An Atheist Explores the Bhagavad Gita Part 18: Om, Tat, Sat, On The Mat (Yog through Discerning the Three Divisions of Faith (Śhraddhā Traya Vibhāg Yog))

Chapter Seventeen: Yog through Discerning the Three Divisions of Faith (Śhraddhā Traya Vibhāg Yog)

Om, Tat, Sat, On The Mat.

Welcome to the next instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bhagavad Gita).

In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the Bhagavad Gita, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology.

For more detail, see the introductory post https://bit.ly/2XAch2A

For the online Bhagavad Gita that I use, see here https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/

And now:

Śhraddhā Traya Vibhāg Yog

“The faith of all humans conforms to the nature of their mind. All people possess faith, and whatever the nature of their faith, that is verily what they are.”

Krishna explains that humans are born in one of three modes (it was two last time), that of sattva (goodness), rajas (passion) and tamas (ignorance). These are the three gunas from before, and Krishna goes on to explain how these natures express themselves in how people make offerings, give charity, perform “austerities” and even the kind of food that they like.

And I thought: it’s a good place for a table.

	Sattva (Goodness)	Ramas (Passion)	Tamas (Ignorance)
Object of Worship	Celestial Gods	Yakshas and rakshasas	Ghosts and spirits
Food	Juicy, succulent, nourishing, and naturally tasteful.	Too bitter, too sour, salty, very hot, pungent, dry, and “chiliful”.	Overcooked, stale, putrid, polluted, and impure.
Sacrifice	Performed according to the scriptural injunctions without expectation of rewards, with the firm conviction of the mind that it is a matter of duty.	Performed for material benefit, or with hypocritical aim.	Devoid of faith and contrary to the injunctions of the scriptures, in which no food is offered, no mantras chanted, and no donation made.
Austerities	Without yearning for material rewards.	Performed with ostentation for the sake of gaining honor, respect, and adoration.	Performed by those with confused notions, and which involves torturing the self or harming others.
Charity	Given to a worthy person simply because it is right to give, without consideration of anything in return, at the proper time and in the proper place.	Given with reluctance, with the hope of a return or in expectation of a reward.	Which is given at the wrong place and wrong time to unworthy persons, without showing respect, or with contempt.

 

I think that’s all pretty clear. Remember that the yakshas are nature spirits that are not inherently evil, but do tend towards being capricious and wilful. Rakshasas on the other hand, are flesh-eating spirits.

 The “austerities” are three-fold, and are further demonstrations of piety. Austerity of the Body is “cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy, and non-violence”. Austerity of Speech is “Words that do not cause distress, are truthful, inoffensive, and beneficial, as well as the regular recitation of the Vedic scriptures”. And Austerity of the Mind comprises “Serenity of thought, gentleness, silence, self-control, and purity of purpose”. It’s interesting that even the Passionate and Ignorant Modes perform actions such as celibacy or silence, when it feels like they ought not to be very good at them. But it’s the intent behind the action that seems to be what demarcates them, not the action itself.

 Which is a little bit like Aristotlean Virtue Ethics – if you do the right thing, but for the wrong reasons, it’s still not, according to Aristotle, a virtuous action.

 Finally the chapter closes with a seemingly unrelated subject of three sacred words – Om, Tat and Sat. These are all “symbolic representations of the Supreme Absolute Truth” and have different ritual functions.

 Om, I’m sure everyone has heard of, it’s the stereotype of the Buddhist monk sat cross-legged on a mountain chanting “Om” for hours. Om is to be said before “performing acts of sacrifice, offering charity, or undertaking penance”.

 Tat, meanwhile must be said alongside acts of “austerity, sacrifice, and charity” as recognition that the speaker wishes to be free from material entanglement.

 And finally, Sat describes eternal goodness, an auspicious action, and acts of sacrifice, penance and charity. It’s more of a catch-all phrase.

 I think I can see the intent behind these – it’s a reminder to the person saying them of what and why they are doing what they’re doing. As mentioned before in the Bhagavad Gita, if a person keeps Krishna in their thoughts in all actions, they get to escape samsara, and reciting “Om” or “Tat” is like a little aide memoire to do so, to perform your actions in the mode of sattva and not the other two.

 I think I’m getting the hang of this. Shame there’s only one more chapter to go.