THE GREAT SAYINGS (MAHAVAKYAS)

The scriptures, the Vedas and the Upanishads, of the Sanātana Dharma are the eternal knowledge source to guide human beings about the nature of Reality and to awaken consciousness about the ultimate Truth without ever being perturbed by the evanescent and ephemeral nature of existence. According to Swami Sivananda, the Scriptural declarations can be grouped under three headings, viz.,

Vidhi-Vakya, or injunctions; Nishha-Vakya, or prohibitions; and Siddharthabodha-Vakya, or the Mahāvākya, that proclaim the highest Truth. The first two exist to purify the deluded Jiva (soul) and make him fit to understand and assimilate the third; for only in a purified mind will intuition dawn, and with that alone can one attain the highest Knowledge.

The Jiva, a metaphysical entity, has been variously described in the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishadas.

 na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin

nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ

ajo nityaḥ śhāśhvato ’yaṁ purāṇo

na hanyate hanyamāne śharīre

In the Bhagavad Gita Sri Krishna says, The soul (Jiva) is neither born, nor does it ever die; nor having once existed, does it ever cease to be. The soul is without birth, eternal, immortal, and ageless. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.

1. Outline:

The Great Sayings, or Mahāvākyas are in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of the Sanatana Dharma. They are aphoristic statements of the Upanishads. The Mahāvākyas embody the nature of Reality and the ultimate Truth, the identity of the Jivatman with the Paramatman, of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul. The Mahāvākyas in the Upanisadic inquiry are not to apprehend the Truth on an intellectual plane but rather to realize inwardly the Truth perceived by the mind or the intellect. Instead of being mere ideas of intellectual perception, these truths will then become a living reality. The highest of these truths is that there is no difference between the individual self (Jivatma) and the Brahmān.

Man is essentially Divine. He is not different from that eternal, non-dual substratum, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. He is neither born into this Samsara nor is he ever in a state of bondage. He is ever free, Nityamukta.

Human being’s miseries and sufferings are all due to his wrong identification with the five sheaths (i. Annamaya kosha – physical sheath, ii. Pranamaya kosha – physiological or energy sheath, iii. Manomaya kosha– psychological or the mind sheath, iv. Vijnanamaya kosha – wisdom sheath, and Anandamaya kosha – bliss sheath), and the three bodies (i. the Gross Body-Sthula sarira, ii. the Subtle Body-Sukshma sarira, and iii. Causal Body-Karana sarira), resulting in away from the consciousness of the Truth or forgetfullness of the Truth. This ignorance, Causal Ignorance, is at the root of all actions and reactions. Only the annihilation of this ignorance can lead us to our original state of non-dual blissful immortal existence.

 The Mahāvākyas aphoristically say Reality is one, ‘Prajnanam Brahma," or Consciousness is Brahmān. Brahmān would be to give expression to its supra-essential essence and not to describe it with reference to accidental attributes, such as creatorship, etc. That which is ultimately responsible for all our sensory activities, such as seeing, hearing, etc., is Consciousness. Though Consciousness does not directly see or hear, it is impossible to have these sensory operations without it. Hence, it should be considered the final meaning of our mental and physical activities. Brahmān is that which is Absolute, fills all space, is complete in itself, to which there is no second, and which is continuously present in everything, from the creator down to the lowest of matter. It, being everywhere, is also in each and every individual.

The Upanishads deal with meditation, philosophy, consciousness, and ontology. The Great Sayings or the "Mahāvākyas" of the Upanishadas tersely say Brahman is one and infinity, which have a profound significance as pointers to Reality. Consciousness of the Supreme Being is the foremost virtue.

2. The Four Mahāvākyas

There are four Mahāvākyas, with each of the four Vedas containing one of them. The four Mahāvākyas are: (i) Prajnanam Brahma: "Consciousness is Brahmān,' (ii) Aham Brahma Asmi: "I Am Brahmān,' (iii) Tat Tvam Asi: "That Thou Art,’ and (iv) Ayam Atma Brahma: "This Self is Brahmān.'

