सद्भावे साधुभावे च सद् इत्य् एतत् प्रयुज्यते । प्रशस्ते कर्मणि तथा सच्छब्दः पार्थ युज्यते ॥
sad-bhāve sādhu-bhāve ca sad ity etat prayujyate | praśaste karmaṇi tathā sac-chabdaḥ pārtha yujyate ||
Sat means: being/reality, goodness/virtue, and praiseworthy action — three registers of the one word.
Word by word (3)
- sad-bhāve sādhu-bhāve ca sad ity etat prayujyate
- — Sat is used (prayujyate = applied) in the sense of being/existence (sad-bhāva = the state of being, reality) and in the sense of goodness/virtue (sādhu-bhāva = the state of being sādhu/good) — two primary meanings: ontological (what IS) and ethical (what is GOOD)
- praśaste karmaṇi tathā sac-chabdaḥ pārtha yujyate
- — and likewise (tathā) in praiseworthy/auspicious action (praśaste karmaṇi), O Pārtha, the word Sat (sac-chabdaḥ = the sound/word 'Sat') is applied (yujyate = is joined/fitted) — a third meaning: Sat = auspicious, worthy action
- sac-chabdaḥ
- — the word/sound (śabdaḥ) 'Sat' — the teaching here is specifically about the word's range of meanings; the three meanings (existence, goodness, auspicious action) span the ontological, ethical, and practical dimensions of Sat
The word 'Sat' is used in the sense of existence/reality and of goodness/virtue; and similarly, O Pārtha, the word 'Sat' is used in the sense of an auspicious/praiseworthy act.
A modern analogy
The English word 'real' carries some of the same range: something can be 'real' in the sense of 'actually existing,' 'real' in the sense of 'authentic/genuine,' and 'real' in the colloquial sense of 'truly good or virtuous.' Sat in Sanskrit spans all three: it means existence, it means goodness, and it means praiseworthy. V26-27 clarify that when we say an act is 'Sat' or dedicate it to 'Sat,' we invoke all three meanings simultaneously.
V26-27 together define the third sacred syllable: Sat. While OṀ is the opening affirmation (V24) and Tat is the mid-practice dedication (V25), Sat is the qualifier that describes both the nature of Brahman and the quality of good religious action. V26 gives three meanings: ontological (sad-bhāva = being), ethical (sādhu-bhāva = goodness), and practical (praśasta-karma = auspicious action). This three-fold meaning perfectly matches the chapter's three-fold analytical structure (food/yajña/tapas/dāna — all of which can be Sat in quality when done rightly).
The Upaniṣadic resonance of Sat as 'being' is fundamental: the Chāndogya Up. 6.2.1 declares 'sadeva somyedam agra āsīt' — 'Being alone, O beloved, was this in the beginning.' Sat is the primordial reality before all differentiation. When V26 says Sat is used in sad-bhāva (the state of being) and sādhu-bhāva (the state of goodness), it is teaching that being and goodness are not separate — the genuine, the real, and the virtuous all converge in Sat. This is Brahman's nature expressed through language.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
The word 'Sat' is used in the sense of reality and of goodness; and so also, O Partha, the word 'Sat' is used in the sense of an auspicious act. [1]
The word "Sat" is used in the sense of reality and of goodness; and so also, O Partha, the word "Sat" is used in the sense of an auspicious act. [4]
The word 'Sat' is used in the sense of existence and goodness; and, O son of Pritha! the word 'Sat' is also used for an auspicious act. [9]
The word 'Sat' is used in the sense of good qualities and of the nature of Brahman. The word Sat is also used for an auspicious act, O Partha. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
What they call sannyāsa — know it as yoga, O Pāṇḍava — for none becomes a yogī without renouncing saṃkalpa.
Therefore, Brahman-knowers always begin yajña, dāna, and tapas with 'OṀ' as ordained by scripture.
Arise and win glory! These warriors are already slain by Me — be merely the instrument, O Savyasācin!
More daivī qualities: ahiṃsā, satya, akrodha, tyāga, śānti, apaiśuna, dayā, aloluptva, mārdava, hrī, acāpala.
Whatever you do, eat, offer, give, or practise as austerity — do it all as mad-arpaṇam, an offering to Me.
OṀ Tat Sat: triple name of Brahman — by which brāhmaṇas, Vedas, and yajñas were ordained in the beginning.