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Ekam Sad Vipra Bahudha Vadanti

Ekam Sad Vipra Bahudha Vadanti in English · English

🕉️ vedic·📿 9× repetitions·🕐 At dawn during meditation, or before study of scripture and inter-faith reflection·📜 Rigveda 1.164.46

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

This celebrated verse from the Rigveda (1.164.46), composed by the seer Dirghatamas, is one of the most quoted lines in all of Hindu thought. It declares that although the Supreme Reality is addressed by countless names — Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, Yama and others — the Truth (Sat) is fundamentally One. 'Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti' has become the scriptural banner of Sanatana Dharma's vision of the unity behind all the gods and all paths.

Origin & Story

Rigveda 1.164.46 · Rishi Dirghatamas Auchathya · Vedic period (c. 1500 BCE or earlier)

This line closes a verse within the famous riddle-hymn of the Rigveda known as the Asya Vamasya Sukta, ascribed to the blind seer Dirghatamas. The hymn poses profound questions about the cosmos, the sun, time and the divine. In this verse the seer resolves the apparent multiplicity of the Vedic gods by declaring that the one Existent (Ekam Sat) is what the wise address through many names — Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, the celestial Garutman, Yama and Matarishvan.

✦ As told in scripture

Through the ages this single line has been quoted by saints, philosophers and reformers — from the Upanishadic seers to Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of Religions — as proof that the Vedic vision embraces all forms of the divine. Many devotees say that meditating on it dissolves the inner quarrel between paths and grants a peace born of seeing the one Truth everywhere.

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The Mantra

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Indraṃ mitraṃ varuṇam agnim āhur atho divyaḥ sa suparṇo garutmān | Ekaṃ sad viprā bahudhā vadanty agniṃ yamaṃ mātariśvānam āhuḥ ||

Meaning:They call Him Indra, Mitra, Varuna and Agni, and also He is the divine, beautiful-winged Garutman (the celestial bird). The Truth is One, but the wise speak of it in many ways; they call it Agni, Yama and Matarishvan. In essence, the one Existent Reality is named variously by the seers according to its different powers and functions — yet that Reality remains forever one.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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indram🔊Indra (the lord of the heavens)

mitram🔊Mitra (the friendly deity of day and harmony)

varuṇam🔊Varuna (the deity of cosmic order and waters)

agnim🔊Agni (the sacred fire)

āhuḥ🔊they call (Him), they name (Him)

atho🔊and also, moreover

divyaḥ🔊the divine, the heavenly one

saḥ🔊He (that very same One)

suparṇaḥ🔊the beautiful-winged one (the celestial bird / sun)

garutmān🔊Garutman (the winged celestial being, Garuda)

ekam🔊One (the single, undivided Reality)

sat🔊the Existent, the Truth, that which is

viprāḥ🔊the wise, the seers, the inspired sages

bahudhā🔊in many ways, by many names

vadanti🔊speak of, describe, call

yamam🔊Yama (the lord of dharma and the departed)

mātariśvānam🔊Matarishvan (the cosmic wind / vital breath)

Benefits of Chanting Ekam Sad Vipra Bahudha Vadanti

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Reveals the foundational Vedic truth that the divine is one, named in many ways

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Cultivates a spirit of harmony, tolerance and respect for all paths and traditions

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Deepens understanding of non-dual (Advaita) wisdom from its earliest Vedic root

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Frees the mind from sectarian narrowness and the quarrel over names and forms

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Inspires reverence for the seers (rishis) and the inclusive vision of Sanatana Dharma

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Steadies contemplation on the one Reality (Sat) underlying all diversity

How to Chant Ekam Sad Vipra Bahudha Vadanti

Repetitions9times

Best TimeAt dawn during meditation, or before study of scripture and inter-faith reflection

Recite the verse slowly with attention to its meaning, holding the contemplation that all the named deities point to one indivisible Reality (Ekam Sat). It is well suited to japa, to the opening of spiritual study, and to interfaith or unity gatherings. Chant with a calm, reverent mind, ideally after a few moments of silence, letting the truth of oneness settle in the heart.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Ekam Sad Vipra Bahudha Vadanti written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

It means 'Truth (or That which Exists) is One; the wise call it by many names.' It teaches that the various gods such as Indra, Agni, Varuna and Yama are different names and powers of one and the same Supreme Reality.

It is the second half of Rigveda 1.164.46, from a long philosophical hymn (the Asya Vamasya Sukta) attributed to the seer Dirghatamas Auchathya. It is among the oldest statements of unity in all of human scripture.

It is frequently cited as the heart of Hinduism's inclusive outlook — that there is one Truth approached through many names, deities and paths. It underlies the harmony between the many forms of worship in Sanatana Dharma and its respect for other traditions.

It reconciles both: the many gods are real powers and aspects, yet they are expressions of a single underlying Reality (Sat). The worship of any form, done sincerely, reaches that one Truth.