Om Tat Sat: meaning and power || Acharya Prashant, on Bhagavad Gita (2020)

Acharya Prashant

‍♂️ Want to meet Acharya Prashant? Be a part of the Live Sessions: https://acharyaprashant.org/hi/enquir...  ⚡ Want Acharya Prashant’s regular updates? Join WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va6Z...   Want to read Acharya Prashant's Books? Get Free Delivery: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/books?...   Want to accelerate Acharya Prashant’s work? Contribute: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/contri...   Want to work with Acharya Prashant? Apply to the Foundation here: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/hiring...  ➖➖➖➖➖➖  #acharyaprashant   Video Information: Shastra Kaumudi Live, 29.05.2020, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India  Context:  तत्सदिति निर्देशो ब्रह्मणस्त्रिविधः स्मृतः। ब्राह्मणास्तेन वेदाश्च यज्ञाश्च विहिताः पुरा।।17.23।।  23. "Om-Tat-Sat"-- this has been declared to be the triple designation of Brahman. By that were made of old the Brāhmanas, the Vedas, and the Yajñas.   तस्मादोमित्युदाहृत्य यज्ञदानतपःक्रियाः। प्रवर्तन्ते विधानोक्ताः सततं ब्रह्मवादिनाम्।।17.24।।  24. Therefore, uttering "Om", are the acts of sacrifice, gift, and austerity as enjoined in the ordinances, always begun by the followers of the Vedas.   तदित्यनभिसन्धाय फलं यज्ञतपःक्रियाः। दानक्रियाश्च विविधाः क्रियन्ते मोक्षकाङ्क्षिभि:।।17.25।।  25. Uttering "Tat", without aiming at fruits, are the various acts of Tajña, austerity, and gift performed by the seekers of Moksha.   सद्भावे साधुभावे च सदित्येतत्प्रयुज्यते। प्रशस्ते कर्मणि तथा सच्छब्दः पार्थ युज्यते।।17.26।।  26. The word "Sat" is used in the sense of reality and of goodness; and so also, O Pārtha, the word "Sat" is used in the sense of an auspicious act.   यज्ञे तपसि दाने च स्थितिः सदिति चोच्यते। कर्म चैव तदर्थीयं सदित्येवाभिधीयते।।17.27।।  27. Steadiness in Yajña, austerity, and gift is also called "Sat", as also action in connection with these is called "Sat.   ~Shrimad Bhagwad Gita (Chapter-17, Verse-23,25,26,27)   ~ How to understand Om Tat Sat? ~ What is the essence of this Mantra? ~ Why do indic scriptures rely on the power of repetition? ~ What is the nature of the mind? ~ Why does anyone act the way they do?   Music Credits: Milind Date ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Transcript

00:00Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 17, verses 23 till 27, Om Tat Sat.

00:19This has been declared to be the triple designation of Brahm.

00:25Are that were made of old, the Brahmanas, the Vedas and the Yajnas, therefore, uttering

00:33Om are the acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity as enjoined in the ordinances, always begun

00:42by the followers of the Vedas, uttering Tat without aiming at fruits are the various acts

00:51of Yajna, austerity and gift performed by the seekers of Moksha.

00:58The word Sat is used in the sense of reality and of goodness.

01:04And so also, O Parth, the word Sat is used in the sense of an auspicious act, steadiness

01:12in Yajna, austerity and gift is also called Sat, as also action in connection with these

01:18is called Sat.

01:22The question says how to understand Om Tat Sat as it is being indicated by Shri Krishna

01:28in the above verses.

01:30I have seen many people reciting this mantra, but that happens very mechanically.

01:35What is its essence?

01:38It is a triple declaration.

01:46It is a triple reinforcement.

01:49As Shri Krishna says in verse 23, Om Tat Sat, this has been declared to be the triple designation

01:59of Brahm.

02:05The scriptures, especially the Indic scriptures rely a lot on the power of repetition.

02:13Why do they rely on the power of repetition?

02:17Because it is the prakriti of the mind to live in repetitions.

02:24Why does the mind live and behave as it does?

02:29Because it is being repeatedly conditioned in a few things.

02:35The forces of conditioning are acting repeatedly on the mind, continuously.

