Any religious ritual or ceremony of any kind that is vidhi hīnam or devoid of following the ordinances and injunctions of the Vedic scriptures and without being conducted by Vaiṣṇavas and brāhmaṇas, who are pre-eminent both in precept and in practice, is recognizably known to be fully situated in tama guṇa the mode of ignorance.

The words asṛṣṭa annaṃ means without the sanctified food and ingredients required to perform a bona fide yajña or propitiation and worship.

The prohibition is that no ingredient may be acquired from those without faith in Lord Krishna; so it is a mandatory requirement that all ingredients are to be received only from devotees.

Those situated in tama guṇa cannot fulfil this mandate.

So in conclusion whatever religious activity that is performed without adhering to the authority of the Vedic scriptures,

without Vaiṣṇavas and brāhmaṇas chanting Vedic mantras and without adoration of the Supreme Lord Krishna or any of His authorised incarnations and expansions

is not valid and being bogus is totally situated in tama guṇa.

If such activities were anyway somehow or other able to be clandestinely orchestrated by unqualified schemers it would still have no efficacy due to the absence of devotion to Lord Krishna and lack of faith in the absolute authority of the Vedic scriptures.

“यागातु राजसात् स्वर्गः सांकपिकः उदाहृतः | लोकः स दीनदेवानां सनाम्नां वासवादिभिः | विष्णावश्रद्धयाऽयोग्यकामाश्चैषां पुनर्भवेत् | नरकं च विना यज्ञं राजसा नरलोकगाः || निशिद्धं कर्मकुर्युश्चेदीयुस्ते नरकं ध्रुवम् | कदाचित् साच्चिकाः कुर्युः कर्म राजसतामसम् | अन्येऽन्यच्च तथाऽप्येषां स्थितिः स्वाभाविकी पुनः | स्वं स्वं कर्म तु सर्वेषां सदैव स्यान्महत्फलम् | अन्यदल्पफलं चैव बाहुल्यं तेषु लक्षणम् || इति पादमे ||” - By performing only sacrifices, the symbolic heavens are attained. This place is the habitation of the jivas who are similar to Indra and other gods who had fallen from their position. Since they were not receptive to Sri Vishnu or their desires exceeded their capabilities they attain such worlds but not the nether world. But those who perform energetic sacrifices and those who perform works which are prohibited will attain the eternal nether world without any doubt. They are often saatviks whose action are a mixture of both raajasik and taamasik. Others also perform actions which are not in consonance with their nature falling back to their natural attributes. Performance of their work according their respective natural attributes alone brings them better fruits. Performing actions contrary to their attributes brings lesser fruit. That which brings more fruit should be considered as their natural attribute, thus in Padma Purana..

13 "Deficient in prescribed procedure, without food-offerings, deficient in Mantra-recitation without largesses, and altogether lacking faith: that sacrifice they speak of as Tamas-dominated. (189)

In the mating (marriages) of animals and birds the aid of an astrologer is not solicited, lust alone suffices (it determines the time)! In that way, in the Tāmas-dominated sacrifices, perversity (आग्रह) is the only root cause. If it ever be necessary for the wind to search its own way for blowing, or for Death to come after ascertaining a propitious time (मुहूर्त), or for the fire to feel afraid to burn an unholy thing, then only the conduct of the Tamas-dominated sacrifices could be according to precepts: (otherwise) the Tāmasic one is all unrestrained, Oh Dhanurdhara. He cares neither for the prescribed procedure nor for the proper incantation of Mantras, just as a fly puts her mouth in any sort of food she comes across without caring to think (about its suitability etc.) in any way. Where the Brahmins are looked down with the feeling of enmity (by the Tamas-ridden) what scope is left for giving any largesses? In the fulness of his self-conceit he goes on squandering away whatever he has got, like the fire getting entangled in a whirl-wind. Thus with absolutely no faith (in such sacrifices) enormous wealth is squandered in vain, in the way is plundered the house of a dying person without issue. Such a semblance of sacrifice is called Tamas-dominated sacrifice,” said the Lord of Goddess Lakshmi. (He further said), “The water of the Ganges is all one and the same; yet it flows through different courses carrying dirt in some places while remaining clean and pure in others. In that way the austerities are three-fold, according to the three Gunas (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas). The performance of one (type of austerities) yields sin, and the other leads to emancipation. Should you be desirous of knowing how these three classes of austerities came into being, know first what is austerity. I preach it to you first and I shall then explain how Gunas have classified it into three different kinds. What is called austerity is, hear ye, three-fold (i) of body, (ii) mind and (iii) speech.

