Tat Tvam Asi (That Thou Art) is one of the Mahavakyas of Vedanta.

It is found in
Chandogya Upanishad of Sama Veda. To understand this Mahavakya, one must read this
Upanishad in full. The core teaching of the sixth chapter of the Upanishad is the description
of this Mahavakya.

Tat Tvam Asi Meaning

The Sanskrit word ‘Tat’ means ‘That’. ‘Tvam’ means ‘You’. ‘Asi’ equals to ‘are’. Hence
this Mahavakya means ‘That You Are’ or ‘That Thou Art’ or ‘You are that’. ‘That’
indicates Brahman or the Supreme Being. ‘You’ refers to ‘you’ as a seeker. You are
Brahman, the Supreme Being is the indicated meaning of this Mahavakya. Kada
Upanishad defines ‘Tat’ as below.

yaḥ pūrvaṃ tapaso jātamadbhyaḥ pūrvamajāyata । guhāṃ praviśya tiṣṭhantaṃ yo

bhūtebhirvyapaśyata।etadvai tat ।2.1.6।

He was born before Pancha Bhutas. He was born by the result of penance, like water was
born. He has taken abode in the heart of all beings. He is the seer of all. He is ‘Tat’.

Tat Tvam Asi in Chandogya Upanishad

The story of Svetaketu

The sixth chapter of the Upanishad narrates the story of Svetaketu. On reaching the age of
twelve, his father Uddalaka Aruni sent Svetaketu for spiritual learning. Having completed
his studies, he returned back to his father at the age of twenty-four.

His father observed the subtle pride of learning in his son and asked him a question.

"My dear son! Have you learned one thing? By learning that, unheard would become heard.
Imperceptible would become perceptible and the unknown would become known. Have you
learned that?"

Admitting his ignorance, Svetaketu asked his father to explain.

His father told him that by knowing a clod of clay, all material made up of clay would
become known. The stuff may have different names and forms which are mere words. The
clay alone is real.
Having known a single piece of gold, all material made up of gold would become known.
The names are mere words. The gold alone is real.

Likewise, having known a single piece of iron, all material made up of iron would become
known. The names are mere words. The iron alone is real.

Aruni said that the teaching that he had referred was like that. Svetaketu asked him to teach
that. His father agreed to teach him.

The teaching of Chandogya Upanishad

In the beginning (before creation), there was an entity without a second. Some say that there
was nothing before creation. How can this be true? How could anything be created out of
nothing? In fact, there was only one entity without a second.

The entity conceived, “May I become many and grow forth!”. The fire took birth. The fire
conceived, “May I become many and grow forth!’. It created water.

Whenever a man is hot and perspires, water is produced from the fire. The water conceived,
“May I become many and grow forth!” It created food. Hence whenever it rains, there is
food produced.

There are three types of beings: Born of eggs, Born of living beings, and born of roots.

Now, the absolute entity conceived, “May I differentiate the names and forms by entering
into these three divinities (Fire, water, and food) through Jivatman!” “May I differentiate
the names and forms further! “May I differentiate the three divinities further by
triplication!”

Each of them became triplicates. Red became the color of the Fire. White and black became
the colors of water and food (earth). Fire, water, and food (earth) are mere names. Three
colors are the reality.

In the Sun, red is the color of fire, white is the color of water and black is the color of food
(earth). The word Sun vanishes in three colors because in reality there are only three colors.

The moon and lightning are mere words. In reality, they are the combination of three colors.

The ancient knowers of Vedas know this knowledge. By this, there was nothing left to them
to be unheard, imperceptible and unknown.
They knew it was fire whenever anything appeared red. They knew it was water whenever
anything appeared white. They understood it was unknown whenever anything appeared as
the combination of three.

This is how the three divinities are differentiated by triplication. The food is assimilated in
three ways. The gross part becomes the feces. The intermediate becomes flesh and subtle
part becomes the mind.

The gross part of the water becomes urine. The intermediate becomes the blood and the
subtle part becomes Prana.

The gross part of the fire becomes bone. The middle part becomes the marrow and the
subtle part becomes speech. Hence the mind is made up of food, Prana is made up of water
and Speech is made up of fire.