02:50You need food, there is a cycle of breath, people come and repeatedly interact with you,

02:57there is sunrise, there is the day, there is the dusk, then there is night and all these

03:04things are happening repeatedly.

03:08Repeatedly you are getting the experience that the world is real.

03:14Repeatedly you are getting the feeling that you are the body.

03:19Continuously you are being charmed and bewitched by maya.

03:28Therefore, the logic is that if the oppressor is continuously and repeatedly waging a war

03:42on you, then your defences and your resistance must also be continuous and repeated.

03:54And that's the thing with mantras, you have to repeat them.

03:58You have to repeat them.

04:01And repeating something thrice is the minimum that is needed.

04:10For example, the Upanishads, even if they have to say Shanti, they will say Om Shanti

04:22Shanti Shanti.

04:26That's how the Shanti path would begin and end.

04:30Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.

04:35Why?

04:36Because a Shanti is threefold.

04:40Because a Shanti is so continuous that a single one-time declaration of Shanti won't suffice.

04:51For example, Sattva is a Shanti, Raj is a Shanti, Tam is a Shanti, Jagrati is a Shanti,

05:04Swapna is a Shanti, Sushupti is a Shanti.

05:09There is so much that is threefold and is a Shanti.

05:17The Sthul is a Shanti, the Sookshm is a Shanti, the Karan is a Shanti.

05:24So a Shanti is like a spear with three heads.

05:39Minimum of three heads.

05:42Multiply these three by any number that you please.

05:49How can a one-time utterance of Shanti be sufficient?

06:00So mantras are therefore repeated.

06:03Om Tatsat, Shri Krishna is telling here, is an even special mantra in the sense that you

06:10don't have to repeat the mantra three times or four times, ten times.

06:15You don't only have to repeat the mantra ten times.

06:20Even within the mantra there is a threefold repetition.

06:27So there is the entire mantra Om Tatsat and you repeat it as many times as possible.

06:33But even if you say Om Tatsat once, you have actually just said the same thing thrice.

06:42Krishna is saying all three point towards the same Brahm.

06:47Om Tatsat.

06:49Om Tatsat.

06:52So that makes it even more potent as a mantra.

06:57What is it that Om points to?

07:00We have discussed that quite a few times.

07:06We have appreciated the potent symbolism contained in the three sounds that make Om, A, U, Ma.

07:27And we have said that after A, U and Ma comes the great silence that is the basis and the

07:37end of Om Pranav.

07:42So Om contains everything.

07:50The sound that points to the physical, material world, the world that you experience in your

08:03three states of consciousness, A refers to the world that you experience when you are

08:09awake, U refers to your dream state of sleep and Ma refers to the state of consciousness

08:26in your deep dreamless sleep.

08:30These three are there and when Ma ends, Ma tapers off, it dissolves into an unending

08:40silence that is Nirakar Brahm.

08:45A, U and Ma refer to the Sakaar Vishwa, the embodied Vishwa, the formed universe and the

09:01environment of Om.

09:05The silence that you enter after the Ma sound tapers off is the Nirakar Brahm.

09:18So that's what Om points at, Brahm.

09:22Similarly Tat or That points to the one, therefore, that can be used to address him

09:39is That, Tat, are you getting it?

09:44Just say That, Tat, because no name applies to him.

09:49All names are just limitations.

09:52All names will refer to something and everything is limited, you getting it?

10:01And then you refer to the same Brahm in another way, Sat.

10:09Sat is a practical way of referring to Brahm or truth or remembering truth.

10:17What is Sat?

10:18That which really is, that which will not disintegrate or disappear or just vanish,

10:32that is Sat.

10:34Sat is that which is essential.

10:38Sat is that which is not going to disappoint you or fob you off.

10:53Sat is that which is not going to cheat you.

11:01You won't be left wondering and disillusioned by the turn of events.

11:10You won't find your dependable object suddenly having turned into something else, become

11:21undependable or vanished altogether, that is Sat.

11:31So Sat too points towards the same truth or Brahm.

11:38Therefore Om Tat Sat is a threefold remembrance of truth.

11:48You are remembering the truth in three ways, thrice.

11:52That is the reason as you have mentioned, Om Tat Sat is such a powerful and popular mantra.

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