Upanishads · Chāndogya 3,12.2
॥
Devanāgarī
या वै सा गायत्रीयम् वाव सा या इयम् पृथिवी अस्याम् हि इदम् सर्वम् भूतम् प्रतिष्ठितम् एताम् एव न अतिशीयते
Transliteration (IAST)
yā vai sā gāyatrīyam vāva sā yā iyam pṛthivī asyām hi idam sarvam bhūtam pratiṣṭhitam etām eva na atiśīyate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
याyāyā; the syllable yā
वैvaiverily; indeed
साsāshe; that one
गायत्रीयम्gāyatrīyamthis Gāyatrī; pertaining to the Gāyatrī
वावvāvatruly; indeed
साsāshe; that one
याyāyā; the syllable yā
इयम्iyamthis; she
पृथिवीpṛthivīthe earth; the earthly world
अस्याम्asyāmin it; upon her
हिhiindeed; truly
इदम्idamthis; thus
सर्वम्sarvamall; entirely
भूतम्bhūtama creature; all that has come to be
प्रतिष्ठितम्pratiṣṭhitamis established; is founded
एताम्etāmthis; this very one
एवevaindeed; surely
नnanot; no
अतिशीयतेatiśīyateit surpasses (ati-√śī — 'to go beyond'); it passes beyond the bounds; goes beyond
Translation
That gāyatrī is indeed this earth: for upon it all that exists is established, and it does not go beyond it.
Version
37ef831f5d08 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:02:24 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The first identification: yā vai sā gāyatrīyaṁ vāva sā yeyaṁ pṛthivī — "that gāyatrī is this earth": the ground is asyāṁ hīdaṁ sarvaṁ bhūtaṁ pratiṣṭhitam — "upon it all that exists stands" — etām eva nātiśīyate — "and does not overpass it [does not run past its edges]".
The earth is the world's gāyatrī: the bearing strophe upon which everything living is held and by which it is guarded: a metre is what carries a verse; the earth is what carries what exists: both are pratiṣṭhā, a support. The vidyā teaches one to see a sacred measure in the soil underfoot: to walk on the earth is to tread the line of the Singing-Guarding one.