Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 17

abhisandhaaya tu phalam dambhaarthamapi chaiva yat |
ijyate bharatashreshtha tam yajnyam viddhi raajasam || 12 ||
 
That which is performed with the intent of reward and for ostentation alone, know that such a sacrifice is raajasic.
 
abhisandhaaya : intent
tu : but
phalam : reward
dambhaartham : ostentation
api : also
cha : and
eva : alone
yat : that which
ijyate : performed
bharatashreshtha : O foremost among Bharataas
tam : such
yajnyam : sacrifice
viddhi : know
raajasam : raajasic
 
Our attitude towards our actions determines the texture of our faith. Continuing with this theme, Shri Krishna describes the attitude with which a raajasic person performs his actions. He says that such a person constantly thinks "what is in it for me" in each and every action he performs. Personal gain is paramount, anyone else’s gain is secondary or even overlooked. Such a person is also constantly interested in the impression created by his action in the minds of others, and how will it benefit him. In other words, his actions are only performed for name and fame, for show and display. There is always an ulterior motive.
 
So far we have heard about the attitudes of saattvic and raajasic people towards action. This may raise several questions with respect to our life. We may say, I am a businessman, how can I not think what is in it for me? To answer this, we need to go back to the notion of our svadharma, our chosen career path. As long as ethics and laws are observed, a businessman should absolutely be focused on maximizing profits, otherwise he is not performing his duty. However, the businessman’s profit motive should only be restricted to business deals. A transaction mindset creeps into interactions with friends and family, it ends up causing trouble.
 
Now, we may be tempted to point our fingers at those who spend a lot of time and energy in maintaining their appearance. We may also say, when others make negative comments about our appearance, we do not get stressed. All this is well and good. However, we may get insulted or stressed when someone comments upon our intellect or our competency in our job. This means that we harbour a strong sense of aham, a strong sense of the "I" notion with our intellect. This stress is also an indicator that somewhere within us, the texture of our faith is tinged with rajas.