17.4 Who worships what Krishna speaks

यजन्ते सात्त्विका देवान्यक्षरक्षांसि राजसाः
प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये यजन्ते तामसा जनाः

yajante sāttvikā devān yakṣha-rakṣhānsi rājasāḥ
pretān bhūta-gaṇānśh chānye yajante tāmasā janāḥ

Those of clarity worship the gods; those of restlessness, the powers of wealth and force; and those of inertia worship ghosts and the hosts of spirits.

Explanation

And the objects of worship sort the same way.

clarity — the gods
restlessness — the powers of wealth and force
inertia — ghosts and hosts of spirits

What is being classified is what you want badly enough to bow to. The middle rung is the one worth pausing on: wealth and force are not named as false gods but as real objects of a real, restless faith.

Word by word

yajante: worship
sāttvikāḥ: those in the mode of goodness
devān: celestial gods
yakṣha: semi-celestial beings who exude power and wealth
rakṣhānsi: powerful beings who embody sensual enjoyment, revenge, and wrath
rājasāḥ: those in the mode of passion
pretān-bhūta-gaṇān: ghosts and spirits
cha: and
anye: others
yajante: worship
tāmasāḥ: those in the mode of ignorance
janāḥ: persons