'Vidhihīnām'—There are different methods, for different kinds of sacrifice, in which there is guidance for the altar, utensils for oblation, direction and seating etc. Similarly, different materials are used, in the sacrifice for different gods and goddesses etc., as in the sacrifice for the Goddess Durgā, the cloth and material of red colour are used. In tāmasa sacrifice, the ordinances are not followed, but are renounced, due to indifference.

'Asrṣṭānnām'—Tāmasika people, who offer wealth as sacrifice, do not offer food, as charity to Brāhmaṇas, because they think that Brāhmaṇas will become idle, if they get free food and they could not work.

'Mantraḥīnām'—In tāmasika sacrifice, sacred hymns are not chanted, as tāmasika people think, that a sacrifice is performed by offering oblation, because it kills germs, and fragrance, spreads. But there is no need for the chanting of sacred hymns.

'Adakṣiṇām'—No sacrificial donations are paid to a priest or Brāhmaṇas, in tāmasika sacrifice, because people of tāmasika temperament, think that they have offered food to them already. If they offer fees to them, they will become idle and lazy, and will create a problem of unemployment, and so on. According to them, such Brāhmaṇas are a burden on the earth. But they do not think that if they do not offer fees or food to the Brāhmaṇas, the Brāhmaṇas may or may not become idle and lazy, but they

themselves will become heedless, by renouncing their duty.

'Śraddhāvirahitarī yajñaṁ tāmasarī paricakṣate'—As far as, offering an oblation into the fire, (yajña) is concerned, the tāmasika people think that it is very foolish*, that food articles, such as grain, churned butter, barley, rice, coconut, date, palm etc., which are useful to maintain the body, should be burnt in a fire. If they perform sacrifice, that is only to gain name, fame, honour and praise, without obeying scriptural ordinances, without distributing food, without chanting hymns, and without paying any donations.

They have no faith, either in scripture, or sacred hymns, or sacrifice or its fruit, out of delusion. They act, contrary to ordinance of scriptures. They are just like, the people of the Kali age, who do not believe in caste and social order, and who are engrossed in activities, contrary to ordinances of the scriptures.

In tāmasa sacrifice, a man having cast aside the ordinance of scriptures, acts according to his own sweet will (Gītā 16/23) and it is offered without faith (Gītā 17/28). These two feelings are involved in it. So, he attains, neither the occult power, nor the highest goal, nor even happiness, here or hereafter. He rather descends into the womb of an insect, a bird or a beast or into infernal regions (14/18). Absence of faith, is the cause of their damnation. As they perform forbidden actions, without faith, they must get punishment for it.

* When a farmer mixes the seed in the earth, its production is thousands of times more than the seed sown when the crop is ripe. Similarly the oblation offered by chanting scriptural hymns will certainly bear fruit. So far as the seed mixed in the earth is concerned, it is material as the earth is insentient while the oblation offered into the fire is divine because gods are sentient; and that oblation results in rain which is very useful. Manuji has declared:

"The oblation offered into fire strengthens the rays of the sun and those strengthened rays result in rain (Even the modern scientists accept this fact)."

All beings come forth from food, from rain food is produced (Gītā 3/14) and rain ensues from sacrifice (Gītā 3/14).

In a sacrifice, if the doer, his knowledge, actions, fortitude, intellect, company, the scripture and eatables, are sāttvika, it is sāttvika sacrifice, if they are rājasika, it is rājasika sacrifice, and if they are tāmasika, it is tāmasika sacrifice.

Link:—Having explained the three kinds of sacrifice, in the preceding three verses, the Lord, in the next three verses, explains three kinds of penance of the body, of speech and of mind, their differentiation as Sāttvika, Rājasika and Tāmasika will be explained at a later stage.

