Shraddha (श्रद्धा)

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परिचयः ॥ Introduction

In Vivekachudamani, Sloka 25, Śrī Śankaracharya says:

“शास्त्रस्य गुरुवाक्यस्य सत्यबुद्ध्यवधारणम्। सत्यबुद्ध्यावधारणा सा श्रद्धा कथिता सद्भिर्यया वस्तूपलभ्यते॥”

Meaning, trust in Śāstra and in the words of Guru with truthful behavior performed with śrअddhā intern helps in the understanding of reality and the gain of desired results or objects. (https://sanatanadhara.com/bhakthi/)

Shraddha is the rudimentary stage of Bhakti. (Sri Shandilya Bhakti Sutras book)

Śraddhā (faith) is to believe in what you do not see and the reward is in seeing what you believed.

Śraddhā (श्रद्धा) refers to “faith in the statements of scripture awakened when one has accumulated pious devotional activities over many births or by the association and mercy of a pure Vaiṣṇava; the first manifestation of the creeper of devotion. The inner essence of the seed of śraddhā is the conception implanted within the disciple’s heart to serve Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in a particular capacity”.

Śraddhā (श्रद्धा) refers to:—Faith in the statements of the śāstras which is awakened after accumulating pious devotional credits over many births.

Śraddhā (श्रद्धा) refers to:—Faith; the firm conviction that all of one’s obligations will be fulfilled by performing kṛṣṇa-bhakti.

(Wisdom library - https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/shraddha)

व्युत्पत्तिः ॥ Etymology

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

1) To confide, believe, put faith in (with acc. of thing); कः श्रद्धास्यति भूतार्थम् (kaḥ śraddhāsyati bhūtārtham) Mk.3.24; कामिन्यः श्रदधुरनार्जवं नरेषु (kāminyaḥ śradadhuranārjavaṃ nareṣu) Śi.8.11;9.69; U.7.6; श्रद्दधे त्रिदशगोप- मात्रके दाहशक्तिमिव कृष्णवर्त्मनि (śraddadhe tridaśagopa- mātrake dāhaśaktimiva kṛṣṇavartmani) R.11.42.

Śraddhā (श्रद्धा).—

1) Trust, faith, belief, confidence.

2) Belief in divine revelation, religious faith; श्रद्धा वित्तं विधिश्चेति त्रितयं तत्समागतम् (śraddhā vittaṃ vidhiśceti tritayaṃ tatsamāgatam) Ś.7.29; R.2.16; अयतिः श्रद्धयोपेतो योगात् चलितमानसः (ayatiḥ śraddhayopeto yogāt calitamānasaḥ) Bg.6.37;7.21;17.3.

3) Sedateness, composure of mind.

4) Intimacy, familiarity.

5) Respect, reverence.

6) Strong or vehement desire; तथापि वैचित्र्य- रहस्यलुब्धाः श्रद्धां विधास्यन्ति सचेतसोऽत्र (tathāpi vaicitrya- rahasyalubdhāḥ śraddhāṃ vidhāsyanti sacetaso'tra) Vikr.1.13; युद्धश्रद्धा- पुलकित इव प्राप्तसख्यः करेण (yuddhaśraddhā- pulakita iva prāptasakhyaḥ kareṇa) Mu.6.18.

(Wisdom library-https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/shraddha)

The term is derived from two Sanskrit roots: shrat meaning "truth," "heart" or "faithfulness," and dha, meaning "to direct one’s mind toward." (Yogapedia https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5360/shraddha)

Types of Shraddha

सा त्रिविधा । यथा, -- श्रीभगवानुवाच ।

“त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा । सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां शृणु ॥१७- २॥

सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत । श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः ॥१७- ३॥

यजन्ते सात्त्विका देवान्यक्षरक्षांसि राजसाः । प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये यजन्ते तामसा जनाः ॥१७- ४॥”

इति श्रीभगवद्गीतायां १७ अध्यायः ॥

Meaning: Bhagavan said, "Shraddha of people, born of their individual natures, is of three kinds. It is characterized by sattva, rajas or tamas. Hear now about it. Shraddha of each person is in accordance with his natural disposition. O Bharata, a person is made of his Shraddha; what his Shraddha is, that he verily is. People in whom sattva prevails worship the deities; people in whom rajas prevails worship the demigods; and people in whom tamas prevails worship ghosts and disembodied spirits."

