FUNDAMENTAL JNANA (WISDOM) FROM THE UPANISHADS

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उपनिषदों के महावाक्य

THE GREAT SAYINGS OF THE UPANIṢADS Mahā means Great.

Vākya means Statement, Saying, or Sentence.

Mahāvākyas are the great declarations of the Upaniṣads that point directly to the nature of Reality and the true nature of the Self.

They are not merely words to be repeated.

They are pointers.

They point the seeker away from identification with the body, mind, intellect and individuality—and toward That which is ever-present, changeless and non-dual.

They do not create Truth.

They remove ignorance about what is already True.

And ultimately, when the pointing is complete, even the words must become silent.

That Silence is Maunam.

1. JĪVA–BRAHMA–AIKYAM

जीव-ब्रह्म-ऐक्यम्

THE UNITY OF JĪVA AND BRAHMAN

Guru Vāchaka Kovai — Verse 505

The presence of ghee in milk is known through the qualities of the milk. Though ghee is present in milk, it is not ordinarily perceived as a separate object.

Likewise, Brahman is not perceived as an object, yet Brahman is the very Presence because of which all beings exist and are known.

From the many Great Sayings that remove ignorance, the essential Truth is this:

Jīva-Brahma-Aikyam — the apparent individual and the Supreme are not two.

The individual is not separate from Brahman.

The wave is not separate from water.

The ornament is not separate from gold.

The garland is not separate from its thread.

And the Jīva is not separate from the Reality in which it appears.

THE ESSENCE OF ALL MAHĀVĀKYAS

Jīva and Brahman are One.

But this does not mean that the body, personality or ego becomes God.

It means that the Self, free from all superimposed identifications, is not other than Brahman.

2. MĀṆḌŪKYA UPANIṢAD — VERSE 7

THE NATURE OF TURĪYA

nāntaḥprajñaṃ na bahiḥprajñaṃnobhayataḥprajñaṃ na prajñānaghanaṃna prajñaṃ nāprajñam...prapañcopaśamaṃ śāntaṃ śivam advaitaṃcaturthaṃ manyantesa ātmā sa vijñeyaḥ.

That which is called Turīya is not consciousness of the inner world alone.

Nor consciousness of the outer world alone.

Nor consciousness of both.

Nor merely a homogeneous mass of consciousness.

Nor can it be described as ordinary consciousness or unconsciousness.

It is:

adṛṣṭam — unseen

avyavahāryam — beyond transactional dealings

agrāhyam — not graspable

alakṣaṇam — without distinguishing characteristics

acintyam — unthinkable

avyapadeśyam — indescribable

It is the essence of the Self.

It is:

Prapañcopaśamam — the subsiding of phenomenal multiplicity

Śāntam — Peace

Śivam — the Auspicious, the Absolute

Advaitam — Non-dual, without a second

This is called the Fourth — Turīya.

Sa Ātmā.

That is Ātman.

Sa Vijñeyaḥ.

That is to be known.

Not as an object.

Not as an experience that comes and goes.

Not as a temporary state.

But as That which is ever-present as the Self.

3. PRAPAÑCOPAŚAMAM — ŚĀNTAM — ŚIVAM — ADVAITAM

प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतम्

These four words are among the most profound pointers in the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad.

PRAPAÑCOPAŚAMAM

The subsiding of prapañca — phenomenal multiplicity.

Not merely a temporary quietness of the mind.

Not merely inactivity.

Rather, the recognition that the apparently manifold has no independent reality apart from the One Reality.

ŚĀNTAM

Peace.

Not merely “peaceful.”

Peace itself.

Your nature is not that you occasionally become peaceful.

You are Peace.

ŚIVAM

The Auspicious. The Absolute.

That which is whole, sacred and ever-complete.

ADVAITAM

Without a second.

There is no second independent Reality.

No separate Self.

No second existence standing apart from Brahman.

One without a second.

4. NETI NETI

नेति नेति

NOT THIS — NOT THIS

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.3.6

The Upaniṣadic method of Neti Neti does not mean that nothing exists.

