You are That
Tattvamasi Panchakam — तत्त्वमसि पञ्चकम्
There are four cardinal statements (Mahā-vākya) from the Upanishads:
1. I am Brahman (अहं ब्रह्मास्मि) [Source: Brihadāranya Upanishad 1.4.10]
2. You are That (तत्त्वमसि) [Source: Chāndogya Upanishad 6.8.7]
3. This Self is Brahman (अयमात्मा ब्रह्म) [Source: Māndukya Upanishad 2]
4. The knowledge by which the Truth is known, is Brahman (प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म). [Source: Aitareya Upanishad 3.3]
“You are That” (the theme of this article) means: You (the Individual Self) are nothing but the Universal Self.
Note: For each verse, the presentation consists of three parts: (1) the verse in Sanskrit; (2) the meaning of the individual words in the verse, and (3) the meaning of the verse.
निस्तमसि नीरजसि निर्गलितसत्वे
तेजसि विवेकजुषि भेदमतिशून्ये ।
निर्वचनमानसपदातिगमचिन्त्यं
तत्त्वमसि तत्त्वमसि तत्त्वमसि राजन् ॥ 1 ॥
निस्तमसि — devoid of tamo-guṇa; नीरजसि — devoid of rajo-guṇa; निर्गलितसत्वे — sattva-guṇa dissolved (निर्गलित — dissolved); तेजसि — spiritual essence, majesty; विवेकजुषि — dwelling in true knowledge (विवेक — true knowledge; जुष् — dwelling in, attach oneself to); भेदमतिशून्ये — free from the perception of distinctions; निर्वचन-मानस-पदातिगम् — abode that is beyond interpretation and imagination (निर्वचन — interpretation, explanation; मानस — imaginable, conceivable; पद — abode; अतिगम् — surpass); अचिन्त्यम् — incomprehensible, inconceivable; तत् त्वं असि — Thou art That; तत् त्वं असि — Thou art That; तत् त्वं असि — Thou art That; राजन् — O King.
Meaning
Thou art That,
which is beyond the three guṇās (sattva, rajas, tamas),
which is of the nature of spiritual essence dwelling in true knowledge,
which is free from the perception of distinctions,
which is the abode that is beyond interpretation and imagination, and
which is incomprehensible.
O King! Thou art That. Thou art That.
Notes: Guṇa literally means quality, attribute or property. Nature consists of three guṇas — sattva, rajas and tamas. Everything or everyone is a combination of these three guṇas existing in various proportions; and the balance of these three may change from time to time. The three qualities are: (1) sattva refers to the quality of harmony, goodness, purity, virtue, etc.; (2) rajas refers to passion, activity, drive, egoism, dynamism, movement, etc.; (3) tamas refers to ignorance, inertia, lethargy, dullness, disorder, delusion, etc.
यज्जनितमेतदखिलं जगदनित्यं
स्वप्नजगदभ्रगजवारिवनतुल्यं ।
अप्रमित मूर्तिरहितं परसुखं यत्
तत्त्वमसि तत्त्वमसि तत्त्वमसि राजन् ॥ 2 ॥
यत् — from which; जनितम् — born; एतत् — this; अखिलम् — entire; जगत् — universe; अनित्यम् — transient, not everlasting; स्वप्नजगत् — dream-world, world in a dream; अभ्र-गज-वारि-वन-तुल्यम् — like an elephant seen in the cloud, and like a forest in the waters (अभ्र — cloud; गज — elephant; वारि — water; वन — water; तुल्य — like); अप्रमित — unbounded, unmeasured, not established by authority; मूर्तिरहितम् — devoid of material form, devoid of embodiment or manifestation; परसुखम् — the supreme happiness; यत् — which; तत्त्वमसि — Thou art That; तत्त्वमसि — Thou art That; तत्त्वमसि — Thou art That; राजन् — O King.