Greatness of Shraddha

तस्याः प्रशंसा यथा, -- ब्रह्मोवाच । “श्रद्धापूर्व्वा इमे धर्म्माः श्रद्धा मध्यान्त- संस्थिताः । श्रद्धा नित्या प्रतिष्ठाश्च धर्म्माः श्रंद्धैव कीर्त्तिताः ॥ श्रुतिमात्ररसाः सूक्ष्माः प्रधानपुरुषेश्वराः । श्रद्धामात्रेण गृह्यन्ते न करेण न चक्षुषा ॥ कायक्लेशैर्न बहुभिस्तथवार्थस्य राशिभिः । धर्म्मः संप्राप्यते सूक्ष्मः श्रद्धाहीनैः सुरैरपि ॥ श्रद्धा धर्म्मः परः सूक्ष्मः श्रद्धा ज्ञानं हुतं तपः । श्रद्धा स्वर्गश्च मोक्षश्च श्रद्धा सर्व्वमिदं जगत् ॥ सर्व्वस्वं जीवितं वापि दद्यादश्रद्धया यदि । नाप्नुयात्तत्फलं किञ्चित् श्रद्धादानं ततो भवेत् ॥ एवं श्रद्धान्वयाः सर्वे सर्वधर्म्माः प्रकीर्त्तिताः । केशवः श्रद्धया गम्यो ध्येयः पूज्यश्च सर्वदा ॥” इति वह्निपुराणे धेनुदानमाहात्म्याध्यायः ॥

In the Bhagavad Gita

In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says,

श्रद्धावाँल्लभते ज्ञानं तत्परः संयतेन्द्रियः । ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति ॥४-३९॥

Meaning: The one who is full of faith (shraddha) and zeal and has subdued his senses obtains knowledge; having obtained knowledge, he soon attains Supreme Peace.

In the Yoga Sutras

श्रद्धावीर्यस्मृतिसमाधिप्रज्ञापूर्वक इतरेषाम् ॥२०॥

Meaning: To others (this Samadhi) comes through faith, energy, memory, concentration, and discrimination of the real.

Sri Aurobindo on Shraddha

Sri Aurobindo emphasizes that the three parts of the perfection of our instrumental nature, intelligence, heart, vital consciousness and body, the perfection of the surrender of our instruments and action to the divine Shakti, depend at every moment of their progression on a fourth power that is covertly and overtly the pivot of all endeavour and action ie. shraddha or faith.

Perfect faith is an assent of the whole being to the truth seen by it or offered to its acceptance.

Its central working is a faith of the atman in its own will to be, attain and become; its idea of self and things and its knowledge, of which the belief of the intellect, the heart’s consent and the desire of the life mind to possess and realise are the outward figures. This faith, in some form of itself, is indispensable to the action of the being. Without it, man cannot move a single pace in life, much less take any step forward to a yet unrealised perfection. It is so central and essential a thing that the Gita can justly say of it that whatever is a man’s shraddha, that he is, yo yacchraddhah sa eva sah. And it may be added, whatever he has the faith to see as possible in himself and strive for, that he can create and become.

There is one kind of faith demanded as indispensable by the integral Yoga and that may be described as faith in God and the Shakti, faith in the presence and power of the Divine in us and the world, a faith that all in the world is the working of one divine Shakti, that all the steps of the Yoga, its strivings and sufferings and failures as well as its successes and satisfactions and victories are utilities and necessities of her workings and that by a firm and strong dependence on and a total self-surrender to the Divine and to his Shakti in us we can attain to oneness and freedom and victory and perfection.

A great and wide spiritual and intelligent faith, intelligent with the intelligence of that larger reason which assents to high possibilities, is the character of the shraddha needed for the integral Yoga.

This shraddha—the English word faith is inadequate to express it—is in reality an influence from the supreme Spirit and its light a message from our supramental being which is calling the lower nature to rise out of its petty present to a great self-becoming and self-exceeding. And that which receives the influence and answers to the call is not so much the intellect, the heart or the life mind, but the inner soul which better knows the truth of its own destiny and mission.

There the intellect, the heart, or the desires of the life mind may take a prominent place, or even more fortuitous accidents and outward incentives; but if these are all, then there can be no surety of our fidelity to the call and our enduring perseverance in the Yoga. The intellect may abandon the idea that attracted it, the heart weary or fail us, the desire of the life mind turn to other objectives. But outward circumstances are only a cover for the real workings of the spirit, and if it is the spirit that has been touched, the inward soul that has received the call, the ´sraddh¯a will remain firm and resist all attempts to defeat or slay it.

There will very possibly be many of those trying obscurations of which even the Vedic Rishis so often complained, “long exiles from the light”, and these may be so thick, the night on the soul may be so black that faith may seem utterly to have left us. But through it all the spiritwithin will be keeping its unseen hold and the soul will return with a new strength to its assurance which was only eclipsed and not extinguished, because extinguished it cannot be when once the inner self has known and made its resolution.1

There can be for the seeker of the integral Yoga no clinging to resting-places on the road or to half-way houses; he cannot be satisfied till he has laid down all the great enduring bases of his perfection and broken out into its large and free infinities, and even there he has to be constantly filling himself with more experiences of the Infinite. His progress is an ascent from level to level and each new height brings in other vistas and revelations of the much that has still to be done, bhu¯ ri kartvam, till the divine Shakti has at last taken up all his endeavour and he has only to assent and participate gladly by a consenting oneness in her luminous workings. That which will support him through these changes, struggles, transformations which might otherwise dishearten and baffle,—for the intellect and life and emotion always grasp too much at things, fasten on premature certitudes and are apt to be afflicted and unwilling when forced to abandon that on which they rested,—is a firm faith in the Shakti that is at work and reliance on the guidance of the Master of the Yoga whose wisdom is not in haste and whose steps through all the perplexities of the mind are assured and just and sound, because they are founded on a perfectly comprehending transaction with the necessities of our nature.

