“Saṃvijñāne Saṃgacchāma” — A Vision of the One Beyond Many
“Just as from the seed arises the tree, yet the essence remains one and the same,
so too from the Veda arises all true knowledge — not by addition, but by recognition.”
— Imagined reflections of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya
🩵 Verse 1
संविज्ञाने संगच्छाम, एकात्मने प्रणमामहे।
saṃvijñāne saṃgacchāma, ekātmane praṇamāmahe
In shared awareness we unite; we bow to the One Self.
Śaṅkara comments:
To say “we unite” is but a concession to speech.
In truth, there are no “we”s — no plurality to be united.
Awareness (saṃvijñāna) does not combine; it reveals the already-united essence of Being.
The bowing (praṇāma) too is symbolic — for the Ekātman does not stand apart to receive it.
Thus, this first verse teaches the discipline of humility — to use dualistic language until the mind is ready for the silence of non-duality.
“Yāvad vāco nivartante aprāpya manasā saha” —
“Where speech returns, unfulfilled, along with the mind.” (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.9)
💠 Verse 2
न वयम् भिन्ना जीवाश्च, नान्यं पश्याम जगतः।
na vayam bhinnā jīvāśca, nānyaṃ paśyāma jagataḥ
We are not separate beings; we see no other in the world.
Śaṅkara comments:
This verse declares what the Upaniṣads proclaim: sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma — “All this indeed is Brahman.”
The word bhinnāḥ (separate) belongs only to ignorance (avidyā).
When the delusion of difference fades, the seer and the seen dissolve into pure seeing.
To say “we see no other” is to recognize that the drashta (seer) and drishya (seen) are appearances in the one Chaitanya (Consciousness).
When this truth dawns, the universe does not vanish — it is seen as Brahman alone.
🔶 Verse 3
सत्यं ज्ञानं च अनन्तं, तत् ब्रह्मैव हि सदा।
satyaṃ jñānaṃ ca anantaṃ, tat brahmaiva hi sadā
Truth, knowledge, infinity — that alone is Brahman eternal.
Śaṅkara comments:
Here the hymn touches the very heart of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad definition:
“satyam jñānam anantam brahma.”
This is not a description of Brahman’s attributes, for Brahman has none.
Rather, these words remove misunderstanding:
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satyam negates unreality,
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jñānam negates unconsciousness,
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anantam negates limitation.
When all negations are complete, what remains is That which cannot be negated — Brahman Svarūpa itself.
🔷 Verse 4
सङ्गच्छध्वं आत्मभावेन, ब्रह्मभावं समाश्रय।
saṅgacchadhvaṃ ātmabhāvena, brahmabhāvaṃ samāśraya
Unite not by word, but by essence — take refuge in the Being of Brahman.
Śaṅkara comments:
In the Rigvedic Sangachhadhvam, the Rishis urged outward unity — of thought, word, and act.
Here, that unity turns inward.
To unite ātmabhāvena means to see all beings as your own Self — not metaphorically, but experientially.
The refuge (samāśraya) sought is not a place, but a recognition.
When the wave takes refuge in the ocean, it realizes it never left.
“Ātmanyevātmana tuṣṭaḥ” — “Content in the Self, by the Self alone.” (Gītā 2.55)
✨ Śaṅkara’s Summation
“This hymn,” he might conclude, “does not merely echo the Vedas — it fulfills their intent.”
The Rigveda called humankind to move together;
this hymn calls consciousness to be together, until even togetherness dissolves.
The seed of outer harmony has ripened into the fruit of inner realization.
What began as sangachhadhvam — walking in step — becomes saṃvijñāne saṃgacchāma — awakening as One.
न तु संयोगोऽस्ति, केवलं प्रकाशः।
na tu saṃyogo’sti, kevalaṃ prakāśaḥ
“There is no union — only illumination.”
🌺 Epilogue: The Timeless Circle
Thus the tradition returns to itself.
The Vedas spoke; the Upaniṣads whispered; Śaṅkara interpreted; and the seeker today sings anew.
Each age rediscovers the same truth —
That what we sought to join, we already are.
एकोऽहम् बहुस्याम् — “I am One; let Me become many.”
बहवोऽहम् एकं प्रपद्ये — “We are many; let us return to the One.”
The circle is complete.
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