Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17, Verse 25

Chapter 17 – Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

तदित्यनभिसन्धाय फलं यज्ञतपःक्रियाः ।
दानक्रियाश्च विविधाः क्रियन्ते मोक्षकाङ्क्षिभिः ॥

Transliteration

tadityanabhisandhāya phalaṃ yajñatapaḥkriyāḥ .
dānakriyāśca vividhāḥ kriyante mokṣakāṅkṣibhiḥ ॥

Meaning

Uttering 'Tat', seekers of liberation perform the various acts of sacrifice, austerity and charity without aiming at their fruits.

Word meanings

तत् – 'Tat' (a name of Brahman)
इति – thus (uttering)
अनभिसन्धाय – without aiming at
फलम् – the fruit
यज्ञतपःक्रियाः – acts of sacrifice and austerity
दानक्रियाः – acts of charity
च – and
विविधाः – various
क्रियन्ते – are performed
मोक्षकाङ्क्षिभिः – by seekers of liberation

Anvaya (word order)

मोक्षकाङ्क्षिभिः ‘तत्’ इति (उदाहृत्य) फलम् अनभिसन्धाय विविधाः यज्ञतपःक्रियाः दानक्रियाः च क्रियन्ते ।

Explanation

After Om, Krishna now explains the use of Tat. Tat means 'That': the supreme truth which is the source of everything and for which everything exists. Om was linked with the beginning of an action; Tat is linked with its spirit.

Tad ity anabhisandhaya phalam: uttering 'Tat', without aiming at the fruit. To say Tat is to remember that 'this action is for That, for Brahman, not for me.' It expresses the dedication of the fruit of action to God. When someone says Tat, it is as if he says: 'All this is His and for Him; I want no reward from it.'

Moksha-kankshibhih, 'by seekers of liberation'. The word matters. One who seeks only worldly pleasure or heaven acts with desire for results. One who seeks liberation knows that attachment to results is itself bondage, so he gives up the fruit of action. Tat thus becomes the symbol of desireless action.

Vividhah, 'various': many kinds of sacrifice, austerity and charity. The seeker of liberation is not limited to one kind of practice; all his actions, whether worship, service or daily duties, are sanctified by the spirit of Tat.

The verse presents the essence of the Gita's karma yoga: act, but offer the fruit of action to God. This one word, Tat, is a mantra for making the whole of life free of selfish desire.

Context

The previous verse explained the use of Om; this verse explains Tat. The next two verses explain the meanings and uses of Sat.

Life lesson

With every action, hold the feeling 'this is for God, not for me.' As soon as you let go of worry about results, action becomes light, pure and liberating.

Key terms

Tat: 'That' — the supreme truth; the attitude of dedicating action to it
Anabhisandhaya phalam: Without aiming at results; selflessly
Moksha-kankshi: A seeker of liberation