Universal Oneness & Self-Knowledge Upanishadic Verse
Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1: all this is Brahman; be calm and meditate on it. Sanskrit text, transliteration and meaning in simple English.
Sanskrit
सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म तज्जलानिति शान्त उपासीत ।
अथ खलु क्रतुमयः पुरुषो यथाक्रतुरस्मिँल्लोके पुरुषो भवति
तथेतः प्रेत्य भवति स क्रतुं कुर्वीत ॥
“Tajjalān” joins three short words: “taj-ja” (born from it), “taj-la” (dissolving into it) and “taj-an” (living by it).
Transliteration (IAST)
sarvaṃ khalv idaṃ brahma tajjalān iti śānta upāsīta |
atha khalu kratumayaḥ puruṣo yathākratur asmiṃl loke puruṣo bhavati
tathetaḥ pretya bhavati sa kratuṃ kurvīta ||
Meaning
All this is Brahman. It is born from Brahman, it dissolves into Brahman, and it lives by Brahman. So one should be calm and meditate on it. A person is made of will (kratu). As one’s will is in this world, so one becomes after leaving it. So one should shape one’s will well.
Source / Textual Reference
Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1 (Chapter 3, section 14, verse 1)
Text compared with Wisdomlib (the English-and-Sanskrit edition) and VivekaVani; both give the same three lines. The explanation of “tajjalān” follows the Lokeswarananda translation on Wisdomlib.
Traditional Significance
This is a famous line of the Chandogya Upanishad. It says that the whole world comes from, rests in and returns to Brahman, the one ultimate reality, and asks the seeker to meditate on it calmly.
Teachers read the opening words differently. The usual reading, which we follow, is “all this is Brahman”. The Madhva tradition reads them another way. This page gives the usual meaning.
Traditional Practice
The verse is read, studied and used in meditation on Brahman. No fixed time or number of repetitions is prescribed.
Related Content
- Ishavasyam Idam Sarvam, everything is held by the Lord
- Tat Tvam Asi, from the same Upanishad
- Purnamadah Purnamidam, a verse on wholeness