Devi Upanishad: Verse 4
अहं पञ्चभूतान्यपञ्चभूतानि । अहमखिलं जगत् । वेदोऽहमवेदोऽहम् । विद्याहमविद्याहम् । अजाहमनजाहम् । अधश्चोर्ध्वं च तिर्यक्चाहम् । अहं रुद्रेभिर्वसुभिश्चराम्यहमादित्यैरुत विश्वदेवैः । अहं मित्रावरुणावुभौ बिभर्म्यहमिन्द्राग्नी अहमश्विनावुभौ । अहं सोमं त्वष्टारं पूषणं भगं दधाम्यहम् । विष्णुमुरुक्रमं ब्रह्माणमुत प्रजापतिं दधामि । अहं दधामि द्रविणं हविष्मते सुप्राव्ये यजमानाय सुन्वते ॥३-६॥
अहम् । पञ्च-भूतानि । अपञ्च-भूतानि । अहम् । अखिलम् । जगत् । वेदः । अहम् । अवेदः । अहम् । विद्या । अहम् । अविद्या । अहम् । अजा । अहम् । अनजा । अहम् । अधः । च । ऊर्ध्वम् । च । तिर्यक् । च । अहम् । अहम् । रुद्रेभिः । वसुभिः । च । चरामि । अहम् । आदित्यैः । उत । विश्व-देवैः । अहम् । मित्रा-वरुणौ । उभौ । बिभर्मि । अहम् । इन्द्र-अग्नी । अहम् । अश्विनौ । उभौ । अहम् । अहम् । सोमम् । त्वष्टारम् । पूषणम् । भगम् । दधामि । अहम् । विष्णुम् । उरु-क्रमम् । ब्रह्माणम् । उत । प्रजापतिम् । दधामि । अहम् । अहम् । दधामि । द्रविणम् । हविष्मते । सु-प्राव्ये । यजमानाय । सुन्वते ।
ahaṃ pañcabhūtāny apañcabhūtāni | aham akhilaṃ jagat | vedo’ham avedo’ham | vidyāham avidyāham | ajāham anajāham | adhaś cordhvaṃ ca tiryak cāham | ahaṃ rudrebhir vasubhiś carāmy aham ādityair uta viśvadevaiḥ | ahaṃ mitrāvaruṇāv ubhau bibharmy aham indrāgnī aham aśvināv ubhau | ahaṃ somaṃ tvaṣṭāraṃ pūṣaṇaṃ bhagaṃ dadhāmy aham | viṣṇum urukramaṃ brahmāṇam uta prajāpatiṃ dadhāmi | ahaṃ dadhāmi draviṇaṃ haviṣmate suprāvye yajamānāya sunvate ||3–6||
ഞാൻ പഞ്ചമഹാഭൂതങ്ങളുമാണ്; പഞ്ചഭൂതങ്ങളല്ലാത്ത അതീതതത്ത്വവും ഞാനാണ്. ഞാൻ അഖില ജഗത്താണ്. ഞാൻ വേദവും അവേദവും. ഞാൻ വിദ്യയും അവിദ്യയും. ഞാൻ അജൻ (ജന്മരഹിതൻ)യും അനജനും. ഞാൻ അധഃ, ഊർധ്വം, തിര്യക്—എല്ലാ ദിക്കുകളിലും വ്യാപിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു. ഞാൻ രുദ്രന്മാരോടും വസുക്കളോടും കൂടി ചരിക്കുന്നു; ആദിത്യന്മാരോടും വിശ്വദേവന്മാരോടും കൂടി. ഞാൻ മിത്രനും വരുണനും ഇരുവരെയും ധരിക്കുന്നു; ഞാൻ ഇന്ദ്രനും അഗ്നിയും; ഞാൻ ഇരുവരും അശ്വിനികളും. ഞാൻ സോമം, ത്വഷ്ടൃ, പൂഷൻ, ഭഗൻ എന്നിവയെ സ്ഥാപിക്കുന്നു. വിശാലപാദനായ ഉരുക്രമ വിഷ്ണുവിനെയും ബ്രഹ്മാവിനെയും പ്രജാപതിയെയും ഞാൻ സ്ഥാപിക്കുന്നു. ഹവിസ് അർപ്പിക്കുന്നവനും, സുസംരക്ഷിതനായ യജമാനനും, സോമം പിഴിയുന്നവനും ഞാൻ ദ്രവിണം—സമ്പത്ത്—നൽകുന്നു.
I am the five great elements and I am that which is not the five elements. I am the entire universe. I am the Veda and I am the non-Veda. I am knowledge and I am ignorance. I am the unborn and I am the not-unborn. I am below, above, and also across (in all directions). I move with the Rudras and the Vasus; (I move) with the Ādityas and also with the Viśvadevas. I uphold both Mitra and Varuṇa; I am Indra and Agni; I am both Aśvins. I place (establish) Soma, Tvaṣṭṛ, Pūṣan, and Bhaga. I place Viṣṇu of wide stride, and Brahmā, and also Prajāpati. I bestow wealth upon the offerer of oblation, upon the well-protected sacrificer who presses (the Soma).
- अहं+अखिलम्→अहमखिलम्
- वेदः+अहम्→वेदोऽहम् (विसर्ग-लोप, अवग्रह)
- अवेदः+अहम्→अवेदोऽहम्
- विद्या+अहम्→विद्याहम्
- अविद्या+अहम्→अविद्याहम्
- अजा+अहम्→अजाहम्
- अनजा+अहम्→अनजाहम्
- अधः+च+ऊर्ध्वम्→अधश्चोर्ध्वम् (विसर्ग-श्च, च+ऊ→चो)
- तिर्यक्+च+अहम्→तिर्यक्चाहम्
- चरामि+अहम्→चराम्यहम्
- अहम्+आदित्यैः→अहमादित्यैः
- मित्रावरुणौ+उभौ→मित्रावरुणावुभौ
- बिभर्मि+अहम्→बिभर्म्यहम्
- अहम्+इन्द्राग्नी→अहमिन्द्राग्नी
- दधामि+अहम्→दधाम्यहम्
- विष्णुम्+उरुक्रमम्→विष्णुमुरुक्रमम्
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Brahman as Devī (non-dual identity; immanence and transcendence)
- The mahavakyas
- Aligns with ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ (Bṛhadāraṇyaka 1.4.10) through explicit ‘ahaṃ’ identity-claims; also resonates with ‘sarvaṃ khalv idaṃ brahma’ (Chāndogya 3.14.1) in its all-pervasiveness.
- Veda
- Atharva Veda
- Chandas
- Mixed/irregular; largely Vedic-style prose with Ṛgvedic mantraic segments (echoing Devīsūkta, Ṛgveda 10.125).
Yoga and practice
Aham-vimarśa (I-sense inquiry) used as non-dual contemplation: meditate on the witnessing ‘I’ as pervading all directions and polarities (vidyā/avidyā, manifest/unmanifest). Useful for śākta upāsanā and nididhyāsana: dissolve deity/individual duality by repeating ‘ahaṃ’ as identity with the Whole.
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