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Gita Talks
Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke)
Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke)

Episode Summary

The eighty-second in a series of talks by Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) on the Bhagavad Gita, India's most famous scripture: the unforgettable dialog between Sri Krishna and Arjuna about the essence of spiritual life.In this talk, continuing with Chapter 17:20 to the end of the chapter, Swamiji discusses the threefold kinds of giving, according to the gunas, and the meaning of OM TAT SAT.Gita Talk #82: Om Tat Sat — SummaryContext: Chapter 17 concludes with Krishna’s explanation of how intention, quality, and sacred vibration affect spiritual acts like sacrifice, giving, and self-discipline. • True Giving (Dana): Should be done with the thought “It is right to give” — without expectation of return or karmic benefit. Must be directed toward worthy recipients in a proper place and time. Giving out of duty, love, or reverence brings real spiritual merit. • Improper Giving: Given with desire for reward, recognition, or social status = rajasic. Given reluctantly or inappropriately = tamasic. Even charity done without respect, or with disdain, is spiritually harmful. • The Sacred Formula: Om Tat Sat: Om: The primal sound, cosmic vibration, seed of creation. Tat: “That” — denoting selfless action beyond ego or ownership. Sat: The Real, the Good, the True — also referring to dharmic action and righteous behavior. This threefold mantra signifies purity in intent, method, and purpose. • Applications: All true spiritual actions — sacrifice, austerity, gift — are to begin with Om, offered in the spirit of Tat, and established in Sat. Shraddha (faith) is vital: not blind belief, but a deep certainty born of understanding and experience. Without faith, such actions are “asat” — unreal, ineffective both here and hereafter. • Final Thought: Om Tat Sat is both the formula and the inner attitude of the seeker walking the path of liberation.Swamiji concludes with anticipation for the final chapter — the grand summary of the Bhagavad Gita.
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