Sanskrit
यज्ञे तपसि दाने च स्थितिः सदिति चोच्यते । कर्म चैव तदर्थीयं सदित्येवाभिधीयते ॥
yajñe tapasi dāne ca sthitiḥ sad iti cocyate karma caiva tadarthīyaṃ sad ity evābhidhīyate
Translation
Steadfastness in sacrifice, austerity and gift is also called "Sat", and action for the sake of the Supreme is also named "Sat."
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
This verse folds the whole chapter back together: sthiti, steadfastness, in exactly the three domains graded across verses 11-22 — sacrifice, austerity, gift — is itself called Sat, and so is any action performed tad-arthīyam, for the sake of That (Tat, i.e. Brahman). “Goodness” is being redefined here not as an isolated property an act either has or lacks, but as consistency in offering one’s action toward the Absolute — which is precisely what distinguished the sattvic form of every category this chapter has surveyed. Sthiti — “standing firm” — in sacrifice, austerity, and gift is Sat; and any action done tad-arthīyam, “for that [i.e. for Brahman],” is Sat too. The syllable widens from ritual to cover the whole of dedicated action.
Study deeper
Word by word
- yajñe tapasi dāne caयज्ञे तपसि दाने च
- in sacrifice, austerity, and gift (yajñe + tapasi + dāne + ca)
- sthitiḥ sad iti cocyateस्थितिः सद् इति चोच्यते
- steadfastness is called 'Sat' (sthitiḥ + sat + iti + ca + ucyate)
- karma caiva tadarthīyaṃकर्म चैव तदर्थीयं
- and action for that purpose (karma + ca + eva + tat-arthīyam)
- sad ity evābhidhīyateसद् इत्य् एवाभिधीयते
- is likewise called 'Sat' (sat + iti + eva + abhidhīyate)
Commentary
Site Commentary
Sthiti, steadfastness, is a word about consistency over time, not about any single instance — and its appearance here quietly reframes the entire chapter’s project. Every earlier verse graded one act at a time, this sacrifice, this gift, this act of austerity, but verse 27 says the real measure of Sat is steadiness across all of them, repeated: the guna of a single offering matters less than whether that quality holds up across a lifetime of offerings.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- A single well-intentioned act doesn't prove much on its own — the real test, as this verse frames it, is whether the same quality holds steady across many repetitions over time. Judge yourself by the pattern, not the best single instance.
Professional
- One well-executed project doesn't establish a team's actual standard — steadiness across many projects does. When evaluating whether a practice has really taken hold, look for consistency over a stretch of time rather than crediting a single strong instance.
Family & Social
- One grand gesture toward someone you love matters less than steady, repeated smaller ones — this verse's whole closing argument is that goodness is measured in consistency over time, not in any single high point.
Ask yourself
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