Lord Krishna

Divine Teacher

The 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 26

Verse 26

The Yoga of the Three Types of Faith

"Sat" is used in the sense of reality and goodness; and likewise, O Partha, the word "Sat" is applied to auspicious action.

Context & Meaning

SAT is explained in its range of application: sat-bhāve (in the sense of existence, reality — that which truly is) and sādhu-bhāve (in the sense of goodness, virtue — the quality of being genuinely beneficial). And more broadly: the word sat is applied to praśasta-karma — auspicious, laudable action, action that is aligned with truth and goodness. SAT therefore names the fundamental identity of being, goodness, and right action: what is truly real is also what is truly good, and what is truly good expresses itself in action that is aligned with the Real. This triple identity — being, goodness, and right action — is the philosophical heart of the Vedic vision.

Scholar Commentaries

1 commentary · Public domain

Ramanujacharya

Vishishtadvaita

Sat-bhāve sādhu-bhāve — in the sense of being and in the sense of goodness. For Ramanuja, this identity is not accidental: God (Brahman) is sat (pure being), and because God's nature is goodness itself, whatever participates in sat also participates in goodness. The invocation of sat in ritual action is therefore both an affirmation of what is real and an alignment with what is genuinely beneficial — a double consecration that purifies the act at its root.