17.13
Chapter 17, Verse 13
विधिहीनमसृष्टान्नं मन्त्रहीनमदक्षिणम्। श्रद्धाविरहितं यज्ञं तामसं परिचक्षते৷৷
vidhihīnamasṛṣṭānnaṅ mantrahīnamadakṣiṇam. śraddhāvirahitaṅ yajñaṅ tāmasaṅ paricakṣatē৷৷
Translation
Sacrifice that is contrary to scriptural command, that is unaccompanied by prayers or gifts of food or money, and is without faith - that is the product of Ignorance.
Translation — Purohit Swami
Commentary
विधिहीनम् without keeping to ordinance, असृष्टान्नम् in which no food is distributed, मन्त्रहीनम् which is devoid of Mantras, अदक्षिणम् which is devoid of gifts, श्रद्धाविरहितम् which is devoid of faith, यज्ञम् sacrifice, तामसम् Tamasic, परिचक्षते (they) declare. Commentary: A sacrifice performed by a Tamasic man is never guided by any consideration for the prescribed rites or incantation. You will find every irregularity in this sacrifice. No food is distributed. No fees which are prescribed in the scriptures are given to the priests. The Mantras are not changed properly. The hymns recited are defective in utterance and accent. Sometimes there is no recitation at all. There is no faith. A man who performs such a sacrifice does not get any merit.
Commentary — Swami Sivananda
Sanskrit and transliteration of the Bhagavad Gita. Corpus compiled from the vedabase and the IIT Kanpur Gita Supersite.