Verse 17.26

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 17.26:

सद्-भावे साधु-भावे च सद् इत्य् एतत् प्रयुज्यते ।
प्रशस्ते कर्मणि तथा सच्-छब्दः पार्थ युज्यते ॥ २६ ॥

sad-bhāve sādhu-bhāve ca sad ity etat prayujyate |
praśaste karmaṇi tathā sac-chabdaḥ pārtha yujyate || 26 ||

sat-bhāve–in the sense of the quality of brahma, the Supreme Absolute Truth; sādhu-bhāve–in the sense of the nature of the sādhu, the devotee of brahma; ca–and; sat–the word sat; iti–thus; etat–this;prayujyate– is used; praśaste–in auspicious; karmaṇi–activities; tathā–also; sat-śabdaḥ–the word sat; pārtha–O son of Pṛthā; yujyate–is used.

O Pārtha, the word sat refers to the defining quality of the Supreme Absolute Truth and His worshippers. Sat is also used in connection with auspicious acts.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

The word sat represents brahma and is used in auspicious or praiseworthy acts, both material and transcendental. To explain this, Śrī Bhagavān is speaking these two verses, the first beginning with sad-bhāve. Sad-bhāve (having the nature of eternal Reality) is an appropriate description for brahma and for the worshippers of brahma.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

The sacred syllable oṃ is the name of the Absolute Truth. He is also called tat. In the same way, the word sat indicates that He exists eternally and that He is the cause of everything. He alone is the true entity, sat-vastu. This is also stated in the Śrutis: “sad eva saumya idam agra āsīta–O gentle one, previously this material world existed within Him, who is one without a second, and before the creation, there was only Him, who has an eternal (sat) form” (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.1). When this eternal truth (sat) is all that exists in a person’s heart, that person is a sādhu. It is also said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.25.25), satāṃ prasaṅgān. Here also the word sat is used to indicate those devotees of Bhagavān who have realized the Absolute Truth. In general, auspicious acts in this material world are also known as sat-kārya. In Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā, Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, a prominent Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava spiritual master and the protector of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava scriptural conceptions, defines sat as follows: “The one-pointed devotees of Śrī Govinda are devoted to sat (eternal) thoughts. Thus, because all their activities are performed for the pleasure of Bhagavān, their activities are called sat. All other activities are asat, and therefore, they are forbidden.”

In this regard, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is explaining the meaning of the word sat in these two verses, the first beginning with the word sad-bhāve. “O Pārtha, the word sat is used for sad-bhāva (that which aims at brahma) and also for sādhu-bhāva (the supremely virtuous nature and activities of Kṛṣṇa’s one-pointed and surrendered devotees). In the same way, the word sat is also used for auspicious acts.”

The word sat is used for brahma, the Absolute Truth. Vrajendra-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is omnipotent, the cause of all causes and the support and basis of all rasa, is Himself the complete eternal entity. The word sat is also used for His associates, His abode, all of His incarnations (avatāras), the abodes of those avatāras, His pure, one-pointed devotees, the presiding deity of the gāyatrī-mantra, brāhmaṇas, bhakti and so forth. It is also used for Śrī Bhagavān’s name, qualities, form, pastimes and so forth. Oṃ tat sat is uttered while giving initiation (dīkṣā) to a faithful person or while giving him the sacred thread. Śrī gurudeva, who bestows the gāyatrī-mantra and hari-nāma, is also called sat (i.e. he is sad-guru, a bona fide spiritual master). The disciple who accepts these mantras is called sat-śiṣya, and the process of dīkṣā is called sat, or sad-anuṣṭhāna–spiritual rite, or ceremony. In this way, scripture accepts the use of the word sat in all devotional sentiments (bhāvas), services, activities and objects related to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa.