वेदानां सामवेदोऽस्मि देवानामस्मि वासवः । इन्द्रियाणां मनश्चास्मि भूतानामस्मि चेतना ॥
vedānāṃ sāmavedo'smi devānāmasmi vāsavaḥ | indriyāṇāṃ manaścāsmi bhūtānāmasmi cetanā ||
Translation
Among the Vedas, I am the Sama Veda. Among the gods, I am Vasava (Indra). Among the senses, I am the mind. Among beings, I am consciousness.
Interpretation
Among the four Vedas, the Divine is the Sama Veda — the Veda of music and chanting, the most melodious and devotionally oriented. Among the gods (devas), the Divine is Vasava (Indra) — the king of the gods. Among the ten senses (five knowledge-senses and five action-senses), the Divine is the mind (manas) — the coordinator and king of the sense faculties. And among all beings (bhutanam), the Divine is cetana — consciousness itself, the very quality of awareness that makes a being what it is.