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ह्रीं
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ॐ तत् सत्
ॐ ऐं ह्रीं क्लीं चामुण्डायै विच्चे
या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शक्तिरूपेण संस्थिता
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः

Aligning Consciousness

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Ch 17•Verse 4
Adhyāya 17 • Shloka 4

यजन्ते सात्त्विका देवान्यक्षरक्षांसि राजसाः | प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये यजन्ते तामसा जनाः || ४ ||

yajante sāttvikā devān yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi rājasāḥ | pretān bhūta-gaṇāṁś cānye yajante tāmasā janāḥ || 4 ||

"Men in the mode of goodness worship the demigods; those in the mode of passion worship the demons; and those in the mode of ignorance worship ghosts and spirits."

Historical Context

The Direct Meaning

To prove the previous point, Krishna provides a concrete diagnostic test: look at *who* or *what* a person worships. Those situated in goodness (sāttvikā) worship higher celestial beings or demigods (devān) to attain piety and heavenly elevation. Those in passion (rājasāḥ) worship powerful, materialistic beings like Yakshas and Rakshasas (demons/spirits of wealth and power). Finally, those totally degraded by ignorance (tāmasā janāḥ) worship ghosts, spirits, and the dead (pretān bhūta-gaṇāṁś).

Translated from the original Sanskrit text

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