Mandukya Upanishad 8 — Verse 8

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

सोऽयमात्माध्यक्षरमोङ्कारोऽधिमात्रं पादा मात्रा मात्राश्च पादा अकार उकारो मकार इति ॥८॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

सः । अयम् । आत्मा । अध्यक्षरम् । ओङ्कारः । अधि-मात्रम् । पादाः । मात्राः । मात्राः । च । पादाः । अकारः । उकारः । मकारः । इति ॥८॥

IAST Transliteration

so ’yam ātmā adhyakṣaram oṅkāro ’dhimātraṃ pādā mātrā mātrāś ca pādā akāra ukāro makāra iti ||8||

Translation

अयमेव आत्मा अक्षररूपेण ओङ्कारः; स अधिमात्रः। तस्य पादाः मात्रा एव, मात्राश्च पादा एव—अकारः, उकारः, मकार इति॥

Academic Translation

This very Self is Oṃ, as the imperishable; as possessing measures (mātrā). Its quarters are the measures, and the measures are the quarters—namely, A, U, and M.

Verse Context

• Oṃ as symbol (pratīka) and pointer to Ātman/Brahman; mapping of four pādas to phonemes/mātrās
• Mahavakya: Supports “ayam ātmā brahma” by identifying Ātman with Oṃ as an upāsanā-pratīka leading to knowledge; also aligns with “prajnānam brahma” insofar as Oṃ is taught as the indicator of consciousness-reality.
• Atharva
• Atharva-veda (Ātharvaṇa tradition; commonly transmitted with Śaunaka affiliation) Shakha
• Chandas: Prose