Chapter 17 · Shloka 25— The Yoga of the Threefold Faith

tad ity anabhisandhāya phalaṁ yajña-tapaḥ-kriyāḥ dāna-kriyāśh cha vividhāḥ kriyante mokṣha-kāṅkṣhibhiḥ

tat

— the syllable Tat

iti

— thus

anabhisandhāya

— without desiring

phalam

— fruitive rewards

yajña

— sacrifice

tapaḥ

— austerity

kriyāḥ

— acts

dāna

— charity

kriyāḥ

— acts

cha

— and

vividhāḥ

— various

kriyante

— are done

mokṣha-kāṅkṣhibhiḥ

— by seekers of freedom from material entanglements

Krishna explains the use of 'Tat': 'Uttering 'Tat,' without aiming at fruits, the various acts of sacrifice and austerity and the acts of charity are performed by those who desire liberation.' Krishna explains the use of the second part of the formula, 'Tat.' 'Tad ity anabhisandhaya phalam yajna-tapah-kriyah' — uttering 'Tat' (That), without aiming at / seeking the fruits (anabhisandhaya phalam), the acts of sacrifice and austerity (yajna-tapah-kriya). 'Dana-kriyas ca vividhah kriyante moksa-kanksibhih' — and the various acts of charity (dana-kriya), are performed (kriyante) by those who desire liberation (moksa-kanksin). Shankaracharya explains the significance of 'Tat' ('That' — the supreme reality, beyond all naming and grasping). Uttering 'Tat' is associated with performing action WITHOUT aiming at the fruits — that is, with renouncing the desire for personal reward, dedicating the action to 'That' (the supreme) rather than to one's own gain. 'Tat' points beyond the self and its desires to the supreme reality; uttering it dedicates the action there, away from personal fruit-seeking. So this part of the formula is connected to selfless, fruit-renouncing action — the heart of the Gita's teaching. By dedicating action to 'That' (the supreme, beyond oneself), one is freed from the binding attachment to personal results. This verse explains that uttering 'Tat' (the supreme, beyond the self) is associated with selfless action — performing acts without aiming at personal fruits, dedicating them to something beyond oneself. The insight worth drawing out is the beautiful link between dedicating action to something BEYOND yourself ('Tat' — That, the supreme) and being freed from the binding, anxious attachment to personal results. The word 'Tat' means 'That' — pointing away from the self ('me, mine, my gain') toward the supreme reality beyond. And uttering it is associated with acting WITHOUT aiming at the fruits — without the anxious grasping for personal reward. The deep connection here is profound: when you dedicate your action to something beyond yourself, you're naturally freed from the self-centered fixation on what you'll personally get out of it. The two go together: orienting toward 'That' (beyond the self) and releasing the grasping for personal fruit. This is the Gita's whole teaching of selfless action (which we've met throughout), here given a practical handle: the dedication of action to something higher and beyond yourself is the very means by which you let go of anxious attachment to results. It's hard to simply will yourself to stop caring about results; but when you genuinely dedicate the action to something beyond yourself — to 'That,' to the highest, to a purpose larger than your own gain — the self-centered grasping naturally loosens, because the action is no longer about you and your reward. This is psychologically powerful: connecting your work to something larger than yourself is one of the most effective ways to free yourself from the anxious, draining fixation on personal outcomes. The lesson: free yourself from the anxious, binding attachment to personal results by dedicating your actions to something beyond yourself — a purpose, a good, a 'That' larger than your own gain. You can't easily just force yourself to stop caring about outcomes; but when you genuinely connect your action to something higher and larger than yourself, the self-centered grasping for personal reward naturally loosens its grip, because the action is no longer all about you. So orient your work toward something beyond your own benefit — and discover that this dedication is itself the path to the freedom and peace that fixating on results can never give you. Dedicate to 'That,' and you're freed from the tyranny of 'mine.'

