deluded by ignorance,—­tossed about by numerous thoughts, enveloped in the meshes of delusion, attached to the enjoyment of objects of desire, they sink into foul hell.  Self-conceited, stubborn, filled with the pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform sacrifices that are nominally so, with hypocrisy and against the (prescribed) ordinance.  Wedded to vanity, power, pride, lust and wrath, these revilers hate Me in their own bodies and those of others.  These haters (of Me), cruel, the vilest among men, and unholy, I hurl continually down into demoniac wombs.  Coming into demoniac wombs, deluded birth after birth, they, O son of Kunti, without attaining to Me go down to the vilest state.  Three-fold is the way to hell, ruinous to the self, viz., lust, wrath, likewise avarice.  Therefore, these three, one should renounce.  Freed from these three gates of darkness, a man, O son of Kunti, works out his own welfare, and then repairs to his highest goal.  He who, abandoning the ordinances of the scriptures, acts only under the impulses of desire, never attains to perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest goal.  Therefore, the scriptures should be thy authority in determining what should be done and what should not be done.  It behoveth thee to do work here, having ascertained what hath been declared by the ordinances of the scriptures.’”

Section XLI [(Bhagavad Gita, Chapter XVII)]

“Arjuna said, ’What is the state, O Krishna, of those who abandoning the ordinance of the scriptures, perform sacrifices endued with faith?  It is one of Goodness, or Passion, or Darkness?’

“The Holy One said, ’The faith of embodied (creatures) is of three kinds.  It is (also) born of their (individual) natures.  It is good, passionate, and dark.  Hear now these.  The faith of one, O Bharata, is conformable to his own nature.  A being here is full of faith; and whatever is one’s faith, one is even that.  They that are of the quality of goodness worship the gods; they that are of the quality of passion (worship) the Yakshas and the Rakshasas; other people that are of the quality of darkness worship departed spirits and hosts of Bhutas.  Those people who practise severe ascetic austerities not ordained by the scriptures, are given up to hypocrisy and pride, and endued with desire of attachment, and violence,—­those persons possessed of no discernment, torturing the groups of organs in (their) bodies and Me also seated within (those) bodies,—­should be known to be of demoniac resolves.  Food which is dear to all is of three kinds.  Sacrifice, penance, and gifts are likewise (of three kinds).  Listen to their distinctions as follows.  Those kinds of food that increase life’s period, energy, strength, health, well-being, and joy, which are savoury, oleaginous, nutritive, and agreeable, are liked by God.  Those kinds of food which are bitter, sour, salted, over-hot, pungent, dry, and burning, and which produce pain, grief and disease, are desired by the passionate.