Sacred action begins with remembrance of Brahman.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
ॐतत्सदिति निर्देशो ब्रह्मणस्त्रिविधः स्मृतः |ब्राह्मणास्तेन वेदाश्च यज्ञाश्च विहिताः पुरा ||१७-२३||
OMtatsaditi nirdeśo brahmaṇastrividhaḥ smṛtaḥ . brāhmaṇāstena vedāśca yajñāśca vihitāḥ purā ||17-23||
Use this verse to begin sacred actions with Om Tat Sat.
Meaning
Om Tat Sat is remembered as the threefold designation of Brahman. By this, Brahmanas, the Vedas, and sacrifices were ordained in ancient times.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Om Tat Sat points to Brahman and sanctifies sacred action.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna introduces Om Tat Sat as a sacred threefold expression. It reminds the seeker that action, study, sacrifice, and giving should be connected to Brahman, not ego.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna introduces a sacred triple formula: Om Tat Sat — a threefold nirdesha or designation of Brahman, the Absolute. This is among the most revered utterances in the Vedic tradition. By this very triad, Krishna says, the Brahmanas, the Vedas, and the sacrifices were ordained in the beginning. The phrase invokes the Supreme as the source and sanctifier of all spiritual life.
Each syllable carries weight: Om points to the primordial Reality, Tat ('That') to the transcendent beyond all forms, and Sat to existence, truth, and goodness. Together they remind the practitioner that every act of worship, study, or sacrifice draws its meaning from the Divine. After diagnosing how the gunas colour our actions, Krishna now points beyond the three gunas entirely — to the unconditioned Brahman, in whose name all noble deeds find their ground and consecration.
In daily life
Use Om Tat Sat to align action with the highest truth.
A person can begin study, charity, or prayer with Om Tat Sat to purify intention.
Try this today
Before one action, silently remember Om Tat Sat.
My actions are offered to the highest truth.Reflect
How can Om Tat Sat purify my next action?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘वेदाः च यज्ञाः च’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on vedas, in other chapters
- Verse 15.1Look past the visible branches of life to the unseen divine root that sustains everything.
- Verse 9.17The Divine is at once the loving parent of all life and the highest truth we seek to know — tenderness and transcendence united.
- Verse 2.46Let all your spiritual study and practice be a living movement toward direct experience of the Truth — when you find the flood, you no longer need the well.
- Verse 3.15Selfless action connects you to the divine source of all things — your work, offered rightly, becomes a form of worship.
Swipe left for 17.24 · Begin important action with sacred remembrance.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 17.23
Who says Bhagavad Gita 17.23, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 17.23, in Chapter 17, Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga (Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 17.23 mean?
Om Tat Sat is remembered as the threefold designation of Brahman. By this, Brahmanas, the Vedas, and sacrifices were ordained in ancient times. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 17.23 for daily life?
Use Om Tat Sat to align action with the highest truth. A person can begin study, charity, or prayer with Om Tat Sat to purify intention.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 17.23 mean?
ॐ तत् सत् इति — 'Om Tat Sat' — thus; निर्देशः — designation, indication; ब्रह्मणः त्रिविधः स्मृतः — of Brahman, said to be threefold; ब्राह्मणाः तेन — by that, the Brahmanas; वेदाः च यज्ञाः च — and the Vedas and the sacrifices.
Where does verse 17.23 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 23 of 28 in Chapter 17, Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 17.24.