Upanishads · Chāndogya 6,14.3
॥
Devanāgarī
सः यः एषः अणिमा एतत् आत्म्यम् इदम् सर्वम् तत् सत्यम् सः आत्मा तत् त्वम् असि श्वेतकेतो इति भूयः एव मा भगवान् विज्ञापयतु इति तथा सोम्य इति ह उवाच
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ yaḥ eṣaḥ aṇimā etat ātmyam idam sarvam tat satyam saḥ ātmā tat tvam asi śvetaketo iti bhūyaḥ eva mā bhagavān vijñāpayatu iti tathā somya iti ha uvāca
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe (sa — 'that one'); that one; he
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
अणिमाaṇimāthe subtle essence; subtlety
एतत्etatthis; all this
आत्म्यम्ātmyamwhose essence; the nature
इदम्idamthis; thus
सर्वम्sarvamall; entirely
तत्tatthat; this
सत्यम्satyamtruth; reality
सःsaḥhe (sa — 'that one'); that one; he
आत्माātmāthe Ātman; the inner self
तत्tatthat; this
त्वम्tvamyou; you yourself
असिasiare you; you
श्वेतकेतोśvetaketoO Śvetaketu; Śvetaketu
इतिitithus; how
भूयःbhūyaḥgreater; the highest
एवevaindeed; surely
माmānot; me
भगवान्bhagavānvenerable one; esteemed one
विज्ञापयतुvijñāpayatulet him explain; let him make it understood
इतिitithus; how
तथाtathāthus; so be it
सोम्यsomyadear one; noble one
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
Translation
"That subtle essence is that of which all this consists; that is the truth; that is the ātman. You are that, Śvetaketu." — "Let your reverence explain to me still further." — "So be it, my dear," he said.
Version
21be5a6f93de · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:42:00 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The seventh tat tvam asi — after the parable of Gandhāra, and it is heard as a pointing of the way: "you are that" is exactly what the one who unbinds says: here is your homeland, go that way. Not a description of something attained but a direction of travel: the truth of one's origin is given to a wanderer as a compass, not as a throne.
It is significant that Uddālaka himself is the "someone" of this parable: father, son and the speech between them enact it in reality. Every time the mahāvākya is spoken, somewhere one more bandage is taken off; the tradition lives as long as there are people who say these words — and people who ask, as Śvetaketu does: "still further".