The progress of the Yoga is a procession from the mental ignorance through imperfect formations to a perfect foundation and increasing of knowledge and in its more satisfyingly positive parts a movement from light to greater light, and it cannot cease till we have the greatest light of the supramental knowledge. The motions of the mind in its progress must necessarily be mixed with a greater or lesser proportion of error, and we should not allow our faith to be disconcerted by the discovery of its errors or imagine that because the beliefs of the intellect which aided us were too hasty and positive, therefore the fundamental faith in the soul was invalid.

The faith of the heart and the life mind, like that of the intelligence, must be capable of a constant correction, enlarging and transformation.

This faith is essentially the secret ´sraddh¯a of the soul, and it is brought more and more to the surface and there satisfied, sustained and increased by an increasing assurance and certainty of spiritual experience. Here too the faith in us must be unattached, a faith that waits upon Truth and is prepared to change and enlarge its understanding of spiritual experiences, to correct mistaken or half-true ideas about them and receive more enlightening interpretations, to replace insufficient by more sufficient intuitions, and to merge experiences that seemed at the time to be final and satisfying in more satisfying combinations with new experience and greater largenesses and transcendences.

Our faith must be an assent that receives all spiritual experience, but with a wide openness and readiness for always more light and truth, an absence of limiting attachment and no such clinging to forms as would interfere with the forward movement of the Shakti towards the integrality of the spiritual being, consciousness, knowledge, power, action and the wholeness of the one and the multiple Ananda.

The faith demanded of us both in its general principle and its constant particular application amounts to a large and ever increasing and a constantly purer, fuller and stronger assent of the whole being and all its parts to the presence and guidance of God and the Shakti. The faith in the Shakti, as long as we are not aware of and filled with her presence, must necessarily be preceded or at least accompanied by a firm and virile faith in our own spiritual will and energy and our power to move successfully towards unity and freedom and perfection. Man is given faith in himself, his ideas and his powers that he may work and create and rise to greater things and in the end bring his strength as a worthy offering to the altar of the Spirit.

At the same time this faith in oneself must be purified from all touch of rajasic egoism and spiritual pride.

The power of the divine universal Shakti which is behind our aspiration is illimitable, and when it is rightly called upon it cannot fail to pour itself into us and to remove whatever incapacity and obstacle, now or later; for the times and durations of our struggle while they depend at first, instrumentally and in part, on the strength of our faith and our endeavour, are yet eventually in the hands of the wisely determining secret Spirit, alone the Master of the Yoga, the Ishwara.

The faith in the divine Shakti must be always at the back of our strength and when she becomes manifest, it must be or grow implicit and complete.

The intimate feeling of her presence and her powers and the satisfied assent of all our being to her workings in and around it is the last perfection of faith in the Shakti.

And behind her is the Ishwara and faith in him is the most central thing in the ´sraddh¯a of the integral Yoga.

This faith we must have and develop to perfection that all things are the workings under the universal conditions of a supreme self-knowledge and wisdom, that nothing done in us or around us is in vain or without its appointed place and just significance, that all things are possible when the Ishwara as our supreme Self and Spirit takes up the action and that all that has been done before and all that he will do hereafter was and will be part of his infallible and foreseeing guidance and intended towards the fruition of our Yoga and our perfection and our life work. This faith will be more and more justified as the higher knowledge opens, we shall begin to see the great and small significances that escaped our limited mentality and faith will pass into knowledge.

The highest state of the assent, the ´sraddh¯a of the being will be when we feel the presence of the Ishwara and feel all our existence and consciousness and thought and will and action in his hand and consent in all things and with every part of our self and nature to the direct and immanent and occupying will of the Spirit. And that highest perfection of the ´sraddh¯a will also be the opportunity and perfect foundation of a divine strength: it will base, when complete, the development and manifestation and the works of the luminous supramental Shakti.

Śraddhā: Construct Definition from the Bhagavad-Gītā by Dharm P. S. Bhawuk

The analysis of Bhagavad Gita resulted in nine themes, and many behavioural outcomes of śraddhā such as not finding faults in others.

Jñāna or knowledge is seen as mediating between śraddhā and moksa or liberation. This relationship is moderated by tatparah (or eager engagement in the spiritual practice one has chosen) and samyatendriyah (or practicing self-restraint).

