Upanishads · Mahā 6.79
॥
Devanāgarī
चिदहं चिदिमे लोकाश्चिदाशाश्चिदिमाः प्रजाः दृश्यदर्शननिर्मुक्तः केवलामलरूपवान्
Transliteration (IAST)
cidahaṃ cidime lokāścidāśāścidimāḥ prajāḥ dṛśyadarśananirmuktaḥ kevalāmalarūpavān
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
चित् अहम् चित् इमे लोकाःcit aham cit ime lokāḥconsciousness am I, consciousness these worlds; awareness is me, awareness are these worlds
चित् आशाः चित् इमाः प्रजाःcit āśāḥ cit imāḥ prajāḥconsciousness the quarters, consciousness these creatures; awareness the directions, awareness these beings
दृश्य-दर्शन-निर्मुक्तःdṛśya-darśana-nirmuktaḥfreed from the seen and from seeing; released from the visible and from sight
केवल-अमल-रूपवान्kevala-amala-rūpavānpossessed of a form single and stainless; owning a shape one and immaculate
Translation
“Consciousness am I, consciousness these worlds, consciousness the quarters, consciousness these creatures; freed from the seen and from seeing, possessed of a form single and stainless…”
Version
07ffab6e52df · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Four times in a row one word: cit, “consciousness”.
I, the worlds, the quarters, the beings. All named by one.
Note the last line: kevala-amala-rūpavān — “possessed of a form single and stainless”.
Rūpavān — “having a form”. The word stands at the end of a list where, one would think, all has been reduced to formless consciousness.
This is no slip; the book spoke so already in 4.41 of “a body whose form is consciousness”.
Vaiṣṇava Vedānta points to such passages whenever the question arises whether the Highest has a form. What is denied is material form, not form as such.
The thought will be completed in the next verse, where one more word will be named.