तद् इत्य् अनभिसन्धाय फलं यज्ञतपःक्रियाः । दानक्रियाश् च विविधाः क्रियन्ते मोक्षकाङ्क्षिभिः ॥
tad ity anabhisandhāya phalaṃ yajña-tapaḥ-kriyāḥ | dāna-kriyāś ca vividhāḥ kriyante mokṣa-kāṅkṣibhiḥ ||
Uttering 'Tat,' without fruit-desire, mokṣa-seekers perform yajña, tapas, and various acts of dāna.
Word by word (3)
- tad ity anabhisandhāya phalaṃ yajña-tapaḥ-kriyāḥ
- — with 'Tat' (tad iti = saying 'That'), without having aimed at/targeted (anabhisandhāya = not-directing-toward) fruit (phalam), the acts (kriyāḥ) of yajña and tapas
- dāna-kriyāś ca vividhāḥ kriyante mokṣa-kāṅkṣibhiḥ
- — and the various (vividhāḥ) acts of dāna (dāna-kriyāḥ) are performed (kriyante) by seekers of liberation (mokṣa-kāṅkṣibhiḥ = those who desire/seek mokṣa) — Tat = the dedication word for mokṣa-seekers
- anabhisandhāya
- — without having aimed at/directed toward (an + abhisandhāya; abhisandhāya = having targeted/directed) — the key inner gesture: the mokṣa-seeker performs the act but does not pre-lock the mind onto any fruit; contrast with V21's abhisandhāya phalam
With the utterance of 'Tat,' without aiming at fruits, the various acts of sacrifice, austerity, and gift are performed by seekers of liberation.
A modern analogy
When a devotee offers flowers at a temple and says 'Tat' — 'This is for THAT, not for me' — they are performing the inner act described in V25. Every yajña, tapas, and dāna performed with 'Tat' becomes an act of renunciation-in-action: the doer does everything while dedicating everything to That, expecting nothing for themselves.
V25 gives the meaning and use of 'Tat' as a dedication word. While OṀ (V24) opens the act, Tat is used mid-practice as the renunciation formula: 'I perform this FOR THAT (not for me).' The mokṣa-kāṅkṣin (liberation-seeker) performs all three sacred acts with this orientation. Anabhisandhāya phalam (without targeting fruit) exactly echoes V17's aphalākāṅkṣin (non-fruit-seeker) — Tat is the active utterance that embodies this inner orientation. Together V24-25 show the twofold OṀ Tat practice: OṀ = opening affirmation of Brahman, Tat = mid-practice dedication without fruit.
Tat (That) as a dedication word is deeply Upaniṣadic. In Chāndogya Up. 6.8.7 tat tvam asi (That thou art), Tat is the pointer to the transcendent. When the mokṣa-seeker uses Tat in action, they are enacting this Mahāvākya: 'this action is not mine; it belongs to That.' This is the karma yoga version of tat tvam asi — not just contemplative recognition but active offering of every deed to the supreme reality. The fruit-seeking is released because the doer recognizes: 'I am That, and That needs no reward.'
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
With 'Tat,' without aiming at the fruits, are the acts of sacrifice and austerity and the various acts of gift performed by the seekers of moksha. [1]
Uttering "Tat", without aiming at fruits, are the various acts of Yajna, austerity, and gift performed by the seekers of Moksha. [4]
With 'Tat,' without aiming at fruit, are performed the various acts of sacrifice, penance, and gift by the seekers of liberation. [9]
Without aiming at fruits, the sacrificial rites, penances and various gifts are performed by the seekers of liberation with the utterance of Tat. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Satisfied by knowledge and realisation, senses mastered, gold and mud equally seen — this is the true steadfast yogi.
Sannyāsa = abandoning desire-motivated action; tyāga = abandoning fruits of ALL action — say the learned.
Sāttvic tyāga: niyata karma done ONLY because 'this must be done,' having abandoned attachment and fruit.
The eternal renunciant neither desires nor hates — free from all opposites, easily freed from bondage.
The yogi abandons fruit and attains lasting peace. The non-yogi, bound to fruit by desire, is fettered.
Sāttvic yajña: performed as ordained, without fruit-desire, with the conviction 'this must be done.'