०आप एवेदमग्र आसुस्ता आपः सत्यमसृजन्त सत्यं ब्रह्म ब्रह्म प्रजापतिं प्रजापतिर्देवाँस्ते देवाः सत्यमेवोपासने तदेतत्र्यक्षरँ सत्यमिति स इत्येकमक्षरं तीत्येकमक्षरं यमित्येकमक्षरं प्रथमोत्तमे अक्षरे सत्यं मध्यतोऽनृतं तदेतदनृतमुभयतः सत्येन परिगृहीतँ सत्यभूयमेव भवति नैवं विद्वाँसमनृतँ हिनस्ति ॥
In plain words
Before anything else, there was water — nothing but water, filling the whole of what would become this world. Out of that water came Truth. Truth is Brahman. From Brahman came Prajāpati, and from Prajāpati came the gods — and the gods live their whole existence resting in Truth alone. Now look closely at the very word 'Truth,' satyam: three syllables — sa, tī, yam. The first and the last are Truth itself; only the one in the middle is untruth. And that little untruth is held on both sides by truth, pressed in until truth is nearly all there is. Know this, and no lie will ever be able to touch you.
Close to the Sanskrit
The waters alone existed, this universe, in the beginning. Those waters created Truth. Truth is Brahman. Brahman [produced] Prajāpati. Prajāpati [produced] the gods. Those gods rest in devotion to Truth alone. Now, this word 'Truth' has three syllables: 'sa' is one syllable, 'tī' is one syllable, 'yam' is one syllable. In the first and last syllables is Truth; in the middle is untruth. This untruth is grasped on both sides by truth; it becomes truth-predominant indeed. Untruth does not harm one who knows thus.