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Sama Veda · Chandogya Brahmana of the Sama Veda · 627 mantras

छान्दोग्योपनिषद्

Chandogya Upanishad

Chāndogyopaniṣad

Central theme: Tat Tvam Asi; the Self at the heart of all

Mahavakya

तत्त्वमसि

Tat tvam asi

“That thou art.”

— Chandogya 6.8.7 (repeated 9x)

Summary

One of the two longest principal Upanishads. Eight chapters covering Om-upasana, the panchagni-vidya (five-fire doctrine of rebirth), the Sandilya-vidya, the dialogue of Uddalaka Aruni and his son Shvetaketu (the source of the mahavakya "Tat Tvam Asi" — That Thou Art — repeated nine times), the dialogue of Narada and Sanatkumara, and the Indra-Virochana story (the discovery that the body is not the Self). The salt-in-water and seed-of-the-banyan demonstrations are here.

Key concepts

  • ●Tat Tvam Asi — That Thou Art
  • ●Panchagni vidya
  • ●Sandilya vidya
  • ●Narada-Sanatkumara dialogue (bhuma)
  • ●Salt-in-water analogy
  • ●Banyan seed analogy

Famous verse

Chandogya 6.8.7

स य एषोऽणिमैतदात्म्यमिदं सर्वं तत्सत्यं स आत्मा तत्त्वमसि श्वेतकेतो

Sa ya eṣo'ṇimaitadātmyamidaṁ sarvaṁ tat satyaṁ sa ātmā tat tvam asi śvetaketo

That which is the subtle essence — in it all that exists has its self. That is the truth, that is the Self. That thou art, O Shvetaketu.

Takeaway

The same essence in salt-water, the same in the banyan seed, the same in you.

All 48 Upanishads

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