mahāvākya Tat tvam asi

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The mahāvākya "Tat tvam asi" is a central Advaita Vedānta dictum from the Upanishadic tradition that proclaims the essential identity of the individual self (ātman) with the ultimate reality (Brahman).

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Surface form Occurrences
Tat tvam asi 0

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Advaita Vedānta teaching
Upanishadic dictum
mahāvākya
aim realization of non-dual Brahman
associatedWith Advaita Vedānta NERFINISHED
non-dualism
Ādi Śaṅkarācārya NERFINISHED
Śaṅkara NERFINISHED
category mahāvākyas of Vedānta
componentMeaning asi = are
tat = that (Brahman, ultimate reality)
tvam = you (the individual self, ātman)
coreConcept identity of ātman and Brahman
epistemicRole means of knowledge (pramāṇa) for Brahman in Advaita Vedānta
functionInTeaching mahāvākya used for contemplation (nididhyāsana)
grammaticalComponents asi
tat
tvam
influenceOn Hindu spirituality
Indian philosophy
modern non-dual movements
interpretationInAdvaita identity statement (tādātmya-vākya)
interpretationInOtherSchools often read as indicating similarity or dependence rather than absolute identity
language Sanskrit
listedAmong four principal mahāvākyas of Advaita Vedānta
meaningInAdvaita the individual self is essentially identical with ultimate reality
metaphysicalClaim ultimate non-difference between jīva and Brahman
pedagogicalContext taught by sage Uddālaka to his son Śvetaketu
philosophicalSchool Advaita NERFINISHED
refersTo Brahman NERFINISHED
ātman
regionOfOrigin ancient India NERFINISHED
religiousTradition Hinduism
roleInSoteriology key to self-knowledge (ātma-jñāna)
script traditionally written in Devanāgarī and other Indic scripts
scripturalSource Chāndogya Upaniṣad NERFINISHED
scripturalStatus śruti (revealed scripture)
textualTradition Upaniṣads NERFINISHED
timePeriod composed in the late Vedic period
translation That thou art
That you are
typeOfStatement mahāvākya expressing ultimate truth
UpanishadicSection Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.8.7 (and following) NERFINISHED
usedIn Hindu philosophical discourse
Vedānta commentarial literature

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Chāndogya Upanishad famousFor mahāvākya Tat tvam asi