Śraddhā is considered as one of the highest virtues. It is a gift of the Supreme. It always bears fruits which carry over to the next life.

The highest quality of śraddhā is that of a devotee. From interpersonal perspective, śraddhā is an emotion one has for another person, a deity or śāstra (scriptural text or instructions in such texts that guide human behaviour).

Śraddhā reflects the basic nature of people. Absence of śraddhā causes all efforts to go in vain.

It is hoped that explication of the indigenous construct, śraddhā, will also enrich our understanding of adhyātma or spirituality.

In this article, the construct of śraddhā is derived from the Bhagavad-Gītā, a dialogue between Shri Krsna and Arjuna, which takes place in the Mahābhārata after Arjuna shares his quandary with him relating to fighting his kins.

Deriving the meaning of the construct of śraddhā from the Bhagavad-Gītā.

Śraddhā appears in the Bhagavad-Gītā 17 times in 15 verses of eight cantos, specifically, 3.31, 4.39, 6.37, 6.47, 7.21 (twice), 7.22, 9.23, 12.2, 12.20, 17.1, 17.2, 17.3 (twice), 17.13, 17.17 and 18.71.

The opposite of śraddhā, which is aśraddhā, also appears four times in three cantos, specifically in verses, 4.40, 9.3, 17.13 (as a compound word, śraddhā virahitam or without śraddhā) and 17.28.

In Canto 17, śraddhā is defined with respect to the three gunas (quality or innate tendencies) of sāmkhya darśana or philosophy.

Further, śraddhā is also used to explicate other constructs like yajña, tapas (austerities), dāna (charity) and karma (action), thus highlighting the importance of this construct in understanding Indian worldview and psychology.

The analyses of śraddhā gave eight themes, and the analysis of aśraddhā gave one theme. The nine themes derived from the analyses of the 19 verses from the Bhagavad-Gītā are presented in the next section.

Śraddhā: Not finding faults

In verse 3.313, Krsna tells Arjuna that those people who always follow Krsna’s directive (given in verse 3.30), who have śraddhā in him (śraddhāvantah) and who are not jealous of him (anasuyantah), become free of the bondage of karma. In this verse, Krsna contrasts śraddhā with asūya (envy, jealousy or indignation caused by happiness of others), illustrating that when we have śraddhā for someone, we do not find fault with that person or envy the achievements of that person. Thus, śraddhā is associated with ansūya (absence of envy/jealousy), and a behavioural outcome of śraddhā is not finding faults in others. This has implications for practice in that spiritual practitioners should cultivate śraddhā and ansūya. Thus, śraddhā can be viewed as the fruition of not harbouring asūya or jealousy for anyone, thus breaking the boundaries between self and others.

Śraddhā and moksa

In verse 4.394, Krsna tells Arjuna that a person who has śraddhā, is eagerly engaged in the spiritual practice that one has chosen, is in control of his or her senses and achieves jñāna or knowledge of the self. In a spiritual journey, one has to be eagerly engaged in the practice one has selected, and the effort must lead to control of the senses. However, without śraddhā, all the effort and control of senses go in vain. Śraddhā is considered a necessary condition for spiritual practices. Ādi Śankar emphasises in his commentary that external practices can be performed by even fraudulent or deceitful people, but such practices would not lead to knowledge. He indicates that śraddhā is an internal quality.

The importance of śraddhā for the practice of spirituality is clearly laid out in this verse. The second line of the verse points out to the consequence of achieving jñāna—one immediately achieves unparalleled or supreme peace, which is interpreted as moksa by Ādi Śankar. Thus, we see in this verse a model where śraddhā is seen as the antecedent of jñāna. However, this relationship is moderated by tatparah or eager engagement in a spiritual practice and samyatendriyah or practice of self-restraint5. Jñāna (or knowledge) mediates between śraddhā (reverence) and moksa or liberation. Since moksa is the highest pursuit of life in India (the other three are: dharma or duty, artha or wealth and kāma or pleasure), śraddhā occupies an important place in the worldview of Indians.

In verse 18.716, Krsna tells Arjuna that those who have śraddhā and are also not envious (ansūyah), even by listening to the dialogue (in the Bhagavad-Gītā), definitely become free and go to auspicious places (beyond earth) because of their meritorious karma or actions. In this and the previous verse (18.70), Krsna emphasises the merit of studying the Bhagavad-Gītā, and in doing so employs śraddhā and ansūya (absence of envy) as the two virtues. It builds on what is presented earlier in the analysis of verse 3.31, where ansūya was also emphasised along with śraddhā. Thus, the importance of śraddhā is emphasised for achieving moksa, which is one of the four purusārthas or life pursuits prescribed for the Indians. It should also be noted that people can have śraddhā for texts like the Bhagavad-Gītā.

