Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 17, Verse 28

अश्रद्धया हुतं दत्तं तपस्तप्तं कृतं च यत् । असदित्युच्यते पार्थ न च तत्प्रेत्य नो इह

aśraddhayā hutaṃ dattaṃ tapastaptaṃ kṛtaṃ ca yat | asadityucyate pārtha na ca tatpretya no iha

Translation

Whatever is sacrificed, given, or done, and whatever austerity is practised, without faith, it is called 'asat,' O Pārtha; it is naught here or hereafter.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

aśraddhayā

by without-faith

hutam

offered

dattam

given

tapaḥ

austerity

taptam

suffered

kṛtam

done

ca

and

yat

which

asat

untrue

iti

thus

ucyate

is called

pārtha

O Pārtha

na

not

ca

and

tat

that

pretya

having gone (hereafter)

no

not

iha

here

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

"Given": to the brāhmaṇas. "Deed": such as adoration and obeisance. "Asat": as they are quite outside the path by which I (the Īśvara) may be reached. "It is naught": though costing much trouble, it is of no use here as it is despised by the wise; nor can it produce any effect hereafter.