Satya Sarada Kandula Tat Tvam Asi Vakya Vritti

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Tat Tvam Asi

Sri Adi Sankaracharya wrote the Vakyavritti to explain the sentence Tat Tvam Asi, (That

Thou Art).

There are 53 slokas in the VakyaVritti. This is a translation plus explanation.

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Sri Ganesaya Namah.

1. I bow to that darling of Sri (light, beauty, grace, prosperity, auspiciousness, Lakshmi), the
cause of creation, its existence and its return to the original state, of unthinkable ability,
the Master and Knower of the Universe, of endless forms, beyond bondage and salvation,
the ocean of endless comfort (happiness), who is the wealth of pure knowledge (vimala
bodha dhanam).
2. I bow to my Guru, by whose grace I learned my true nature (Atma Rupam), that I alone
am Vishnu and everything is superimposed on me.

I bow to Vishnu and I bow to my Guru who taught me that my Self (Atma) is Vishnu.

1. A student approaches a Guru and asks him to explain he means to liberation from the three
miseries (caused by Body-Mind, Mortal Creatures, Nature).
2. Please explain an easy way by which I may become free of the bondages of being.
3. The teacher said ‘I will answer your excellent question’.
4. The knowledge that arises from sentences like ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ and explains the relation
between the Jiva and the Paramatma is the means to liberation.
5. The student wished to know who is Jiva and who is Paramatma? How can they be the
same? How are they connected with statements like Tat Tvam Asi?
6. The teacher said, you are the Jiva who asks ‘who am I”. and you are the Brahman.
7. The student said, I don’t even understand the words, how can I understand the sentence?
8. The teacher said, you are right, you must understand the words to understand the
sentence.

A student approaches a teacher and asks him to explain the sentence Tat Tvam Asi, word

by word.

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Satya Sarada Kandula Tat Tvam Asi Vakya Vritti
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1. Why don’t you recognise yourself? The vigraha (embodiment) of *Caitanya (enlightened
consciousness), Ananda Rupa (of the form of joy), **Satya (Existence), the Sakshi
(witness) of the Antah Karana (Inner Ear – Inner Sensor) and tat vritti (its modifications).

You are your Caitanyam (enlightened consciousness), which is true, joyful and a witness

to your mind.

1. Think about that which is of the form of satya and ananda, which is the witness of the Dhi
(mind – the thing you think with), which binds itself as knowledge. Give up thinking about
the body etc…
2. The body (pinda) is not the self, made as it is of matter. It is like a pot.
3. On the strength of what has been said, accept that the self is not the body. Think of it like
an amla fruit in the palm of your hand.
4. Just as the one who observes a pot is not a pot, the one who observes the body is not the
body. Know this.
5. Thus determine that “I am the seer of the senses and not the senses, I am neither the
manas, nor the buddhi, nor the prana (the life).”
6. Similarly determine that “I am not a combination of the above”. Infer the difference
between the drashta (one who sees) and what is seen.

Know that you are not your body, your senses, your life or your mind or a combination of

both. You are a witness to them.

1. Think thus, ” I am He by whose proximity all these other things like the body, senses
work”.
2. Know that ‘ I am He who thugh changeless, sets into motion, the buddhi etc as a magnet
would iron”.
3. Know that ” Aham (I) am He, by whose proximity the deha (body), indriya (senses), manas
and prana, though jada (not conscious), appear ajada (conscious) like the self (atma).
4. Know this, ” I am He who knows the vrutti (circle – orbit) of the mind (dhi), like my mind
went here and there and I brought it to rest”.
5. Know this, ” I am He who is changeless and knows what is directly percieved as well as the
dreaming, waking, deep sleep states as well as the existence and absence of the mind or
intellect”.
6. Just as a lamp that illuminates the jar is different from the jar, the bodha – vigraha , (the
body of the intellect – the consciousness – the self) is different from the body it illuminates.
7. Know this, ” I am that Seer, the dearest of all, for whose sake, the bhavah (things –
perceptions) like son and wealth are dear.
8. Know this, ” I am that Drashta (seer), the object of the greatest love, regarding whom
there is the feeling, ‘may I always be’, ‘may I never cease to exist’.
9. The word ‘Thou’ refers to Bodhah( Consciousness – that which knows). Witnessing
(Sakshitavam) and Knowing (Bodhrutvam) are the same, caused by the unchangingness of
the Self (Atma).
10. The word You (Thou – tvam), is different from your body, senses, mind, prana (life or
breath), ego (ahmakruti is doership actually). It is free from the six changes to which all
other (non-conscious) things are subject. (The six changes being phenomenal existence,
birth, growth, state changes, decline and death).

You (Tvam) are the knower of your body and mind and their behaviour, while awake or

asleep. You are what makes them appear as if they were conscious. You are that for

whose sake other things become dear. You are that which desires never to die and to

always be eternal. You are the Knower, the Witness and You are unchanging.

