Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17, Verse 24 (BG 17.24) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

17.24 तस्मात् therefore? Om? इति thus? उदाहृत्य uttering? यज्ञदानतपःक्रियाः the acts of sacrifice? gift and austerity? प्रवर्तन्ते begin? विधानोक्ताः as enjoined in the scriptures? सततम् always? ब्रह्मवादिनाम् of the students of Brahman. Commentary Those who are knowers of the scriptures have a vivid impression of Om in their minds by means of meditation and then they will utter the Pranava with the proper attitude and feeling. Then meditating on Om and uttering it? they perform the sacrifices. Just as a hillstick is very useful in climbing a hill? just as a boat is very useful in crossing a river? so also Om is very useful and important at the commencement of an action or sacrifice.It is not desirable to renounce actions or sacrifices to attain union with the Lord. What is wanted is total and perfect surrender of all actions to God. Sacrifice? charity and austerity are not hindrances to the attainment of Selfrealisation on the contrary the attainment of liberation is rendered easy by their performance without any selfish desires or egoism.

Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

Modern

Those who are versed in Brahman—the seekers of truth endowed with sattvic nature—remember the Supreme Self in all their actions. Through this remembrance of the Divine, they attain excellence, purity, and divinity. In the constant recollection of the Supreme Self lies the forgetting of ego and its bondages. When ego is absent, the seeker becomes more skillful in austerities, more selfless in sacrificial acts, and more generous in giving. Thus does the remembrance of the Divine transform the spiritual practitioner into one of virtue and grace.