Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma (All This is Brahman) — Benefits & How to Chant
सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma (All This is Brahman)
Expresses the great Vedantic vision that everything seen, near and far, is none other than Brahman.
The foundation verse of the Shandilya Vidya, a complete method of meditation on the all-pervading Self.
Cultivates equanimity (shanta) by training the mind to behold the one Reality in all things.
Teaches the power of conviction
that we become what we steadfastly hold in the heart — and directs it toward the highest.
Dissolves fear, hatred and division by revealing the same Brahman in oneself and in all beings.
Recited and contemplated to steady the mind in the unity of existence and to progress toward liberation.
How to Chant Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma (All This is Brahman)
Instructions
Sit calmly and recite 'Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma'. Then gently regard the world before you — its forms, sounds and beings — as appearances of the one Brahman from which all arises and into which all returns. Hold the conviction 'all this is Brahman' steadily and serenely, letting it dissolve agitation and the sense of separateness. The Shandilya Vidya recommends continuing this meditation faithfully until it becomes one's natural vision.
Spiritual Significance
Shandilya promises that the one who meditates thus, holding firm the conviction that all is Brahman and that Brahman dwells in his own heart, attains that very Brahman on departing this world — 'he who has this faith and no doubt will obtain it,' for as a person's conviction is, so he becomes.
Origin & History
Source: Chandogya Upanishad, Verse 3.14.1
Author: Traditional (Upanishadic); the Shandilya Vidya, attributed to sage Shandilya
In the third chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad, the sage Shandilya gives a complete teaching of meditation on Brahman. He begins, 'All this is verily Brahman; from That it is born, in That it lives, into That it dissolves — therefore, with a calm mind, let one meditate upon It.' He then describes Brahman dwelling within the heart, smaller than a grain of rice yet greater than all the worlds, the Self of all, free of evil, the controller and ruler of everything. This passage, the Shandilya Vidya, is among the most cherished meditations of the Upanishads.