Śraddhā: The highest of virtues with everlasting outcomes

The question Arjuna asks of Krsna in verse 6.377 is one of the many important questions he asks in the Bhagavad-Gītā. He asks Krsna what happens ultimately to the person who has śraddhā but fails to make the necessary effort. This question builds on verse 4.39, though after many things have been explained in between. In verse 4.39 śraddhā was presented as necessary condition for achieving jñāna, and it is in this context that Arjuna asks Krsna about what happens when śraddhā is present but one does not succeed in the path of spirituality because of unsteady manas or mind8. In verses 6.39–6.47, Krsna explains that nothing is lost for the person who has śraddhā and who has made some effort. Such a person picks up in the next life from the same state that he or she has been in the present life; that is, no merit is lost in transitioning to a new life. Thus, śraddhā is not only the necessary condition, but always bears fruits that are never lost.

In verse 6.47,9 Krsna eulogises śraddhā as the highest virtue and says that even among yogins (practitioners of yoga) the best is one who chants the name of Krsna surrendering with śraddhā. It can be seen that śraddhā is a bhāva (or emotion) that one has for another person, and it is often expressed as—I have śraddhā for X (where X is a target person, or a text as noted earlier). Considering that Krsna is considered God personified, śraddhā is something that one has for God. Thus, śraddhā is one of the highest virtues, and it bears fruits that do not diminish in value with rebirth.

Śraddhā: A divine grace

In verse 7.21,10 Krsna tells Arjuna that any devotee who wants to worship with śraddhā, whatever form of deity it may be, Krsna bestows acalam or unflinching śraddhā to that devotee so that he or she can worship that deity. There are two points to be noted in this verse. First, Krsna does not discriminate among devotees who have śraddhā; they can worship whichever form of deity they want to. In other words, we are free to choose the spiritual practice, and Krsna endows us with the necessary śraddhā, based on what we bring to the practice. Second, Krsna blesses people who have śraddhā. In other words, śraddhā shown by human beings begets divine śraddhā or śraddhā from Krsna.

Verse 7.2211 continues from the previous one, and Krsna states that when the devotee worships the deity of his or her choice with the divine śraddhā provided by Krsna, his or her desires are fulfilled by Krsna himself. Therefore, śraddhā is not only something that brings one to Krsna but also continues to bring the blessings of Krsna to the devotees, whoever and however they worship. Thus, śraddhā is a gift of God, or a divine grace.

Śraddhā: Always bears fruits

In verse 9.23,12 Krsna tells Arjuna that those devotees who worship other devas (Śiva, Indra, Rudra and so forth) with śraddhā are still worshipping Krsna, albeit not following proper procedure. This verse elaborates on the ideas presented in verses 7.21 and 7.22, and states that even if śraddhā is placed in other deities, and not Krsna, such ‘misplaced’ śraddhā is still placed in him. Thus, śraddhā never gets misplaced and always bears fruit.

This verse is in effect similar to verse 2.40,13 where Krsna proclaims that effort invested in the practice of karmayoga (a spiritual practice in which action is emphasised without attachment to rewards also called niskāma karma), one of the practices of spirituality, neither suffers a loss, nor is there an adverse effect; and even a little bit of practice helps a person to get over his or her biggest of fears. Thus, śraddhā is integral to the procedure that makes efforts bear fruit in the practice of spirituality.

Devotees’ śraddhā: The highest

In verse 12.2,14 Krsna tells Arjuna that the best spiritual practitioner is one who fixes his or her mind on Krsna and is always engaged in worshipping Krsna with deep śraddhā. This verse is in response to Arjuna’s question about who is a better spiritual practitioner, one who follows bhaktiyoga or the path of devotion, or one who follows jñānayoga or the path of knowledge. Since śraddhā is used to characterise bhaktiyoga, its relevance to both the paths of knowledge, as noted earlier in verse 4.39, śraddhāvān labhate jñānam (only those who have śraddhā obtain knowledge) and devotion (as noted in verse 12.2) is unequivocal.

Canto 12 of the Bhagavad-Gītā is called bhaktiyoga, and in verse 12.2 Krsna firmly states that the path of devotion is superior to the path of knowledge and uses śraddhā to define devotion. Further, in the concluding verse Krsna employs śraddhā again to describe the person that is dearest to him. Thus, śraddhā is what describes a spiritual practitioner, both who practices bhaktiyoga or the path of devotion and jñānayoga or the path of knowledge.

Śraddhā: For person, deity or śāstra

Confused about his duty, when Arjuna was inclined to act in a cowardly manner, he surrenders to Krsna as a student, which is captured in verse 2.7.15 He beseeches Krsna to instruct him firmly to do what was best for him. This reflects the śraddhā one places in another person, especially a guru or teacher. At the end of the Bhagavad-Gītā in verse 18.73,16 Arjuna tells Krsna that by Krsna’s grace his confusion was dispelled, he was free of doubts and he had gained his discriminatory faculty. Further, Arjuna tells Krsna that he was ready to follow his instructions. This shows that a student surrenders to his or her teacher, listens to the instructions and carries out the instructions of the teacher. This is showing śraddhā to a person. Thus, śraddhā is an emotion that a student has for a teacher. It should also be noted that people can have śraddhā for any of the various Hindu deities as noted in verse 7.21 presented in section four earlier. In other words, śraddhā is needed in worshipping a deity or pursuing any spiritual practice. Thus, śraddhā is also an emotion one has for a deity.

