यज्ञे तपसि दाने च स्थितिः सद् इत्य् उच्यते । कर्म चैव तदर्थीयं सद् इत्य् एवाभिधीयते ॥
yajñe tapasi dāne ca sthitiḥ sad ity ucyate | karma caiva tad-arthīyaṃ sad ity evābhidhīyate ||
Steadiness in yajña, tapas, and dāna is called Sat; and even supporting action for their sake is Sat.
Word by word (3)
- yajñe tapasi dāne ca sthitiḥ sad ity ucyate
- — steadiness/perseverance (sthitiḥ = standing firm, abiding) in sacrifice (yajña), austerity (tapas), and gift (dāna) — that is called (ucyate) Sat — the quality of Sat in the three-fold sacred practices
- karma caiva tad-arthīyam sad ity evābhidhīyate
- — and also (ca eva) action (karma) that serves these purposes (tad-arthīyam = for the sake of those = yajña/tapas/dāna) — that also (eva) is declared (abhidhīyate = is said/spoken) to be Sat — even preparatory or supporting action is Sat if it serves yajña/tapas/dāna
- sthitiḥ — yajñe tapasi dāne
- — standing-firm/steadiness in these three domains — the quality of sat is not just in the act itself but in the perseverance/faithfulness (sthiti) of the practitioner; a person who is steady in their sacred practices is 'Sat'
Steadiness in sacrifice, austerity, and gift is also called Sat; and even the action done for the sake of these — that too is declared to be Sat.
A modern analogy
Sat is not just the grand ceremonial act — it is the faithfulness of regular practice. Someone who steadily offers yajña every day, maintains their tapas discipline even when difficult, and gives consistently — that sthiti (steadiness) IS Sat. Even the small preparatory acts that make those three possible are themselves Sat.
V27 extends Sat's scope from V26's three meanings to the quality that defines Sat-practice: sthiti (steadiness). The entire three-fold analysis of Ch.17 (food/yajña/tapas/dāna) is now recapitulated in a single word: the person whose yajña-tapas-dāna is characterized by sthiti is Sat. This is a beautiful compression of the chapter. V26-27 together give Sat its full semantic range: being + goodness + praiseworthy action (V26) + steady religious practice + supporting action for the sacred (V27).
Tad-arthīyam karma (action for the sake of those) extends Sat's umbrella to encompass all karma that serves yajña/tapas/dāna. This is the karma yoga application: when a person's entire life becomes organized around these three sacred practices — even washing the vessels used in yajña, studying to deepen tapas, earning to support one's dāna — all of this karma is Sat. The chapter thus ends by making the entire domain of activity potentially sacred.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Devotion to sacrifice, austerity and gift is also spoken of as 'Sat'; and even action in connection with these is called 'Sat.' [1]
Steadiness in Yajna, austerity, and gift is also called "Sat": as also action in connection with these is called "Sat". [4]
Steadiness (making) sacrifices, penances, and gifts, is called 'Sat'; and (all) action, too, of which that is the object, is also called 'Sat.' [9]
Steadiness in sacrifice, penance and gifts is called 'Sat'; and action for the sake of these is also called Sat. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
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.
Non-injury, equanimity, contentment, austerity, charity, fame and infamy — these varied states arise from Me alone.
Even food is threefold in its appeal to each person; so too yajña, tapas, and dāna. Hear their distinctions.
Tāmasic yajña: against ordinance, no food-sharing, no mantras, no dakṣiṇā, no śraddhā — declared tāmasic.
Mental tapas: serenity of mind, kindliness, silence, self-restraint, and purity of motive/bhāva.