The subtlest part of the curd rises to the top when churned and it becomes butter. The
subtlest part of the food eaten rises to the top and it becomes the mind.

Likewise, the subtlest part of the water and fire become Prana and Speech.

Man is made up of sixteen parts. Prana is made up of water and if you don’t drink water,
Prana would be cut-off.

Then, the sage instructed his son to drink plenty of water and not to eat food for fifteen days.
Svetaketu observed fasting for fifteen days as instructed.

Then he approached back to his father and said that he could not even recite the Vedas. His
father explained. In a large fire, if a tiny ember is left, it would not burn anymore. Likewise
if one part is left out of sixteen parts, with that alone Vedas could not be recited.

Then he instructed him to eat to know it better. He ate as instructed and knew it all as
before. With the tiny ember kindled with grasses and powders, then it will burn even more
than the former size.

By adding up food, he could perceive Vedas. Hence the mind is made up of food, Prana is
made up of water and speech is made up of fire.

When the man is in sleep, he merges himself in the Absolute Entity. That is why people say
svapiti, the meaning of which is ‘he sleeps’ and the literal meaning is ‘he has gone to his
own state’.

The bird that is tied to a string, wanders in every directions seeking a resting place. Failing
in its attempts to find any resting place, it settles down at the place it has been fastened.
Failing in its in pursuit of a resting place, the mind finally settles down in Prana, because the
mind is fastened to Prana.

Let us see what hunger and thirst are. When a man is desirous of eating, water carries the
food eaten. Hence water becomes the food carrier.

The body is the sprout that shot up; hence it could not be without a root. For the body as the
sprout, conclude that the food is the root.

For the food as the sprout, infer that the water is the root.

For the water as the sprout, conclude that the fire is the root.

For the fire as the root, infer that the Absolute Entity as the root.

Hence, all beings have their root in the Absolute Entity, live and rest in the Absolute Entity.

When a man is desirous of drinking, fire carries the water drunk. Fire is the water carrier.
Having the sprout shot up, know that it could not be without a root.

For water as a sprout, infer that the fire as the root.

For fire as a sprout, conclude that the Absolute Entity as the root.

All the creatures have the Absolute Entity as the root. They live and rest in the Absolute
Entity.

Nine-fold explanation of Tat Tvam Asi

When a man is departing, his speech dissolves in the mind. His mind is in Prana. His Prana
is in the fire. The fires dissolve in the Supreme Entity. The subtle essence has all this in its
Atman. That is Atman. That is the truth. Tat Tvam Asi. That thou art. O! Svetaketu.

It is like the bees that make honey, from the distant trees many. The honey could not be
discriminated as it belongs to this tree or that tree. Like this, the Atmans of all beings are in
the Supreme Being. The creatures like the lion, tiger, boar, worm, insect, and the mosquito
would become as such again. The subtle essence has all this in its Atman. That is Atman.
Tat Tvam Asi. That thou art. O! Svetaketu.

Eastern rivers flow to the eastern sea and western rivers flow to the western sea. Water goes
from the sea and comes back to the sea. The rivers after becoming sea don’t know who they
were earlier. The creatures like the lion and all, having come to Supreme Being, don’t know
who they are and they become as such again. The subtle essence has all this in its Atman.
That is Atman. Tat Tvam Asi. That thou art. O! Svetaketu.

If one strikes a large tree at its root, it would discharge the juice and it still lives. If one
strikes in the middle, it would exude the juice and still, it lives. If one strikes at the top, it
would discharge juice and still, it lives. The tree having pervaded by the Jivatman (Self)
stands firm rejoicing. If the Jivatman leaves one of its branches, that branch withers. if it
leaves another branch, that branch also withers. If it leaves the third branch, that branch too
withers. If it leaves the whole tree, the whole tree withers. devoid of Jivatman, it perishes.
Jivatman never perishes. The subtle essence has all this in its Atman. That is Atman. That is
the truth. That thou art. O! Svetaketu.

Then Uddalaka Aruni instructed his son to fetch the fruit of banyan-tree asked him to break
it. He did so. He asked what he was seeing inside. He replied that he was seeing the tiny
seeds inside. He asked his son to break one of them. He did so. His father asked what he
was seeing. He answered that nothing was seen inside. It is the subtle essence that could not
be perceived. From this subtle essence, the large banyan tree grows up. The subtle essence
has all this in its Atman. That is Atman. That is the truth. That thou art. O! Svetaketu.