In verses 12.13–12.19 many attributes like being in a balanced state, not having any negative feeling towards other beings, always being content with whatever comes one’s way, and so forth, are presented to characterise devotees who are dear to Krsna. In the concluding verse of the Canto (12.2017) another quality that is highlighted is that devotees who worship Krsna by surrendering to him with deep śraddhā, and follow the dhārmika or pious and nectar-like (amrta-like) instructions meticulously are dearest to Him. Such instructions refer to what is stated in śāstras or scriptures. What is meant here is that it is not enough to have śraddhā for a person, deity or God but an individual needs to have it also in śāstra (or scriptural text) that guide human behaviour.

Śraddhā shapes a person

In verse 17.118Arjuna says to Krsna, “People who do not follow the method given in śāstras or scriptures, but worship with śraddhā, what is their nature? Are they sāttvika (calmness or illumination), rājasika (or dynamism), or tāmasika (or inertia)?” This question allows us to synthesise the three gunas as enunciated in sān˙khya darśana with śraddhā. In verse 17.2,19 Krsna tells Arjuna that śraddhā is of three types, sāttvika, rājasika and tāmasika, and it depends on the inner nature of a person, thus providing the typology of śraddhā from the perspective of sān˙khya philosophy. In verse 17.3,20 Krsna tells Arjuna that śraddhā reflects the basic nature of people, and whatever is the nature of śraddhā of a person, so becomes that person. Śraddhā is used twice in this verse, and it captures two important points. First, śraddhā reflects the basic nature of people. And second, people are the personification of śraddhā.

People with sāttvika śraddhā worship deities, those with rājasika śraddhā worship lesser deities, and those with tāmasika śraddhā worship evil spirits.21 Based on one’s śraddhā and inherent qualities, one not only chooses what one eats but also the kind of yajña, tapas, and dāna one performs.

Absence of śraddhā: Making everything inauspicious

In verse 4.4022 Krsna tells Arjuna that those who are ignorant, without śraddhā, and sceptical are ruined, completely lose out on achievements both in this world and beyond, and also do not find happiness. In this verse, absence of śraddhā is equated to lack of knowledge. Verse 4.39 also states that only those who have śraddhā obtain knowledge (śraddhāvān labhate jñānam). Further, absence of śraddhā is equated to being sceptical, and śraddhā is also presented as a precondition of happiness.

In verse 9.3,23 Krsna tells Arjuna that people without śraddhā in the teachings of Krsna go through the cycle of life and death without attaining moksa. Verses 17.11, 17.12 and 17.13, point out to three types of yajñas or sacrifices. In verse 17.1324 Krsna tells Arjuna that a yajña is in the nature of tāmasika if it is performed without śraddhā, without mantra, without daksinā or remuneration to the priests, without prasādam or food offerings to people attending the yajña, or without following proper procedure laid out in the śāstras. Thus, this verse is both a prohibition against performing yajña without śraddhā, and an instruction for performing yajña with śraddhā.

In verse 17.28,25 Krsna tells Arjuna that not only yajña, but dāna, tapas, and karma also performed without śraddhā are said to be without truth and bear no fruit in this world or beyond. In verses 17.2626 and 17.27,27 the word sat, as it is used in om tatsat, means auspicious, and means that brahman is truth (verse 17.2328). It is also stated that yajña, dāna, tapas, and karma are auspicious and must always be performed (see verses 18.329 and 18.530). When performed without śraddhā these become asat or inauspicious. It is the presence of śraddhā that makes them virtuous. - Śraddhā as the Foundation of Yajña, Dāna, Tapas, and Karma.

Discussion

The two Samskrt dictionaries by Monier-William and Apte provide the following meaning of the word śraddhā: faith, trust, confidence, trustfulness, faithfulness, belief, wish, desire, willingly, gladly, curiosity (śraddhā mākhyāhinastāvat or just satisfy our curiosity and tell us), purity, respect, reverence, calmness or composure of mind, to consent, assent to, approve and welcome (with na, ‘to disapprove’).

