Chapter XVII · Śloka 23
Śrī Kṛṣṇa uvāca
ओं तत्सदिति निर्देशो ब्रह्मणस्त्रिविधः स्मृतः |
ब्राह्मणास्तेन वेदाश्च यज्ञाश्च विहिताः पुरा ||
ब्राह्मणास्तेन वेदाश्च यज्ञाश्च विहिताः पुरा ||
oṃ tat sad iti nirdeśo brahmaṇas tri-vidhaḥ smṛtaḥ |
brāhmaṇās tena vedāś ca yajñāś ca vihitāḥ purā ||
brāhmaṇās tena vedāś ca yajñāś ca vihitāḥ purā ||
Om Tat Sat — this triple designation of the Absolute is remembered. By it the brāhmaṇas, the Vedas, and the sacrifices were established of old.
Three syllables, three dimensions of the one Reality. Om is the primordial sound of Being itself. Tat is the gesture toward the Infinite beyond all names. Sat is the affirmation of reality as such. Together they form the ground on which all sacred action rests.