As per the Vedanta tradition, Mahāvākyas (or ‘The Great Sayings’) are terse or concise statements that express the essence of the Upanishads.
The following four statements from the Upanishads are generally recognized as primary Mahāvākyas:
- prajñānam brahma (Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda) – “Prajñāna is Brahman” (Prajñāna means knowledge, wisdom, discrimination or intelligence)
- ayam ātmā brahma (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda) – “This Self (Atman) is Brahman”
- tat tvam asi (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda) – “Thou art That”
- aham brahmāsmi (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Yajur Veda) – “I am Brahman”