Śraddhā can be of several types. According to the Bhagavad Gītā, the śraddhā of a devotee following the path of devotion is of the highest type. It is clear that śraddhā occupies a central place in whatever path of spirituality is followed. Also śraddhā is the antecedent of jñāna, and the relationship between śraddhā and jñāna is moderated by tatparah (or eager engagement in a practice) and samyatendriyah (or practicing selfrestraint). The value of an individual’s effort who is on the path of spirituality is not lost either. Further, as jñāna acts as a mediator between śraddhā and moksa (or liberation), śraddhā becomes an instrument of moksa, the highest life pursuit of humans in the Indian worldview, the other three being dharma or duty, artha or wealth, and kāma or pleasure. Such a complex understanding cannot be captured by single word translations of the construct of śraddhā in English or other languages;

According to the Bhagavad-Gītā, one must always perform yajña, dāna, tapas, and karma. When one gives away something (dāna), one may suffer some loss but that may be considered tyāga or sacrifice, which is considered a kind of tapas. Considering the complex relationship between dāna and tapas, I would like to propose that dāna and tapas are interrelated constructs and can be visualised as occupying a common semantic space. In a similar fashion, all activities (karma) done for lokasamgraha or for the good of people too may be considered sacrifice or tapas. All karma, dāna, and tapas done with niskāmabhāva or without attachment to the rewards from the expected outcomes are considered sāttvika acts. They are part of a sāttvika yajña, and constitute components of a spiritual practice. Thus, dāna and tapas, karma and tapas, karma and yajña, dāna and yajña and tapas and yajña are pairs of constructs that not only intercorrelate but also share common semantic spaces. What is central to all the activities is that if yajña, dāna, tapas and karma are performed with śraddhā, it makes these four activities part of sat or truth. Its absence makes them go futile as they lose their relationships. Thus, śraddhā occupies a central position in the nomological network of yajña, dāna, tapas and karma.

Śraddhā reflects the basic nature of people and a person may be seen more or less as personification of śraddhā. It expresses itself in very different kinds of behaviours that people engage in. For example, many people in India go to temples like the one at Guruvāyura, but depending on their śraddhā, each acts differently. Some go around the temple by walking at normal pace; others walk slowly, foot-to-foot, much like a mindful walk; and yet others roll over sideways in going around the temple. Similarly, in Lhasa, people prostrate in front of temples hundreds of time or go around the temple by prostrating, depending upon their śraddhā. This perhaps illustrates how śraddhā captures the basic nature of people.

In the West, optimists are those who have a positive attitude and find the proverbial glass as half full. They are known to find opportunities even in difficult and dire situations. Contrary to them, pessimists see the glass as half empty, and are often cynical and unwilling to work through challenges to bring about changes in their own personal lives, organisations or societies. It may be considered that such basic nature of the optimists or pessimists reflects śraddhā of the person in self, others, society and the Divine. I believe that śraddhā may be used as a foundational construct for understanding both positive and negative psychologies.

From interpersonal perspective it was found that śraddhā is an emotion that one has for another person. For example, a śraddhāvan student, much like Arjuna did to Krsna, follows the instructions of a teacher by surrendering to him or her. The teacher fulfils the student’s wish for knowledge and provides necessary instructions to guide him or her to perform his or her duty. The characteristics of śraddhā-based exchange between a teacher and a student will also apply to all superior–subordinate dyads like parent–child, older–brother–younger–brother and so forth. The same dynamics is likely to be at play between a person and his or her deity or God. Since śāstras or scriptural texts, which provide instructions in guiding human behaviour, they too are treated in the same manner by a śraddhāvan individual.

It was noted that though individual effort moderates the relation between śraddhā and liberation, śraddhā is also considered a gift of God or divine grace. Such grace of God that appears as śraddhā can be seen reflected in the daily interactions of spiritual practitioners. For example, a spiritual practitioner’s harmonising behaviour is likely to emerge from his or her neutrality towards all, and not viewing people (or contexts) in terms of dichotomies like friend or enemy, good or bad, favourable or antagonistic, and so forth. Thus, the construct of śraddhā can be employed to examine how social entrepreneurs can possibly effect social change.

In view of the above, it appears that śraddhā is a unique Indian indigenous construct that needs to be studied to help us understand not only the psychology of Indian people but also of people in societies which are similarly inclined. Understanding śraddhā is also likely to help us understand other major constructs. It should also help us understand interpersonal relationships, since śraddhā is the foundation of many relationships, which hitherto has been neglected by researchers. It is hoped that the thick description of the construct of śraddhā and the proposed nomological network will contribute to both Indian and global psychologies, and stimulate both basic and applied research.

Shraddha as a Deity

in RV. x , 151 invoked as a deity

In the Brahmanas

in TBr. she is the daughter of प्रजा-पति, and in S3Br. of the Sun ;

In the Itihasa and Puranas

in MBh. she is the daughter of दक्षand wife of धर्म;

in Ma1rkP. she is the mother of काम, and in BhP. the daughter of कर्दमand wife of अङ्गिरस्or मनु) RV.

Dharmadeva had a son named kāma by śraddhā. (viṣṇu purāṇa, Part 1, Chapter 7).

