Verse 17.24
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
तस्मादोमित्युदाहृत्य यज्ञदानतपःक्रियाः | प्रवर्तन्ते विधानोक्ताः सततं ब्रह्मवादिनाम् ||२४||
Transliteration (IAST)
tasmād om ity udāhṛtya yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyāḥ | pravartante vidhānoktāḥ satataṁ brahma-vādinām ||24||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
Therefore, the acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity prescribed by the scriptures are always commenced by the knowers of Brahman with the utterance of Om.
Commentary
Shankaracharya explains that Om is the universal prefix that sanctifies all spiritual activities. By beginning with Om, the practitioner acknowledges that all action is ultimately an offering to Brahman. Madhva notes that this practice transforms ordinary acts into sacred ones by connecting them to their divine source. The word satatam (always) indicates this should be an invariable practice.