Chapter 17: Śraddhā-traya-vibhāga-yoga: – Character and Values Governed by Three GunasVerse 27
यज्ञे तपसि दाने च स्थिति: सदिति चोच्यते ।
कर्म चैव तदर्थीयं सदित्येवाभिधीयते ॥
yajñe tapasi dāne ca
sthiti: sad-iti cocyate
karma caiva tad-arthīyaṃ
sad-ityevābhidhīyate – 17.27
To be given steadily to yajña, tapas and dāna is said to be ‘Sat’. Equally so, any action done for the sake of these three is verily called ‘Sat’.
Chapter 17: Śraddhā-traya-vibhāga-yoga: – Character and Values Governed by Three Gunas - Verse 27
Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha
Krishna now summarises his definitions and explanations, by relating ‘Sat’ to yajña, dāna and tapas alike. These three are indispensable in edifying human life, irrespective of time, place and circumstances.
One must be given to doing everything with dedication to the Supreme, whose manifestation the world is. Yajña is no religious or devotional act. It is acting without desire, without the usual delusional clinging to the result. When such clinging is dropped, all actions become yajña.
One should also joyfully share his resources with the needy around, without looking for any reciprocation. Austerity consists in the discipline of leaving the undesirable and incorporating the desirable. It purifies the body and mind, and makes one fit for realizing the Truth.
To be given to the pursuit of yajña, dāna and tapas without desiring personal gain, is to be in the Sat, nay to be the Sat itself. Human attains his ideal when he becomes the Sat!
