Lord Krishna
Divine TeacherThe Supreme Lord, the charioteer and divine guide of Arjuna. Krishna delivers the eternal wisdom of the Gita, revealing the nature of the soul, duty, and the path to liberation.
Speaking: Chapter 17, Verse 23
Verse 23
The Yoga of the Three Types of Faith
"Om, Tat, Sat" — this has been declared the threefold designation of Brahman. By this were ordained of old the Brahmanas, the Vedas, and the sacrifices.
Context & Meaning
The chapter turns to its closing teaching with the introduction of the most sacred of all formulas: Om Tat Sat — the threefold designation (nirdeśa) of Brahman, the Absolute Reality. OM is the primordial sound that underlies all manifest existence, the vibrational basis of creation. TAT means "That" — the pointer toward the Absolute that cannot be directly named, gesturing beyond all concepts toward the reality that transcends description. SAT means "Being, Truth, Goodness" — the ultimate affirmation that what is real is also what is true and what is good. By this triple formula were ordained, from the beginning of creation, the Vedas (the scripture of knowledge), the Brāhmaṇas (the keepers of the sacred tradition), and the sacrifices (the rituals that reconnect creation to its source).
Scholar Commentaries
1 commentary · Public domainRamanujacharya
VishishtadvaitaOm Tat Sat — the three together constitute a complete theology in three syllables. Om affirms the ground of being; Tat affirms its transcendence beyond all naming; Sat affirms its ultimate reality and goodness. For Ramanuja, to begin any sacred act with Om Tat Sat is to explicitly orient that act toward the Absolute — to declare that what follows is not merely human but divine in its origin, purpose, and destination.