Shloka 23
Abhimanyu’s Assault on Bhīṣma’s Screen; Banner-Felling and Reinforcements (सौभद्र-भीष्म-समरः)
सम्बन्ध-- अब सात्विक यज्ञ दान और तप उपादेय क्यों हैं: भगवान्से उनका क्या सम्बन्ध है तथा उन सात्विक यज्ञ, तप और दानोंगें जो अंग-वैगुण्य हो जाय, उसकी पूर्ति किस प्रकार होती है--यह सब बतलानेके लिये अगला प्रकरण आरम्भ किया जाता है-- ३० तत्सदिति निर्देशो ब्रह्मणस्त्रिविध: स्मृत: । ब्राह्मणास्तेन वेदाश्न यज्ञाश्न विहिता: पुरा,३5, तत्, सत--ऐसे यह तीन प्रकारका सच्चिदानन्दघन ब्रह्मका नाम कहा है; उसी ब्रह्मसे सृष्टिके आदिकालमें ब्राह्मण और वेद तथा यज्ञादिः रचे गये
tatsad iti nirdeśo brahmaṇas trividhaḥ smṛtaḥ | brāhmaṇās tena vedāś ca yajñāś ca vihitāḥ purā ||
“Tat”, “Sat”—thus is the threefold designation of Brahman remembered. From that very Brahman, in the beginning of creation, the Brāhmaṇas, the Vedas, and the sacrificial rites (yajña) were ordained.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that ‘Tat’ and ‘Sat’ (along with the third term in the triad, traditionally ‘Om’) function as sacred designations of Brahman, and that Vedic authority—Brāhmaṇas, the Vedas, and sacrificial practice—derives its sanctity from Brahman. This grounds ritual and ethical action in the Absolute rather than in mere social custom.
In the Gītā’s teaching sequence, Kṛṣṇa is explaining how acts like sacrifice, charity, and austerity are to be oriented toward the highest reality. Here he introduces the traditional sacred formulae connected with Brahman, preparing the explanation of how these utterances and intentions purify and ‘complete’ ritual acts, especially when there are defects in performance.