विधि-हीनं यथा-चोदित-विपरीतम्, असृष्ट-अन्नं ब्राह्मणेभ्यः न सृष्टं न दत्तं अन्नं यस्मिन् यज्ञे सः असृष्ट-अन्नः तम् असृष्ट-अन्नम्, मन्त्र-हीनं मन्त्रतः स्वरतः वर्णतः वा वियुक्तं मन्त्र-हीनम्, अदक्षिणं उक्त-दक्षिणा-रहितम्, श्रद्धा-विरहितं यज्ञं तामसं परिचक्षते तमो-निर्वृत्तं कथयन्ति ॥ अथ इदानीं तपः त्रि-विधं उच्यते --

आणि पशुपक्षिविवाहीं । जोशी कामापरौता नाहीं । तैसा तामसा यज्ञा पाहीं । आग्रहोचि मूळ ॥ १८९ ॥ वारया वाट न वाहे । कीं मरण मुहूर्त पाहे । निषिद्धांसीं बिहे । आगी जरी ॥ १९० ॥ तरी तामसाचिया आचारा । विधीचा आथी वोढावारा । म्हणूनि तो धनुर्धरा । उत्सृंखळु ॥ १९१ ॥ नाहीं विधीची तेथ चाड । नये मंत्रादिक तयाकड । अन्नजातां न सुये तोंड । मासिये जेवीं ॥ १९२ ॥ वैराचा बोधु ब्राह्मणा । तेथ कें रिगेल दक्षिणा । अग्नि जाला वाउधाणा । वरपडा जैसा ॥ १९३ ॥ तैसें वायांचि सर्वस्व वेंचे । मुख न देखती श्रद्धेचें । नागविलें निपुत्रिकाचें । जैसें घर ॥ १९४ ॥ ऐसा जो यज्ञाभासु । तया नाम यागु तामसु । आइकें म्हणे निवासु । श्रियेचा तो ॥ १९५ ॥ आता गंगेचें एक पाणी । परी नेलें आनानीं वाहणीं । एक मळीं एक आणी । शुद्धत्व जैसें ॥ १९६ ॥ तैसें तिहीं गुणीं तप । येथ जाहलें आहे त्रिरूप । तें एक केलें दे पाप । उद्धरी एक ॥ १९७ ॥ तरी तेंचि तिहीं भेदीं । कैसेनि पां म्हणौनि सुबुद्धी । जाणों पाहासी तरी आधीं । तपचि जाण ॥ १९८ ॥ येथ तप म्हणजे काई । तें स्वरूप दाऊं पाहीं । मग भेदिलें गुणीं तिहीं । तें पाठीं बोलों ॥ १९९ ॥ तरी तप जें कां सम्यक् । तेंही त्रिविध आइक । शारीर मानसिक । शाब्द गा ॥ २०० ॥ आतां गा तिहीं माझारीं । शारीर तंव अवधारीं । तरी शंभु कां श्रीहरी । पढियंता होय ॥ २०१ ॥

(17.189) और पशुपक्षियों के विवाह के समय जैसे काम के अतिरिक्त कोई विवाह करानेवाला जोशी नहीं रहता, वैसे ही तामस यज्ञ में केवल आग्रह ही मुख्य है।

(17.190) वायु को चाहे कहीं मार्ग न मिले, मृत्यु मुहूर्त-चिन्तन किया करे, अग्नि निषिद्ध पदार्थों का जलाने से डर जाय,

(17.191) ये घटनाएँ हो जायँ तथापि तामस मनुष्य के आचार को विधि की मर्यादा नहीं हो सकती। हे धनुर्धर! वह उच्छृंखल होता है।

(17.192) उसे विधि की परवा नहीं रहती। मन्त्र इत्यादि की उसको जरूरत नहीं होती। मक्खी के समान उसका मुँह भी किसी अन्न के विषय में बन्द नहीं होता। (17.193) जहाँ ब्राह्मण-मात्र से वैरभाव रहता है वहाँ दक्षिणा की गुजर कहाँ हो सकती है, तथा जैसे आँधी का आग की सहायता मिल जाय

