satkara-mana-pujartham tapo dambhena caiva yat |
kriyate tad iha proktam rajasam calam adhruvam || 17.18 ||
Word meanings:
sat-kara — respect; mana — honor; puja — and worship; artham — for the sake of; tapah — austerity; dambhena — with pride; ca — also; eva — certainly; yat — which; kriyate — is performed; tat — that; iha — in this world; proktam — is said; rajasam — in the mode of passion; calam — flickering; adhruvam — temporary.
Meanings:
Penance performed out of pride and for the sake of gaining respect, honor and worship is said to be in the mode of passion.It is neither stable nor permanent.
Notes:
If one is doing some one a favor with the intent of gaining something in return, he/she surely will not do it when he/she gains nothing in return. That means the favor/action will not be consistent. Only when one becomes free of such intentions and is situated in the self, can one benefit others without interruption.
