phalam
- the result
- dambha
- pride
- artham
- for the sake of
- api
- also
- cha
- and
- eva
- certainly
- yat
- that which
- ijyate
- is performed
- bharata-śhreṣhṭha
- Arjun, the best of the Bharatas
- tam
- that
- yajñam
- sacrifice
- viddhi
- know
- rājasam
- in the mode of passion
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