Bhagavad Gita Verse 26, Chapter 17

sadbhaave saadhubhaave cha sadityetatprayujyate |
prashashte karmaani tathaa sacchabdaha paartha yujyate || 26 ||
 
The word Sat is used in the sense of existence and goodness, and also, O Paartha, the word Sat is added in the sense of an auspicious act.
 
sadbhaave : Sat as existence
saadhubhaave : Sat as goodness
cha : and
sat : Sat
iti : in this manner
etat : this
prayujyate : used
prashashte : auspicious
karmaani : act
tathaa : also
sat : Sat
shabdaha : word
paartha : O Paartha
yujyate : added
 
The utterance of Om is used to focus our attention on the action, and the utterance of Tat is used to dedicate the actions and their reward to Ishvara. Even if we do all this, there could be a defect in the way the action is performed. We may have not followed some guidelines, or some external entity may have caused some problem which we may be unaware of. For most of us who are not well versed in the scriptures, is there an easy solution to this problem?
 
Shri Krishna says that the chanting of the word Sat during the performance of a saattvic action has the effect of removing all the errors and defects of that action. This is why words such as satkarma (good actions) and sadaachaar (good conduct) use sat as a synonym for good. But just purifying an action is not enough. The emotions, the feelings behind the action are equally important. Chanting of the word Sat has the effect of purifying our emotions as well. Words such as sadbhaava (good emotion) and sadguna (good values) illustrate this point.
 
The real meaning of the word Sat, however,is existence. It is a pointer to brahman, the eternal essence, the one reality. "Naabhaavo vidyate sataha" found in the second chapter of the Gita denotes that Sat, the eternal essence, always exists. It is always complete, without any duality. Therefore, the ultimate goal of uttering Sat is to mentally remove any notions of duality, mentally remove all the upaadhis or limitations, and merge oneself into the one reality, the one eternal essence.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 7

rasohamapsu kaunteya prabhaasmi shashisooryayoho |
pranavaha sarvavedeshu shabdaha khe paurusham nrishu || 8 ||
 
I am the taste in water, O Kaunteya. I am the light of the sun and moon, Om in all the Vedas, sound in space, valour in men.
 
rasaha : taste
aham : I
apsu : in water
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
prabhaa : light
asmi : I am
shashihi : moon
sooryayoho : sun
pranavaha : Om
sarvavedeshu : in all the Vedas
shabdaha : sound
khe : in space
paurusham : valour
nrishu : in men
 
We are exploring the topic of bhakti yoga in this chapter, where we learn to channel our thoughts towards a single ideal, which is Ishvara. Ishvara is in everything, and everything is in Ishvara - these statements were proclaimed by Shri Krishna previously. Even if we intellectually understand Ishvara as the ultimate cause, our senses do not literally “see” Ishvara. So then, how do we learn to remember Ishvara at all times?
 
Shri Krishna helps us in this regard by giving us a list of Ishvara’s vibhootis or glories. He recognizes that our mind tends to see wonder and glory in some aspects of the universe. If we can train ourselves to remember Ishvara whenever we see his glories, it will help us advance towards our goal of learning to see Ishvara everywhere.
 
The first example of Ishvara’s vibooti is the taste in water. Water is an important part of everyone’s life. Over 60% of our body is made up of water. Shri Krishna says that Ishvara is the taste or essence of water. In other words, Ishvara is what makes water behave like water. So whenever we have a glass of water when we are extremely thirsty, it is Ishvara that is refreshing us. This is a wonderful meditation that we can practice.
 
Similarly, whenever we are dazzled by the brilliance of the sun, or the soothing light of the moon, we should remember that it is Ishvara that is providing the brightness or the effulgence. Whenever we hear a sound, we should know that it is Ishvara that provides the ability for sound to travel through air. Moreover, when we read stories about people who selflessly protect their country or their fellow human beings, we should remember that it is Ishvara that provides valour to them.
 
Finally, Shri Krishna says that Ishvara represents the word “Om” among the Vedas. Om takes a special place in the Vedas. It symbolically represents the eternal essence out of which this entire universe is created. Meditation on the word “Om” is considered one of the highest meditations possible.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 1

tataha shankashcha bheryascha panavaanakagomukhaahaa |
sahasaivaabhyahanyanta sa shabda tumulobhavat ||13 ||
 
Immediately thereafter, several conches, bugles, trumpets, kettle-horns and cow-horns resounded simultaneously, growing into a tumultuous sound.
 
tataha: thereafter
shankha: conches
cha: and
bherya: bugles
panamaanaka: trumpets and kettedrums
gomukhaha: cow-horns
sahasaa eva abhyahanyanta: resounded suddenly and simultaneously
shabdaha: sound
abhavat: became
tumulaha: tumultuous
 
This is another verse in the sequence of verses that brings us closer to the start of the war. It also suggests that the Kaurava army was happy that their commander Bheeshma was eager to begin the war.
 
As we progress through this verse into some of the later verses, we cannot help but paint a picture of that battlefield, since the words used in these verses are so evocative. For some of us that grew up in India, we probably tend to dig up memories of watching the Mahabharata on Sunday morning, and maybe those memories are recalled. With this verse, we now have another dimension that adds depth to the picture - that of sound.
 
The author of these verses clearly intends to paint a rich picture of the battlefield, and the Kaurava army in particular. We shall see why shortly.