Chapter 17: Śraddhā-traya-vibhāga-yoga: / Verse 25

Tat (meaning ‘That’) refers to the supreme all-pervading Reality. So, when one’s limbs and lips move, producing Vedic hymns and mantras, the overall presence, ‘Tat’, does not get affected or dislodged. It is like waves surging in the sea, without affecting the sea the least.

By uttering ‘Tat’, denoting the supreme all-pervading Presence, an elevating note is instilled into the performance. As no specific result is aimed at, this note gains supremacy. The performer comes to think of the supreme Presence, its fulfilling nature.

So, Vedic practitioners are used to uttering the divine ‘Tat’ with other mantras, fetching a wholesome note of sanctity and sublimity throughout. After the performance, when the mind begins to ruminate, it is this note that surfaces more than any other! Everything depends upon the identity one feels, and wishes to generate and preserve in whatever he does.