A core teaching · devotional in mood · a little context helps
“Steady offering makes ordinary action sacred.”
Steadfastness in sacrifice, austerity, and giving is called sat. Action done for that purpose is also called sat.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyin sacrifice · in austerity · in giving · and · steadfastness · sat · thus · and · is called) । कर्म (action · and · indeed · for that purpose · sat · thus · indeed · is called
Steady dedication in sacrifice, disciplined effort, and giving is called sat. Any action done for that sacred purpose is also called sat.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga" (The Three Kinds of Faith).
Verse 27 sits in Chapter 17 of the Bhagavad Gita — Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga, "The Three Kinds of Faith". The chapter has 28 verses in total.
You keep showing up for a hard promise no one can verify: caring for a parent, finishing a repair, telling the truth. The steadiness itself gives the act its worth.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from the size of the act to the steadiness and intention behind it.
What this verse means
Steady dedication in sacrifice, disciplined effort, and giving is called sat. Any action done for that sacred purpose is also called sat.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Arjuna is still frozen while Krishna explains the quality of true offering. In this verse, Krishna says that steadfastness in sacrifice, austerity, and giving is itself sacred, and so is any action done for that higher purpose.
Why this verse still matters
You keep showing up for a hard promise no one can verify: caring for a parent, finishing a repair, telling the truth. The steadiness itself gives the act its worth.
“Your effort becomes meaningful when it is steady and offered with sincerity.”
Explore related themes: shraddha (34 verses), yajna (32 verses), tapas (22 verses)