Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 17, Verse 24
तस्मादोमित्युदाहृत्य यज्ञदानतपःक्रियाः।प्रवर्तन्ते विधानोक्ताः सततं ब्रह्मवादिनाम्।।
tasmād oṁ ity udāhṛtya yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyāḥ
pravartante vidhānoktāḥ satataṁ brahma-vādinām
also searched as "tasmad om ity udahritya yajna-dana-tapah-kriyah"
Translation
Therefore, the Veda-enjoined sacrificial acts, gifts, and austerities, expounded by the Vedas, or those belonging to the first three stations, are always begun after pronouncing Om at the beginning.
Vāṇi's rendering
So those who speak of the eternal begin every act of offering, giving, and austerity by sounding Om.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तस्मात्tasmāt | therefore, for that reason |
| ओम्oṁ | the syllable Om |
| इतिiti | thus, so (marking the sound uttered) |
| उदाहृत्यudāhṛtya | having pronounced, having sounded out |
| यज्ञ-दान-तपः-क्रियाःyajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyāḥ | acts of offering, of giving, and of austerity |
| प्रवर्तन्तेpravartante | are set in motion, are begun |
| विधान-उक्ताःvidhāna-uktāḥ | as spoken of in the ordinance; done the way the scripture lays down (sandhi: vidhāna + uktāḥ) |
| सततम्satataṁ | always, without exception |
| ब्रह्म-वादिनाम्brahma-vādinām | of those who speak of the eternal, the knowers of Brahman |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17 Verse 24 mean?
It means the beginning of an act matters as much as the act. Those who speak of the eternal sound oṁ before offering, giving, or undertaking hardship. The syllable places the deed under something larger than the doer, so that what follows is done as service rather than as a bid for gain.
What does tasmad om ity udahritya yajna dana tapah kriyah teach?
That practice begins with a word. Krishna links the three great outward acts — yajña, dāna, tapas — to a single opening sound. The teaching is not about ritual correctness. It is about naming, at the outset, whose the act is. What you invoke at the start quietly shapes everything that comes after.
Why is Om chanted before rituals and prayers?
Because it is the designation of the eternal, and speaking it turns the doer toward what does not pass. Krishna does not promise that the sound sanctifies a careless deed. It reorients you. The offering is made, the gift is given, the hardship is borne — but no longer for the fruit alone.
Do I need to chant Om if I am not religious?
Krishna is describing brahma-vādinām, those whose speech is of the eternal. The principle beneath the practice is available to anyone: pause before you act and name what the act is for. Sound oṁ if it is yours to sound. If not, still begin knowingly rather than by momentum.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Om is not decoration. It is the sound placed at the front of an act so the act knows where it came from. Krishna has just named the threefold designation — oṁ tat sat — and now he shows what people do with it: they say it aloud, then they give, then they offer, then they endure. The syllable does not make the act holy. It turns the doer around. Before the hand moves, something in you names the eternal, and the act belongs to that naming rather than to your appetite for its fruit. Sound it first. Notice which way you are then facing.