Tat Tvam Asi: Thou Art That🔗

This Great Teaching occurs in the Chhandogya Upanishad. It is known as the upadesha vakya, or the statement of instruction.

The verse states: Now, that which is the subtle essence – in it, all that exists has its self. That is the Truth. That is the Self. That thou art, Svetaketu.

Tat Tvam Asi is the first of the Great Teachings that is delivered to the qualified disciple. In the statement, Tat (that) refers to the Supreme Self, Tvam (you) refers to the individual Self, and Asi (are) clearly shows the identical nature of the two. In other words, the statement emphasizes the oneness of the individual consciousness and the universal consciousness. In this Upanishad, this same statement is repeated by the guru nine times to the disciple. For the aspirant who is just beginning the contemplation of the Great Teachings, no amount of emphasis can be too much. Continuously identifying ourselves with the body-mind and its limitations, we find it difficult to even comprehend this Truth. The seeker cannot see how he, the limited, ignorant individual, can be identical with the universal consciousness. To break this false identification, the guru repeatedly advises the disciple to go beyond the differences of name and form, and see the unity of Self. Since the individual Self and the universal Self are perceived by the disciple as two distinct entities, the guru has to start his instruction from this point. For the sake of the disciple, he refers to two distinct selves (thou and That), although in truth, only the one Self exists. Working with the assumption of duality, the disciple meditates and discovers that in truth, no two selves exist. That and thou both stand revealed as the non-dual, all-pervading Self alone.

This Great Teaching occurs in the Aitareya Upanishad. It is known as the swaroopa vakya, because it indicates the swaroopa or true nature of the Ultimate Reality. Brahman in this teaching means Truth, or Reality, or God or whatever we may choose to call it. The verse states: Whatever exists here... whether moving or unmoving... all is supported by Consciousness. The basis (of the universe) is Consciousness. Consciousness is Brahman.

Brahman is the one Consciousness in all manifested forms. As gold remains gold alone, whether it is molded into coins, jewellery, idols or anything else, the universal Consciousness remains the same, no matter in which form it is manifested. Whatever we see or know as this universe, as God and as ourselves, is nothing but the play of this one Consciousness. It is the light of Consciousness that illumines everything, both within and without.

Sankara retells a story from the Upanishads, which is actually a dialogue between a guru and his disciple.

The guru asks the disciple, By what light do you see? The disciple replies, By sunlight in the daytime, and by lamplight at night.

G: By what light do you see these lights? D: By the light of my eyes, naturally. (Without the eyes, all other lights prove useless for the purpose.)

G: And by what light do your eyes see? D: By the light of consciousness, indeed! (Even when the eyes are open, one can miss seeing an object right before one’s eyes if the awareness is directed elsewhere.)

G: That is true! Thus, know that Consciousness is the Light by which all else is seen.

Prajnanam Brahma means, Consciousness is the Reality, Consciousness is All. For the spiritual seeker, perhaps it may be easier to start from the opposite direction. In the beginning, one can meditate on the truth that All is Consciousness. Whatever we perceive through the senses, whatever we understand through the mind, all that we are aware of in the outer world and in the inner world – all these are manifestations of the one Consciousness. When we are in tune with this truth, we can meditate on the ultimate truth that Consciousness is All. Consciousness is all there is! All names, forms and qualities are nothing but superimpositions on Brahman, the unchanging Consciousness. Consciousness alone exists as All.

This Great Teaching occurs in the Mandukya Upanishad.

This teaching signifies that the Supreme Self is directly experienced as the inmost self of all. This teaching emphasizes the oneness of the individual consciousness with the universal or Divine consciousness. It is extremely difficult for an aspirant to meditate on the supreme Brahman. How indeed, to comprehend Brahman, which is without name, form or qualities? This teaching contains the key. The Divine Consciousness is continuously experienced by everyone as the inmost Self, the individual consciousness. There is no moment when we are not experiencing the Self. The Self is closer to you than your next breath! But by identifying with your body, mind and changing personality, you do not perceive the ever-present Self. By purifying our understanding of our own Self, we touch the same point in us, which is beyond name, form and qualities. This is the one Self, which is beyond the dualities of inner and outer, individual and universal. Thus, by meditating on our own inmost self, we ultimately realize that the individual Self is identical with the universal self.

This Great Teaching occurs in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.

The verse states: This [self] was indeed Brahman in the beginning. It knew itself only as ‘I am Brahman’. It became all. Whoever... realized this, they also became That [Brahman]... And to this day, whoever in a like manner knows the self as I am Brahman’, becomes all this [universe].

This teaching is known as the anubhava vakya (statement of experience), since it is the declaration that comes out of the direct realization of Reality. Even in the previous teaching, a separate individual Self and a universal Self have been presumed. Upon meditation, the individual Self ultimately reveals its identity with the universal Self.

But this statement is being made by the realized being who has already become the one Self. This teaching is being delivered from the pinnacle of realization. It is as if the Universal Consciousness itself is delivering this teaching! When such a being declares, Aham Brahmasmi, we must not misunderstand it as a statement made by the individual ego. Only one whose very identity has been washed away in the flood of realization can declare that he is All!

It is dangerous to meditate on this statement when the sense of individuality is still alive. While retaining our idea of ourselves as limited individuals, it will be impossible for us to even hold this statement in our mind! We naturally feel, How can I, this individual, be Brahman? If we persist, the individual ego will start subtly believing that it is Brahman! We must be careful not to fall into these traps of the mind. Strictly speaking, Aham Brahmasmi cannot serve as a meditation technique, except for the rare seeker who is highly mature, intelligent and refined.

It can be understood only as a statement of the Ultimate Truth, made by one who is living in that experience.