The insight worth drawing out is the beautiful and psychologically powerful link between dedicating action to something BEYOND yourself ('Tat' — That, the supreme) and being freed from the binding, anxious attachment to personal results. The word 'Tat' literally means 'That' — pointing away from the self ('me, mine, my gain, my reward') and toward the supreme reality beyond. And uttering it is specifically associated with acting WITHOUT aiming at the fruits — without the anxious grasping and fixation on personal reward. The deep connection here is genuinely profound and practical: when you sincerely dedicate your action to something beyond yourself, you're naturally and almost automatically freed from the self-centered fixation on what you'll personally get out of it. The two genuinely go together as one movement: orienting toward 'That' (something beyond the self) and releasing the anxious grasping for personal fruit. This is the Gita's whole core teaching of selfless action (which we've met again and again throughout), here given a wonderfully practical handle: the dedication of your action to something higher and beyond yourself is the very means by which you actually let go of anxious attachment to results. Here's the key practical insight: it's genuinely hard, often impossible, to simply will yourself to stop caring about and obsessing over results. But when you genuinely dedicate the action to something beyond yourself — to 'That,' to the highest, to a purpose or good larger than your own personal gain — the self-centered grasping naturally loosens on its own, because the action is no longer fundamentally about you and your reward. This is psychologically powerful and well-supported: connecting your work to something larger than yourself is one of the most effective ways there is to free yourself from the anxious, draining, exhausting fixation on personal outcomes. The lesson: free yourself from the anxious, binding attachment to personal results not by trying to force yourself not to care, but by dedicating your actions to something genuinely beyond yourself — a real purpose, a larger good, a 'That' bigger than your own gain. You can't easily just white-knuckle yourself into not caring about outcomes; but when you genuinely connect your action to something higher and larger than your own benefit, the self-centered grasping for personal reward naturally loosens its grip, because the action is no longer all about you. So consciously orient your work toward something beyond your own benefit — and discover that this very dedication is itself the path to the freedom, peace, and ease that endlessly fixating on results could never give you. Dedicate your action to 'That,' to the larger and higher, and you're freed from the exhausting tyranny of 'mine.'

The insight worth drawing out is the beautiful and psychologically powerful link between dedicating action to something BEYOND yourself ('Tat' — That, the supreme) and being freed from the binding, anxious attachment to personal results. The word 'Tat' literally means 'That' — pointing away from the self ('me, mine, my gain, my reward') and toward the supreme reality beyond. And uttering it is specifically associated with acting WITHOUT aiming at the fruits — without the anxious grasping and fixation on personal reward. The deep connection here is genuinely profound and practical: when you sincerely dedicate your action to something beyond yourself, you're naturally and almost automatically freed from the self-centered fixation on what you'll personally get out of it. The two genuinely go together as one movement: orienting toward 'That' (something beyond the self) and releasing the anxious grasping for personal fruit. This is the Gita's whole core teaching of selfless action (which we've met again and again), here given a wonderfully practical handle: dedicating your action to something higher and beyond yourself is the very means by which you actually let go of anxious attachment to results. Here's the key practical insight: it's genuinely hard, often basically impossible, to just will yourself to stop caring about and obsessing over results. But when you genuinely dedicate the action to something beyond yourself — to 'That,' to the highest, to a purpose or good larger than your own personal gain — the self-centered grasping naturally loosens on its own, because the action is no longer fundamentally about you and your reward. This is psychologically powerful and well-supported: connecting your work to something larger than yourself is one of the most effective ways there is to free yourself from the anxious, draining, exhausting fixation on personal outcomes. The lesson: free yourself from the anxious, binding attachment to personal results not by trying to force yourself not to care (which never works), but by dedicating your actions to something genuinely beyond yourself — a real purpose, a larger good, a 'That' bigger than your own gain. You can't just white-knuckle yourself into not caring about outcomes; but when you genuinely connect your action to something higher and larger than your own benefit, the self-centered grasping for reward naturally loosens its grip, because the action's no longer all about you. So consciously orient your work toward something beyond your own benefit — and discover that this very dedication is itself the path to the freedom, peace, and ease that endlessly obsessing over results could never give you. Dedicate your action to 'That,' to the larger and higher, and you're freed from the exhausting tyranny of 'mine.'

Krishna explains the second sacred word, 'Tat,' which means 'That' — pointing to the supreme reality, something far beyond just YOU and your own wants. And saying 'Tat' goes along with doing things WITHOUT chasing rewards for yourself — dedicating your action to something bigger than you! Here's the beautiful and clever idea: when you connect what you're doing to something BIGGER than yourself, you naturally stop worrying so much about what YOU'LL get out of it! Think about it: it's really hard to just tell yourself 'stop worrying about the prize!' That almost never works. But here's the trick: when you do something for a bigger, higher reason — to help others, for a good cause, dedicated to something wonderful beyond yourself — you naturally forget about chasing your own reward, because now it's not just about you! It's like the difference between playing a game only to win a trophy for yourself (stressful!) versus playing your heart out for your whole team (joyful and free!). When it's about something bigger than just you, the worry about your personal reward melts away! So here's the lesson: if you want to stop being so worried and stressed about getting rewards and results for yourself, don't just try to force yourself not to care — instead, connect what you do to something BIGGER than yourself! Do your work to help others, for a good cause, or dedicated to something wonderful beyond your own gain. When you do things for something bigger than just you, the stressful worry about 'what will I get?' naturally fades away, and you feel free and light! Dedicate your actions to something bigger — and find freedom from worrying about yourself!