74. Shraddha Brings Joy

Krishna says that anyone who follows the teaching of the Gita with shraddha will be joyful and will be liberated from karma bandhan (bondage of action) (3.31). The word ‘Shraddha’ is formed by the combination of two words, ‘Shrat’ and ‘Dha’. ‘Shrat’ means truth, and ‘Dha’ means to hold or sustain. Thus, Shraddha means holding or abiding in Truth.  Shraddha is usually thought to mean belief or faith, but it is something beyond and the closest meaning is trust. In this state, we are free of doubt and all our questions dissipate.

Humanity once believed that the Sun revolved around the Earth, until it was discovered that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Thus, belief is dependent on external factors while shraddha is an internal quality.

Secondly, belief exists alongside its polar opposite, disbelief, whereas shraddha transcends both. Thirdly, shraddha is not blind faith, in which one is unwilling to listen to the other side. Shraddha is the assimilation of everything into oneness. While belief and faith can be borrowed, shraddha is purely experiential.

To understand something it is essential to understand the contrast. That’s why Krishna immediately gives contrast and says, “The deluded don’t practice these teachings and are ruined” (3.32).

One common thread in the Gita is that realisation comes through awareness and not through suppression. This is reflected when Krishna says, “Even a man of Knowledge acts according to the tendencies of his own nature as all living creatures follow their nature. What can suppression do” (3.33)?

We all like some foods and dislike others. The same is the case with smells, sounds and beauty. A person is loved by some and disliked by others. One is liked today and hated subsequently or vice versa. There could be many justifications for these tendencies, but Krishna declares these tendencies to be our enemy and says, “The sense organs naturally experience raag (attachment) and dwesh (aversion) for their respective sense-objects. One should be aware of this duality and that the two are one’s enemies” (3.34).