Then his father asked him to put some salt into the water and instructed to bring it the next
morning. The next day, he brought it. His father asked to take-out the salt that was put into
the water during the previous night. His son told that it was gone as it was melted. His father
asked him to taste the water. He tasted and answered that it was salty. Then he told that the
Supreme Being is likewise not being perceived in spite of its presence. The subtle essence
has all this in its Atman. That is Atman. That is the truth. That thou art. O! Svetaketu.

Consider this example. A man was brought from the Gandhara region (Afghanistan) with
his eyes bound up. Having no clues, he shouted towards all directions, “I have been brought
here and left here with my eyes bound up”. If someone helps to remove his bondage, he
would identify destination by inquiry. In a similar manner, with the help of a Guru, one
would get liberated. The subtle essence has all this in its Atman. That is Atman. That is the
truth. That thou art. O! Svetaketu.

When someone is in his death-bed, the relatives surround him. To understand the cognitive
ability of him, they ask to test whether he recognizes them or not. Until his speech is merged
with the mind, mind with Prana, Prana in fire and Fire in Supreme Being, he knows them.
After that, he would not recognize them. The subtle essence has all this in its Atman. That is
Atman. That is the truth. That thou art. O! Svetaketu.

Consider this. The officers of the king brought a man who was said to have committed a
theft. An ax was immediately heated upon. If the man has committed the theft and covered
himself with falsehood, the ax would burn him when touched. Then he will be killed. If he
is covered himself with the truth, it would not burn him. Then he will be let off. , the man
who has covered with the true knowledge of the Supreme Being is let off. He will become
liberated from the cycle of births and deaths. The subtle essence has all this in its Atman.
That is Atman. That is the truth. That thou art. O! Svetaketu.

Note: This translation of Chandogya Upanishad is in line with Sri Adi Sankaracharya's
Commentary.

Tat Tvam Asi as interpreted by Sri Ramanujacharya

The exponents of different philosophies interpret this Mahavakya in agreement with their
philosophies. Sri Ramanujacharya did not write any commentaries on Upanishads.
According to Sri Ramanujacharya, Tat means Brahman (Absolute Entity) or Vishnu. Tvam
refers to the Supreme Self residing in Jiva. Hence, the term means Brahman. It is the
universal substratum that resides in supreme inner self in Jiva. It is different from the
individual Self.

Tat Tvam Asi as interpreted by Sri Madhvacharya

Sri Madhvacharya had written a commentary on Chandogya Upanishad. We have already

seen that the Mahavakya was repeated nine times in the Upanishad. He interprets those
repetitions as “That is the Existence, that is the Self, That you are not, Svetaketu”.

Tat Tvam Asi as interpreted by Sri Vallaba

Sri Vallaba is an exponent of Suttadvaida or pure monism. Pure Monism believes in the
relationship of Brahman and Jiva as Whole and part. He interprets this Mahavakya as
“Brahman You are”, but in the sense that Jiva is the part of whole Brahman.

Conclusion

Hence the interpretations are many. Yet, all philosophies accept the supremacy of Vedanta
and the oneness of Brahman.
The different interpretations help the seeker to have an expert understanding of scriptures.
The paths of the rivers may be different from one another, yet they all reach the same ocean.
Anyone who is pursuing a path should have faith in his own path and he alone reaches the
destination. It is understandable and it is not wrong on his part to have such a firm belief
that his path alone leads to liberation. One should understand the differences of views
between philosophies in this sense.

Recommended Readings

1. Chandogya Upanishad with Shankara Bhashya by Ganganath Jha

1. The Sanskrit Text of Chandogya Upanishad
1. The Two Birds (Mundaka Upanishad) by Swami Sarvapriyananda (Video)
1. Ramanuja: Article by Shyam Ranganathan.
1. Mahavakya by Sarvapriyananda (Video)
1. Sri Madhvacharya Bashya on Chandogya Upanishad by Sri Nagesh D Sonde
1. Sri Ramanuja on Tat Tvam Asi and Neti Neti by Prof. K.S.
1. Tattva Bodham by Omkarananda (Video)