उपनिषद् · Chāndogya 6,8.7
॥
देवनागरी
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
लिप्यंतरण (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
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
सःsaḥhe; that one
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
अणिमाaṇimāthe subtle essence (aṇiman — 'the finest'); the subtlest essence; subtlety
एतत्etatthis; all this
आत्म्यम्ātmyamthat of which all this consists (aitad-ātmya — 'having this for its essence'); having this for its nature; ensouled by this
इदम्idamthis; thus
सर्वम्sarvamall; entirely
तत्tatThat (tat — Being); That; that
सत्यम्satyamtruth (satya); reality; the true
सःsaḥhe; that one
आत्माātmāthe Ātman (ātman); the Spirit; the Self
तत्tatThat (tat — Being); That; that
त्वम्tvamyou (tvam); you; you yourself
असिasiyou are (asi — second person of √as); art; you are
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
अनुवाद
"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.
संस्करण
644e5c81d410 · प्रकाशित 26 जुल॰ 2026, 11:39:08 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Here it is — the great utterance, the mahāvākya of the Upaniṣads: tat tvam asi, "you are that". Nine times the father will repeat it, and the first time comes immediately after the account of death: that subtle Essence (aṇiman) into which everything returns and by which everything lives — "it is the ātman, and you, Śvetaketu, are that". Not the body, that guttering bonfire of sixteen parts; not the mind, extinguished by a fast; not speech and breath, handed back through the offices at departure — you are of Being, of his nature, of his subtle essence, and the death just described does not touch you.
How does the Vedānta of love hear these words? Not as "you are God": the whole chapter strictly distinguishes Being, which "looked" and entered, from the jīva, with which it entered (6.3.2); a shoot is not the root, though it lives by the root and shares its nature. Tat tvam asi is a word about kinship, not about identity without remainder: you are his, from him, of one nature with him, as a spark with fire, as a drop with the sea: the same nature, not the same measure. The ācāryas of bhakti read here even a healing address: "you are of that (tat)", a son of Being and not an orphan of matter.
And mark the tone: this is not a formula from a treatise but a father's word to his son, by name: "you are that, Śvetaketu". The Veda's highest truth is pronounced as family news about one's origin: child, you are not of dust — you are of Being. And so the lesson does not end: "explain further" — the pupil asks not for new information but for the same news once more; nine repetitions lie ahead, and each will clothe it in a new parable.