ŚRADDHĀ IV . Daughter born to kardama prajāpati by Devahūti. She became the wife of aṅgiras. They had two sons, Utatthya and bṛhaspati and four daughters, sinīvālī, kuhū, rākā and anumati. (bhāgavata, 3rd skandha).

Wisdom library

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

1) Śraddhā (श्रद्धा).—A daughter born to Dakṣa Prajāpati by his wife Praṣūti. Twentyfour daughters were born to them. Of them, thirteen were the wives of Dharmadeva including Śraddhā.

Dharmadeva had a son named Kāma by Śraddhā. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Part 1, Chapter 7).

2) Śraddhā (श्रद्धा).—Sūrya’s daughter. She had several other names such as, Vaivasvatī, Sāvitrī, Prasavitrī etc. (For more details, see under Sāvitrī I),

3) Śraddhā (श्रद्धा).—Wife of Vaivasvata Manu. (See under Vaivasvata Manu).

4) Śraddhā (श्रद्धा).—Daughter born to Kardama Prajāpati by Devahūti. She became the wife of Aṅgiras. They had two sons, Utatthya and Bṛhaspati and four daughters, Sinīvālī, Kuhū, Rākā and Anumati. (Bhāgavata, 3rd Skandha).

Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English Translation

Śraddhā (श्रद्धा, “faith”) is one of the twenty-four daughters of Dakṣa by Prasūti: one of the three daughters of Svāyambhuvamanu and Śatarūpā, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.1.16:—“Dakṣa begot twenty-four daughters. Thirteen daughters Śraddhā etc. were given to Dharma in marriage by Dakṣa. O lordly sage, listen to the names of Dharma’s wives. Their names are [Śraddhā (faith),...]. Thereupon the entire universe consisting of three worlds, mobile and immobile was filled (with progeny). Thus according to their own actions and at the bidding of Śiva innumerable famous Brahmins were born out of the various living beings”.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

1a) Śraddhā (श्रद्धा).—A daughter of Kardama married to Angirasa. Mother of four daughters—Sinīvālī, Kuhū, Rākā and Anumatī and sons Utathya and Bṛhaspati.*

1b) A daughter of Dakṣa and wife of Dharma; mother of Śubha and Kāma.*

1c) A wife of Śrāddhadeva and mother of ten sons; observed payovrata and wanted the birth of a daughter. Ilā was born.*

2a) Śrāddha (श्राद्ध).—A son of Śatrughna, the son of Anādhṛṣṭhi.*

Source: Shodhganga: The saurapurana - a critical study

Śraddhā (श्रद्धा) refers to one of the daughters of Dakṣa and Prasūti: one of the two daughters of Manu-svāyaṃbhuva and Śatarūpā, according to the Vaṃśa (‘genealogical description’) of the 10th century Saurapurāṇa: one of the various Upapurāṇas depicting Śaivism.—Accordingly, Ākūti was married to Ruci and Prasūti to Dakṣa. Dakṣa produced in Prasūti twenty-four daughters. [...] [Dakṣa gave thirteen daughters Śraddhā and others to Dharma.]

References: Skanda Purana, Harivamsha, Markandeya Purana, Matsya Purana, Vishnu Purana (Wisdom library)

Śraddhā^1 (commonly translated as ‘Faith’), daughter of Daksha and wife of Dharma. § 115 (Aṃśāvat.): I, 66, 2578.

ŚRADDHĀ I . A daughter born to dakṣa prajāpati by his wife Praṣūti. Twentyfour daughters were born to them. Of them, thirteen were the wives of Dharmadeva including śraddhā.

ŚRADDHĀ II . Sūrya's daughter. She had several other names such as, Vaivasvatī, sāvitrī, Prasavitrī etc.

ŚRADDHĀ III . Wife of vaivasvata manu.

Mahabharata

अग्रे सर्वेषु यज्ञेषु श्रद्धायज्ञो विधीयते। 12.59.44 (60.40)

दैवतं हि महच्छ्रद्धा पवित्रं यजतां च यत्। 12.59.44 (60.41)

यज्ञो मनीषया तात सर्ववर्णेषु भारत।। 47

नास्य यज्ञकृतो देवा ईहन्ते नेतरे जनाः। ततः सर्वेषु वर्णेषु श्रद्धायज्ञो विधीयते।। 48

In Pancharatra Samhita

In the Pancharatra tradition, shraddha is one of the twenty-four emanations of Lakṣmī accompanying Nārāyaṇa. This particular manifestation couples with his counterpart form called Padmanābha and together they form the eleventh celestial couple. (Wisdom Library)

In Shakta Sampradaya

In Shakta philosophy, shraddha is one of the names attributed to Devī, as chanted by the Vedas in their hymns, who were at the time incarnated in their personified forms. (Devī-bhāgavata-purāṇa chapter 5.51-68, called “the narrative of Hayagrīva”.) (Wisdom library)