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Satya Sarada Kandula Tat Tvam Asi Vakya Vritti
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1. Having determined what the word Tvam (You) means, we need to understand what the
word Tat (That) refers to, by saying what it is not (na iti = neti vadam) and by saying what
it is.
2. The Universal self is said to be Absolutely free from the flaws of the entire world, without
the gunakas (qualities) of grossness (largeness), has the lakshanas (qualities) of being
invisible etc, beyond form, darkness and dirt,
3. beyond whom there is no greater bliss, the embodiment of truth andconsciousness, who is
complete and whose own trait is goodness (reality, existence).
4. Know that to be the Brahman whose Sarvagnyatvam (all knowingness), supreme
mastership, complete competence is accepted/stated (samarthyate) by the Vedas.
5. Know Tat to be that Brahman, by knowing which everything is known, as demonstrated in
the Upanishad using the example of earth. (If you know mud, you know mud pots as well
as mud walls… If you know the material, you know the product – its properties etc. Modern
example, if you know wood and metal you know that wooden slippers will insulate you from
electricity and not the metal slippers… )
6. Know Tat to be Brahman, which the srutis (vedas) declared as infinite. To prove this
they say Tat is the cause of the Prapancha (Expansion, Manifestation, Universe).
7. Know Tat to be that Brahman, which is very carefully established to be the goal of the
mumukshus (seekers of liberation) in the Vedanta.
8. Know Tat to be that Brahman, which is heard of in the Vedas, as that which enters creation
as Jiva Atma (the self of living beings), to be their controller.
9. Know Tat to be that Brahmam, which is heard of in the Srutis, which gives (us) the fruit of
karma (consequences of our actions) and is the cause of (our) actions.

Tat refers to the Brahman discussed in the Vedas and the Upanishads, as the infinite

(ananta), the knower of all (sarvagnya), flawless, untainted, subtle, invisible, the

greatest joy, truth and consciousness, the supreme, competent, controller, knowing

which everything is known, the cause of Prapancha (Universe, Expansion), the goal of the

seekers of freedom, which enters creation as the Jiva Atma, which causes our actions and

gives us the fruit of our actions.

1. Now that the meaning of Tvam and Tat have been ascertained, the meaning of the
sentence (identity of tvam with tat) must be thought of.
2. It is not acceptable to connect (samsarga) this sentence as in a compound sentence, or to
qualify (visishta) it. According to the wise,the meaning of the sentence is of an
undivided single essence. (For example Tat and (ca) Tvam is not correct bevause Asi is
is singular, or Tvam too are (api) Tat and so forth. It is not to be explained in the way – I
am dark, where dark is a qualifier, an attribute. It means You are That – one single sense
and sentence.)
3. Individual Consciousness and Incomparable Bliss are of the Same Nature. (You may be
conscious of being sad, but your consciousness is not sad, you mind is sad.)
4. When we understand this, we see that a meaning of Tat and Tvam other than Brahman are
meaning less.
5. The Individual Consciousness is the Complete and Incomparable Bliss.
6. Sentences like That Thou Art go to establish the identity of what are Indirectly
Expressed by the words Tat and Tvam.
7. This sentence rejects what is directly (commonly) expressed by the words Tat and
Tvam. (Don’t ask – if I am God, why can’t I fly etc – then you are dabbling in dorect
meanings).
8. Maya (Illusion) is the Upadhi for Brahman, it is mistaken for the Brahman, as your
body-mind is mistaken for you.
9. It is also possible for people to make partial mistakes Tat for the Brahman and Tvam as
your body-mind or Tat as Maya and Tvam as you consciousness-bliss. Then the identity still
fails.

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Satya Sarada Kandula Tat Tvam Asi Vakya Vritti
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10. Tat must refer to the Brahman and Tvam to your consciousness., then and only then is the
identity true.
11. You need to think over this in your mind over and over again till you get it right.
12. Once you have it right then you will no longer be bound to this existence and you will be
free.
13. A man who truly understands the meaning of Aham Brahmosmi is immediately liberated
from the subtle and gross states of existence and from all karma.
14. Once he stops accruing new karma (An-arabhda karma), he is a jivan muktah (one
liberated in life), and then when his previous (initial) karma (prarabdha) is discharged, he
attains that ultimate state of Vishnu, Kaivalyam (Oneness), from which there is no return.

If the meaning of either Tat or Tvam is mistaken (as Maya or the body-mind), then the

identity Tat Tvam Asi fails. When Tat (Brahman) and Tvam (Pratyak Bodha) are correctly

identified with Sat-Cit-Ananda (Existence – Consciousness – Bliss), a person attains the

state of Aham Brahmosmi, and stops accruing new karma. He becomes a Jivan Muktha –

one who is liberated in life and need only work off the karma that he started off with.

After this he will attain Kaivalyam or Vishnupadam.

Notes :

1. It is very important to note that in the words and mind of Sankaracharya, the Tat
or Brahman indicated by the Vedas and the Upanishads, was infinite.
2. Tat is the cause of the Prapancha (Expansion, Manifestation, Universe).
3. Tat is very carefully established to be the goal of the mumukshus (seekers of liberation) in
the Vedanta.
4. Tat is heard of in the Vedas, as that which enters creation as Jiva Atma (the self of living
beings), to be their controller.
5. Tat is heard of in the Srutis, which gives (us) the fruit of karma (consequences of our
actions) and is the cause of (our) actions.

Tat refers to the Brahman discussed in the Vedas and the Upanishads, as the infinite (ananta), the

knower of all (sarvagnya), flawless, untainted, subtle, invisible, the greatest joy, truth and

consciousness, the supreme, competent, controller, knowing which everything is known, the cause

of Prapancha (Universe, Expansion), the goal of the seekers of freedom, which enters creation as

the Jiva Atma, which causes our actions and gives us the fruit of our actions.

This disproves those Western and Indian Vedic Scholars who give an animist or

elements of Nature interpretation to the Vedas.

It proves the theory of Aurobindo that the Upanishads Supported, Expanded and

Explained the Vedas.

It sets the philosphical context for Vedic Studies.

See Also:

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Satya Sarada Kandula Tat Tvam Asi Vakya Vritti
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1. http://ancientindians.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/tat-tvam-asi/

Notes :

*Cit means consciousness and is different from manas – mind, buddhi – intellect and ahamkara –

ego. (I am the doer-ness)

**Sat means existence, satya is an attribute of existence and is frequently translated as truth or

reality.

Authorship and Copyright Notice: All Rights Reserved. Satya Sarada Kandula

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