It means:

I am not this.

I am not that.

Not the body.

Not the senses.

Not the mind.

Not the intellect.

Not an emotion.

Not a thought.

Not an experience.

Not even an objectified concept of “Consciousness.”

Everything that can be observed is not the ultimate observer.

Everything that can be known as an object is not the 'Knower' itself.

Therefore:

Neti. Neti.

Not this.

Not this.

And what remains when everything that is not the Self has been discarded?

The Self.

Silently present.

5. SARVAṂ KHALVIDAṂ BRAHMA

सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म

ALL THIS IS BRAHMAN

Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.14.1

What appears as many is not independent of the One.

Names are many.

Forms are many.

Experiences are many.

But the Reality in which they appear is One.

Just as every ornament is gold,

every wave is water,

and every clay form is clay,

the entire appearance has no existence independent of its underlying Reality.

Sarvaṁ Khalvidaṁ Brahma.

All this is Brahman.

6. EKAM EVĀDVITĪYAM

एकमेवाद्वितीयम्

ONE WITHOUT A SECOND

Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.1

Ekam eva advitīyam.

One alone.

Without a second.

Not one thing opposed to another thing.

Not one God standing apart from creation.

But One Reality appearing as the many.

Multiplicity belongs to appearance.

Non-duality belongs to Reality.

THE FOUR PRINCIPAL MAHĀVĀKYAS

Although the Upaniṣads contain many profound declarations, four are traditionally highlighted as the principal Mahāvākyas—one associated with each of the four Vedas.

They are:

7. PRAJÑĀNAM BRAHMA

प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म

CONSCIOUSNESS IS BRAHMAN

Aitareya Upaniṣad 3.3 — Ṛig Veda

Prajñānam Brahma.

Prajñāna is Brahman.

Here, Prajñāna is not merely intellectual intelligence or accumulated knowledge.

It points to Consciousness—that by which seeing, hearing, thinking, knowing and experiencing are possible.

You can observe the body.

You can observe sensations.

You can observe thoughts.

You can observe emotions.

But that by which all these are known cannot itself be reduced to one more object of knowledge.

Prajñānam Brahma.

Consciousness is Brahman.

LAKṢAṆA VĀKYA

This Mahāvākya is traditionally understood as indicating the nature or definition of Brahman.

8. AHAM BRAHMĀSMI

अहं ब्रह्मास्मि

I AM BRAHMAN

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.4.10 — Yajur Veda

Aham Brahmāsmi.

I am Brahman.

But who is this “I”?

Not the body.

Not the personality.

Not the name.

Not the history.

Not the ego.

Not the individual identity.

The “I” here points to Ātman — the Self.

Therefore, Aham Brahmāsmi is not an egoic declaration:

“I, this person, am Divine.”

It is the opposite of ego.

It is the dissolution of separate individual identity in the recognition of the Self.

I am not merely this body.

I am not merely this mind.

I am Brahman.

ANUBHAVA VĀKYA

It points toward the recognition of one's true identity as Brahman.

9. TAT TVAM ASI

तत् त्वम् असि

THAT YOU ARE

Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.8.7 — Sāma Veda

Tat Tvam Asi.

That Thou Art.

Tat — That.

Tvam — You.

Asi — Are.

The “You” is not the personality.

The “You” is not the body.

The “You” is not the changing mind.

The “You” points to the innermost Self.

And Tat — That points to the Supreme Reality.

The teaching reveals:

The Self is not separate from Reality.

The seeker looks outward for That.

The Guru points inward:

Tat Tvam Asi.

That You Are.

UPADEŚA VĀKYA

This is the Mahāvākya of direct instruction.

10. AYAM ĀTMĀ BRAHMA

अयमात्मा ब्रह्म

THIS SELF IS BRAHMAN

Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad 1.2 — Atharva Veda

Ayam Ātmā Brahma.

This Self is Brahman.

Not some distant Reality.