2.1. Prajnanam Brahma (प्रज्ञानम् ब्रह्म)– Consciousness is Brahmān, Aitareya Upanishad, Rig Veda.  This is called the Svarupabodha-Vakya or the sentence that explains the nature of Brahmān or the Self. The Brahmān refers to its supra-essential essence, not its accidental attributes, as creatorship. The supra-essential essence is Consciousness, which is ultimately responsible for our sensory activities, such as seeing, feeling, sensing, hearing, etc. Though consciousness does not directly see or hear, it is impossible to have these sensory operations without it. Brahmān is that which is Absolute, fills all space, is complete in itself, to which there is no second, and which is continuously present in everything, from the creator down to the lowest of matter.

2.2. Aham Brahmāsmi (अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि) - "I am Brahmān", or "I am Divine," Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Yajur Veda. This is the Anusandhana-Vakya, the idea on which the aspirant tries to fix his mind. emphasizes the unity of the individual self (Ātman) and Brahmān. It proclaims that the ultimate reality of the universe is not separate from oneself.

The ‘I' is that which is the One Witnessing Consciousness, standing apart from even the intellect, different from the ego-principle, and shining through every act of thinking, feeling, etc. This Witness-Consciousness, being the same in all, is universal and cannot be distinguished from Brahmān, which is the Absolute. Hence the essential ‘I' which is full, super-rational, and resplendent, should be the same as Brahmān. This is not the identification of the limited individual ‘I' with Brahmān; it is the Universal substrate of individuality that is asserted to be what it is.

2.3. Tat Tvam Asi (तत् त्वम् असि)– That Thou Art, Chandogya Upanishad, Sam Veda. This is the Upanishadic Vakya or Upadesa-Vakya. It affirms that the individual self (Atman) and Brahmān are identical. That Reality is remote is a misconception, which is removed by the instruction that it is within one's own self.

According to Swami Krishnananda, Sage Uddalaka mentions ‘Tat Tvam Asi," or ‘That thou art," nine times while instructing his disciple Svetaketu in the nature of Reality. That which is one alone without a second, without name or form, and which existed before creation as well as after creation as pure Existence alone is what is referred to as Tat or That, in this sentence. The term Tvam stands for That which is in the innermost recesses of the student or aspirant but which is transcendent to the intellect, mind, senses, etc. and is the real ‘I' of the student addressed in the teaching. The union of Tat and Tvam is called Asi. That Reality is remote is a misconception, which is removed by the instruction that it is within one's own self.

2.4. Ayam Atma Brahmā (अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म) – This Self is Brahman, Mandukya Upanishad, Atharva Veda. This is the Anubhavabodha Vakya or the sentence that gives expression to the inner intuitive experience of the aspirant. It declares that the individual self (Atman) is not different from Brahmān.

 ‘Ayam' means ‘this', and here ‘thisness' refers to the self-luminous and non-mediate nature of the Self, which is internal to everything, from the Ahamkara or ego down to the physical body. This Self is Brahmān, which is the substance out of which all things are really made. That which is everywhere, is also within us, and what is within us is everywhere. This is called ‘Brahmān', because it is plenum, fills all space, expands into all existence, and is vast beyond all measure of perception or knowledge.

3. Remarks

This "Brahmān is the Whole," "Brahmān is ātman" and "Brahmān is this (very) self."

"Be not self-conscious; be conscious of the self," so says the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita.

yadā viniyataṁ chittam ātmanyevāvatiṣhṭhate

niḥspṛihaḥ sarva-kāmebhyo yukta ityuchyate tadā

It is when the controlled chitta (mind) becomes fixed and focused exclusively on God. It is then simultaneously and automatically weaned away from all cravings of the senses and desires for worldly enjoyment. At that time, one can be considered to have yukt, or perfect Yoga.

It urges us to give up material desires and thereby situate ourselves in consciousness of our true selves. The more we live in harmony with our spiritual identity, the less we worry about our material image because we understand that it is peripheral to our actual self. Once we start relishing the fulfilment of our true spiritual identity and glory, the need to be self-conscious and seek flickering pleasure through a positive self-image in the world disappears.

These four Mahāvākyas are considered to be the foundation of Advaita Vedanta and are used as a means of attaining self-realization and understanding the true nature of the self and the universe. The Mahāvākyas verily state that every individual is essentially divine and that the separation between the individual self and the ultimate reality is an illusion.

 -Asutosh Satpathy