Gita Acharan

K rishna mentioned ‘Om Tat Sat’ as a threefold representation of the Supreme Absolute Truth - Brahma . He explains ‘sat’ and says, “The word ‘sat’ means eternal reality and goodness. O Arjuna, it is also used to describe an auspicious action. Being established in the performance of yajna (sacrifice), tapah (penance), and daan (charity) is also described as ‘sat’ . And so, any act for such purposes is named ‘sat’ (17.26-17.27). Whatever is done or practiced like yajna , daan or tapah , when done without shraddha is termed as  ‘asat’ . It is not for here or hereafter” (17.28). Krishna described ‘sat’ and ‘asat’ at the beginning of the Bhagavad Gita. He said ‘sat’ (reality) never ceases to be while ‘asat’ (unreal) has no existence and only a jnani can distinguish between them (2.16). Firstly, ‘asat’ is that ‘which didn’t exist in the past and wouldn’t be there in the future’. Sensual pleasures, feelings, and physical entities, including the body, were not there b...

T he seventeenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is titled ‘ Shraddha Traya Vibhaga Yoga’ where Krishna explains about the three sides of each aspect of life and existence. Krishna says, ‘Om Tat Sat’ is considered the threefold representation of the Supreme Absolute Truth - Brahma .  From them came the knowers of truth ( Brahmins ), scriptures ( Vedas ), and sacrificial rites ( yajna )” (17.23). ‘Om Tat Sat’ is the most used phrase in the context of Vedanta . Om is a fundamental sound or vibration but not a word and hence, no meaning is assigned. It is believed that the world was created out of these vibrations and science confirms that every matter is in the state of vibration which is called frequency. This vibration of Om consists of three syllables of A-U-M. ‘Tat’ is translated as ‘That’. ‘ Tat ’ is also interpreted as the ‘All’, the All-pervading Reality. It looks natural to address Paramatma as ‘you’ - either the singular or plural form. Accepting Paramatma as ‘you’ impl...

A fter describing yajna and tapah in the context of gunas , Krishna talks about daan (charity) and says, “Charity, which is done, knowing it to be a duty, without consideration of anything in return, in a fit time and place, to a worthy person is considered to be satvik ” (17.20). There are multiple prescriptions in this verse. Firstly, Krishna earlier mentioned that yoga is not for one who eats too much or doesn’t eat at all nor for one who sleeps too much or keeps awake (6.16). Essentially, it is being appropriate while keeping the circumstances in mind. During illness, one’s food intake decreases, and conversely, it increases after a physically strenuous day. This indicates that appropriateness depends on time and place. Thus, this verse suggests that appropriateness entails going with the flow and adapting to the circumstances. Secondly, it is being appropriate with regards to the person to whom daan is being made. It’s like how countries holding dual-use techn...