Not a future attainment.

Not something that must be created.

This Ātman.

The Self here and now.

The very Self by which all experiences are known.

The same Self that remains present through waking, dream and deep sleep.

The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad then investigates the three commonly experienced states and points beyond them to Turīya—the non-dual Reality that cannot be reduced to any one state.

ANUSANDHĀNA VĀKYA

It becomes an invitation to investigate, contemplate and abide as the Self.

THE FOUR MAHĀVĀKYAS — ONE TRUTH

These four declarations are not four different truths.

They point to One Reality.

PRAJÑĀNAM BRAHMA

Consciousness is Brahman.

AHAM BRAHMĀSMI

I am Brahman.

TAT TVAM ASI

That You Are.

AYAM ĀTMĀ BRAHMA

This Self is Brahman.

The language differs.

The pointer differs.

The Truth does not.

Brahman is the Reality.

Ātman is the Self.

And the essential nature of the Self is not separate from Brahman.

OTHER GREAT SAYINGS

The Upaniṣads contain many other declarations that point toward the same Reality.

EKAM EVĀDVTĪYAM

One without a second.

SARVAṂ KHALVIDAṂ BRAHMA

All this is Brahman.

SOHAM

I am That.

ETAD VAI TAT

This, indeed, is That.

Each statement is another finger pointing toward the Moon.

Do not become attached to the finger.

See what it points to.

THE MAHĀVĀKYAS ARE NOT THE DESTINATION

A seeker can spend years studying Sanskrit.

Years memorizing Upaniṣadic declarations.

Years discussing Brahman, Ātman, Māyā and Advaita.

And yet remain identified with the very ego that is discussing them.

Knowledge about the Self is not the same as abiding as the Self.

The Mahāvākyas are therefore not meant merely to decorate the intellect.

They are meant to turn the attention toward its Source.

Ask:

Who am I?

Who is the one who says:

“I am the body”?

Who is the one who says:

“I am the mind”?

Who is the one who says:

“I understand Brahman”?

Turn toward that I.

Do not chase another thought.

Do not manufacture another experience.

Do not wait for another state.

Remain.

WHEN THE WORDS END

The Mahāvākyas begin with words.

They point beyond words.

Prajñānam Brahma.

Aham Brahmāsmi.

Tat Tvam Asi.

Ayam Ātmā Brahma.

Listen carefully.

All four point toward the same Truth.

And when the pointing has done its work,

what remains?

Not another concept.

Not another belief.

Not another practice.

Not another experience.

SILENCE

The Truth does not need to announce itself.

The Self does not need to become the Self.

Brahman does not need to become Brahman.

You do not need to become what you already are.

What needs to disappear is only the mistaken identification.

And when the false identification subsides—

MAUNAM.

Silence.

Not merely silence of speech.

Not merely silence of thought.

But the Silence of the Self.

The Silence that was present before every word.

The Silence that remains after every word.

The Silence in which all words appear.

THE FINAL MAHĀVĀKYA

Perhaps the greatest paradox is this:

The final Mahāvākya is not another sentence.

It is what remains

when the need for sentences disappears.

Words point.

Mind investigates.

Wisdom recognizes.

And then—

Silence.

MAUNAM

Not something you do.

Not something you practice.

Not something you attain.

It is what remains when everything, that is not the Self, is allowed to fall away.

SATYAM PARAM DHĪMAHI

Let us contemplate the Supreme Truth.

Let us know That which cannot be known as an object.

Let us abide as That which we have never ceased to be.

BE SILENT.

— Shambho

SUMMARY:

Veda	Mahāvākya	Meaning	Function
Ṛig Veda	Prajñānam Brahma	Consciousness is Brahman	Lakṣaṇa
Yajur Veda	Aham Brahmāsmi	I am Brahman	Anubhava
Sāma Veda	Tat Tvam Asi	That Thou Art	Upadeśa
Atharva Veda	Ayam Ātmā Brahma	This Self is Brahman	Anusandhāna