Meaning
Thou art That,
from which is born this entire universe that is transient like the world in a dream, like an elephant seen in the cloud and like a forest seen in the waters,
which is unbounded and immeasurable,
which is devoid of material form, and
which is of the nature of supreme happiness.
O King! Thou art That. Thou art That.
देहगुणजालमतिलीलमतिलोलं
येन लसितं भवति धीपुरशतञ्च ।
अद्वयमनन्तकमपारमतिसूक्ष्मं
तत्त्वमसि तत्त्वमसि तत्त्वमसि राजन् ॥ 3 ॥
देहगुणजालम् — a web of the body and guṇas (here referring to the sense organs); अतिलीलम् — very sportful; अतिलोलम् — very transient, very unsteady, very fickle; येन — by which; लसितम् — appeared, manifested, sported; भवति — becomes; धीपुरशतम् — falling outside the purview of intelligence; च — and; अद्वयम् — without a second, non-dual, the only; अनन्तकम् — eternal, infinite, omnipresent; अपारम् — unbounded; अतिसूक्ष्मम् — extremely subtle; तत्त्वमसि — Thou art That; तत्त्वमसि — Thou art That; तत्त्वमसि — Thou art That; राजन् — O King.
Meaning
Thou art That,
by which this web of the body and senses become manifested and appear sportful and transient,
which is beyond the purview of the intelligence,
which is non-dual, eternal and unbounded, and
which is extremely subtle.
O King! Thou art That. Thou art That.
कोशमयपञ्चकमिदञ्च सविकारं
यत्र वियदादि विमलस्फुरितमेतत् ।
अस्ति न कदाचिदपि रज्जुवदनन्तं
तत्त्वमसि तत्त्वमसि तत्त्वमसि राजन् ॥ 4 ॥
कोशमयपञ्चकम् — that which is enveloped by five sheaths — annamaya, praanamaya, manomaya, vijnaanamaya, anandamaya (कोश — sheath); इदम् — this; च — and; सविकारम् — with all its modification, change of form; यत्र — where; वियदादि — the sky, ether, etc. (the elements); विमलस्फुरितम् — pure manifestation (विमल — pure; स्फुरितम् — radiance, manifested); एतत् — this; अस्ति — is; न कदाचित् — never; अपि — also; रज्जुवत् — like the rope; अनन्तम् — eternal; तत्त्वमसि — Thou art That; तत्त्वमसि — Thou art That; तत्त्वमसि — Thou art That; राजन् — O King.
Meaning
Thou art That,
which is enveloped by five sheaths,
in which the elements like ether, etc., with all its modifications appear,
which is pure brilliance,
which is not like the rope (superimposed as a snake), and
which is eternal.
O King! Thou art That. Thou art That.
Notes: The five sheaths are annamaya-kosha, prānamaya-kosha, manomaya-kosha, vijnānamaya-kosha, and ānandamaya-kosha.
भेदमतिजातमवधूतमनुभूतं
येन विदितं ततं परात्परसुखं च ।
तद्भवति सोहमिति यच्छ्रुतिषु चोक्तं
तत्त्वमसि तत्त्वमसि तत्त्वमसि राजन् ॥ 5 ॥
भेदम् — duality; अतिजातम् — transcended; अवधूतम् — a mendicant; अनुभूतम् — experienced; येन — by which; विदितम् — knowing; ततम् — is pervaded; परात्परसुखम् — most supreme happiness; च — and; तत् — that; भवति — becomes; सोहम् — “I am That” (सः अहम्); इति — thus; यत् — that; श्रुतिषु — in the shrutis (Vedas); च — and; उक्तम् — is said; तत्त्वमसि — thou art That; तत्त्वमसि — thou art That; तत्त्वमसि — thou art That; राजन् — O King.
Meaning
Thou art That,
by which everything is pervaded,
knowing which the mendicant transcends duality,
which when experienced as ‘I am That’ results in Supreme Bliss, and
which is spoken of in the Vedas.
O King! Thou art That. Thou art That.
