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).

All labels observed (2)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Advaita Vedānta teaching ⓘ
Upanishadic dictum ⓘ
mahāvākya ⓘ
aim realization of non-dual Brahman ⓘ
associatedWith Advaita Vedānta ⓘ
linked to: Advaita Vedanta

non-dualism ⓘ
Ādi Śaṅkarācārya ⓘ
linked to: Adi Shankaracharya

Śaṅkara ⓘ
linked to: Adi Shankaracharya
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 ⓘ
linked to: Advaita Vedanta
refersTo Brahman ⓘ
ātman ⓘ
regionOfOrigin ancient India ⓘ
religiousTradition Hinduism ⓘ
roleInSoteriology key to self-knowledge (ātma-jñāna) ⓘ
script traditionally written in Devanāgarī and other Indic scripts ⓘ
scripturalSource Chāndogya Upaniṣad ⓘ
scripturalStatus śruti (revealed scripture) ⓘ
textualTradition Upaniṣads ⓘ
linked to: Upanishads
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) ⓘ
usedIn Hindu philosophical discourse ⓘ
Vedānta commentarial literature ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Chāndogya Upanishad → famousFor → mahāvākya Tat tvam asi ⓘ
Sureshvara → viewOnSelf → Atman is identical with Brahman ⓘ
linked to: mahāvākya Tat tvam asi