(17.194) तो वह सब नाश कर देती है वैसे ही वह श्रद्धा का मुख न देख कर अपना सर्वस्व वृथा खर्च कर देता है, जैसे कि अपुत्र मनुष्य का धन उसकी मृत्यु के पश्चात् वृथा ही लुट जाता है।

(17.195) लक्ष्मी के निवास श्रीकृष्ण कहते हैं कि इस प्रकार जो केवल यज्ञ का आभास प्रकट किया जाता है उसका नाम तामस यज्ञ है।

(17.196) अब, गंगा का जल एक ही है पर जुदे-जुदे प्रवाहों में ले जाने से जैसे एक मैला और एक शुद्ध दिखाई देता है

(17.197) वैसे ही तप भी संसार में तीन गुणों के कारण त्रिरूप हो गया है। उनमें से एक प्रकार के तप के आचरण से पाप, और दूसरे से उद्धार होता है।

(17.198) अतः हे सुबुद्धि! वही तप तीन प्रकार का कैसा होता है, यह जानने की इच्छा हो तो प्रथम तप क्या है से सुनो। (17.199) तप क्या वस्तु है, उसका स्वरूप हम व्यक्त कर बताते हैं और फिर वह तीन गुणों के कारण जैसा भिन्न होता है उसका वर्णन करेंगे।

(17.200) अब, जो उत्तम तप है वह भी त्रिविध है, अर्थात् शारीरिक, मानसिक और शाब्द।

(17.201) इन तीनों में से सम्प्रति शारीरिक का रूप सुनो। जिसे शंकर अथवा श्रीहरि प्रिय होते हैं

‘विधिहीनम्’—अलग-अलग यज्ञोंकी अलग-अलग विधियाँ होती हैं और उसके अनुसार यज्ञकुण्ड, खुवा आदि पात्र, बैठनेकी दिशा, आसन आदिका विचार होता है। अलग-अलग देवताओंकी अलग-अलग सामग्री होती है; जैसे—देवीके यज्ञमें लाल वस्त्र और लाल सामग्री होती है। परन्तु तामस यज्ञमें इन विधियोंका पालन नहीं होता, प्रत्युत उपेक्षापूर्वक विधिका त्याग होता है।

‘असृष्टान्नम्’—तामस मनुष्य जो द्रव्ययज्ञ करते हैं, उसमें ब्राह्मणादिको अन्न-दान नहीं किया जाता। तामस मनुष्योंका यह भाव रहता है कि मुफ्तमें रोटी मिलनेसे वे आलसी हो जायेंगे, काम-धंधा नहीं करेंगे।

‘मन्त्रहीनम्’—वेदोंमें और वेदानुकूल शास्त्रोंमें कहे हुए मन्त्रोंसे ही द्रव्ययज्ञ किया जाता है। परन्तु तामस यज्ञमें वैदिक तथा शास्त्रीय मन्त्रोंसे यज्ञ नहीं किया जाता। कारण

लेकर जो यज्ञ किया जाता है, वह राजस हो जाता है। जो यज्ञ कामनापूर्वक लिये किया जाता है, उसमें शास्त्रविधिकी मुख्यता रहती है। कारण कि यज्ञकी विधि और क्रियामें यदि किसी प्रकारकी कमी रहेगी, तो उससे प्राप्त होनेवाले फलमें भी कमी आ जायगी। इसी प्रकार यदि यज्ञकी विधि और क्रियामें विपरीत बात आ जायगी, तो उसका फल भी विपरीत हो जायगा अर्थात् वह यज्ञ सिद्धि न देकर उलटे यज्ञकर्ताके लिये घातक हो जायगा।

परन्तु जो यज्ञ केवल दिखावटीपनके लिये किया जाता है, उसमें शास्त्रविधिकी परवाह नहीं होती।

यहाँ ‘विद्धि’ क्रिया देनेका तात्पर्य है कि हे अर्जुन! सांसारिक राग (कामना) ही जन्म-मरणका कारण है। अतः इस विषयमें तेरेको विशेष सावधान रहना है।

कि तामस पुरुषोंका यह भाव रहता है कि आहुति देनेमात्रसे यज्ञ हो जाता है, सुगन्ध हो जाती है, गंदे परमाणु नष्ट हो जाते हैं, फिर मन्त्रोंकी क्या जरूरत है? आदि।

