Upanishads · Chāndogya 2,21.4
॥
Devanāgarī
यस् तत् वेद सः वेद सर्वम् सर्वाः दिशः बलिं अस्मै हरन्ति सर्वम् अस्मि इति उपासीत तत् व्रतम् तत् व्रतम्
Transliteration (IAST)
yas tat veda saḥ veda sarvam sarvāḥ diśaḥ baliṃ asmai haranti sarvam asmi iti upāsīta tat vratam tat vratam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यस्yaswho; the one who
तत्tatthat; this
वेदvedaknows; understands
सःsaḥhe; that one
वेदvedaknows; understands
सर्वम्sarvamall; entirely
सर्वाःsarvāḥall; the whole
दिशःdiśaḥthe quarters of the sky; the directions
बलिंbaliṃtribute (bali); an offering; an oblation
अस्मैasmaifor him; to him
हरन्तिharantithey bear; they bear away
सर्वम्sarvamall; entirely
अस्मिasmiI am (from √as); I am; I am
इतिitithus; how
उपासीतupāsītalet him venerate; one should contemplate
तत्tatthat; this
व्रतम्vratama vow; the rule of observance
तत्tatthat; this
व्रतम्vratama vow; the rule of observance
Translation
He who knows this knows All: all the quarters of space bring him tribute." "I am All" — so one should contemplate: that is the vow, that is the vow.
Version
fc09e9beb010 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:44:39 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The close of the adhyāya on the sāmans: yas tad veda sa veda sarvam — "he who knows this knows All" (an answer to Śaunaka's question in the Muṇḍaka: here is the knowledge by knowing which all is known!); sarvā diśo balim asmai haranti — "all the quarters bring him tribute": everything, from everywhere, serves one who has known the All.
And the last vow is a dizzying one: sarvam asmīty upāsīta — "'I am All' — so contemplate": tad vratam — "that is the vow"! This is no assertion of pride but a vow of correspondence: one who has recognised the sāman in everything is bound to live as a partaker in everything: another's pain as his own, another's good as his own: "I am all" is the strictest of austerities: it abolishes the very possibility of "not my business". The doubled tad vratam closes the great series: fifteen weavings, ten vows — and a final one: to be All, now that you have come to know it.