Aitareya Upanishad

The Aitareya Upanishad belongs to the Rig Veda and describes the process of creation from the Self the emergence of the universe and the birth of consciousness

Sanskrit Text

Atma va idam eka evagra asit nanyat kinchana mishat sa ikshata lokan nu srija iti

Translation

The Self indeed was alone in the beginning Nothing else whatsoever existed He thought Let me create the worlds

Commentary

This opening verse establishes the fundamental Vedantic teaching that the Self or Atman alone existed before creation and that the entire universe emerged from it