‘अदक्षिणम्’—तामस यज्ञमें दान नहीं किया जाता। कारण कि तामस पुरुषोंका यह भाव रहता है कि हमने यज्ञमें आहुति दे दी और ब्राह्मणोंको अच्छी तरहसे भोजन करा दिया, अब उनको दक्षिणा देनेकी क्या जरूरत रही? यदि हम उनको दक्षिणा देंगे तो वे आलसी-प्रमादी हो जायेंगे, पुरुषार्थहीन हो जायेंगे, जिससे दुनियामें बेकारी फैलेगी; दूसरी बात, जिन ब्राह्मणोंको दक्षिणा मिलती है, वे कुछ कमाते ही नहीं, इसलिये वे पृथ्वीपर भाररूप रहते हैं, इत्यादि। वे तामस मनुष्य यह नहीं सोचते कि ब्राह्मणादिको अन्नदान, दक्षिणा आदि न देनेसे वे तो प्रमादी बनें, चाहे न बनें; पर शास्त्रविधिका, अपने कर्तव्य-कर्मका त्याग करनेसे हम तो प्रमादी बन ही गये!

‘श्रद्धाविरहितं यज्ञं तामसं परिचक्षते’—अग्निमें आहुति देनेके विषयमें तामस मनुष्योंका यह भाव रहता है कि अन्न, घी, जौ, चावल, नारियल, छुहारा आदि तो मनुष्यके निर्वाहके कामकी चीजें हैं। ऐसी चीजोंको अग्निमें फूँक देना कितनी मूर्खता है! अपनी प्रसिद्धि, मान-बड़ाईके लिये वे यज्ञ करते भी हैं तो बिना शास्त्रविधिके, बिना अन्नदानके, बिना मन्त्रोंके और बिना दक्षिणाके करते हैं। उनकी शास्त्रोंपर, शास्त्रोक्त मन्त्रोंपर और उनमें बतायी हुई विधियोंपर तथा शास्त्रोक्त विधिपूर्वक की गयी यज्ञकी क्रियापर और उसके पारलौकिक फलपर भी श्रद्धा-विश्वास नहीं होते। कारण कि उनमें मूढ़ता होती है। उनमें अपनी तो अकल होती नहीं और दूसरा कोई समझा दे तो उसे मानते नहीं।

इस तामस यज्ञमें ‘यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः’ (गीता १६।२३) और ‘अश्रद्धया हुतं

दत्तं तपस्तप्तं कृतं च यत्’ (गीता १७।२८)—ये दोनों भाव होते हैं। अतः वे इहलोक और परलोकका जो फल चाहते हैं, वह उनको नहीं मिलता—‘न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम्’, ‘न च तत्प्रेत्य नो इह।’ तात्पर्य है कि उनको उपेक्षापूर्वक किये गये शुभ-कर्मोंका इच्छित फल तो नहीं मिलेगा, पर अशुभ-कर्मोंका फल (अधोगति) तो मिलेगा ही—‘अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः’ (१४।१८)। कारण कि अशुभ फलमें अश्रद्धा ही हेतु है और वे अश्रद्धापूर्वक ही शास्त्रविरुद्ध आचरण करते हैं; अतः इसका दण्ड तो उनको मिलेगा ही।

इन यज्ञोंमें कर्ता, ज्ञान, क्रिया, धृति, बुद्धि, संग, शास्त्र, खान-पान आदि यदि सात्त्विक होंगे, तो वह यज्ञ सात्त्विक हो जायगा; यदि राजस होंगे, तो वह यज्ञ राजस हो जायगा; और यदि तामस होंगे, तो वह यज्ञ तामस हो जायगा।

सम्बन्ध—ग्यारहवें, बारहवें और तेरहवें श्लोकमें क्रमशः सात्त्विक, राजस और तामस यज्ञका वर्णन करके अब आगेके तीन श्लोकोंमें क्रमशः शारीरिक, वाचिक और मानसिक तपका वर्णन करते हैं (जिसका सात्त्विक, राजस और तामस-भेद आगे करेंगे)।