Shloka
सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत |
श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः ||१७-३||Transliteration
sattvānurūpā sarvasya śraddhā bhavati bhārata .
śraddhāmayo.ayaṃ puruṣo yo yacchraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ ||17-3||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
17.3. Corresponding to one’s own sattva everybody has faith, O descendant of Bharata ! The person predominantly consists of the faith. What one has faith in, that he is (becomes) certainly.
Shri Purohit Swami
17.3 The faith of every man conforms to his nature. By nature he is full of faith. He is in fact what his faith makes him.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
17.3 Sattva etc. The word sattva in ‘corresponding to one’s own sattva’ is a synonym of svabhava ‘primary nature’. This person i.e., Soul, is necessarily connected with a faith that dominates all [his] other activities. [Hence], he is to be deemed just to be mainly consisting of that.
Sri Ramanuja
17.3 ‘Sattva’ means internal organ (i.e., mind). The faith of everyone is according to his internal organ. The meaning is that with whatever Guna his internal organ is conjoined, one’s faith corresponds to that Guna (i.e., Guna as object). The term Sattva covers here body, senses etc., already mentioned. Man consists of faith, viz., is the product of his faith. Of whatever faith he is, viz., with whatever faith a man is possessed, that verily he is; he is a transformation of faith of that nature. The purport is this: If the person is associated with faith in auspicious acts he becomes associated with fruit of these auspicious acts. Conseently, attainment chiefly follows one’s faith.
Sri Krsna further explains the same subject:
Sri Shankaracharya
17.3 O scion of the Bharata dynasty, the sraddha, faith; sarvasya, of all beings; bhavati, is; sattva-anurupa, in accordance with their minds, in accordance with the internal organ which is imbued with particular impression. If this is so, what follows? The answer is: Ayam, this; purusah, person, the transmigrating soul; is sraddhamayah, made up of faith as the dominating factor. How? Sah, he, the individual soul; is eva, verily; sah, that; yah yat-sraddhah,which is the faith of that individual-he surely conforms to his faith. And, as a conseence, a person’s steadfastness in sattva etc. is to be inferred from the grounds of his actions such as worship of gods etc. Hence the Lord says:
Swami Adidevananda
17.3 The faith of everyone, O Arjuna, is in accordance with his internal organ (Antahkarana). Man consists of faith. Whatever his faith is, that verily is he.
Swami Gambirananda
17.3 O scion of the Bharata dynasty, the faith of all beings is in accordance with their minds. This person is made up of faith as the dominant factor. He is verily what his faith is.
Swami Sivananda
17.3 The faith of each is in accordance with his nature, O Arjuna. The man consists of his faith; as a man’s faith is, so is he.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
17.3 सत्त्वानुरूपा in accordance with his nature? सर्वस्य of each? श्रद्धा faith? भवति is? भारत O Arjuna? श्रद्धामयः consists of (his) faith? अयम् this? पुरुषः man? यः who? यच्छ्रद्धः in which his faith is? सः he? एव verily? सः that (is).Commentary The faith of every person conforms to his inherent nature or natural temperament. Man is imbued with faith. The term Svabhava is the last verse and the word Sattva in the present one are synonymous.A mans character may be judged by his faith. A mans faith shows what his character is. A man is what his faith has made him. A mans conduct in life is moulded or shaped by his faith. His faith will indicate his Nishtha (state of being? conviction). The faith of each man is according to his natural disposition or the specific tendencies or Samskaras or the selfreprodutive latent impressions of the good and bad actions which were performed in the past births. The faith of each man takes its colour and ality from the stuff of his being? his temperament? tendencies or Samskaras.Sattva Nature Natural disposition the mind with its specific tendencies.Each Every living being.Purusha Man The individual soul which is caught up in the wheel of transmigration the soul alified by mind.Sraddhamayah Full of faith Just as the Annamaya Kosa is full of food? just as the Anandamaya Kosa is full of bliss? so also the Antahkarana (mind? intellect? etc.) is full of faith.The man consists of his faith that which his faith is? he is verily that. This theory is only a repetition of the theory propounded in chapter VII? verses 20 and 23? and in chapter IX? verse 25.