MAHA VAKYAS

M A H A V A K Y A S



The four famous maha-vakyas in the Vedantic texts are: 1)Pragnanam Brahma (2) Aham Brahmasmi; (3) Tatvamasi and (4) Ayamatma Brahma. These four mahavakyas find place in Aitreya upanishad, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Chandogya Upanishad and Mandukya Upanishad respectively. These upanishads form part of Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva vedas respectively.

Pragnanam Brahma: Consciousness is Brahman. As already said, this mahavakya finds place in Aitreya upanishad of Rig Veda. It is believed that Rishi Maheedasa is the author of this upanishad. Rishi had another name Aitreya and hence the upanishad authored by him is known as Aitreya Upanishad.


Consciousness is Brahman. This Consciousness is the first expression of Brahman. The swaroopam of Brahman is conceptualised as Sat-chit-ananda. That which exists is "Sat"; the knbowledge of the Existence is "Chit" and the resultant anuboodhy is "Anandam". Brahman alone exists and the knowledge of the same is also that of Brahman. "Sat" and "Consciousness - Bodham" are synonyms. "I exist and so Iam".
The knowledge implied here is Self-knowledge i.e. 'Chit'.


Consciousness is Ishwara; Consciousness is Bhodam; Consciousness is Pragnanam; Consciousness is Sarva-sakshy; It is 'sarva bhoodantharatma; sarva vyaphi, nirguna etc. While Brahman is the mooladharam, Consciousness is the athishtanam and on this athishtanam Prapancham exists. Consciiousness is the life-principle of all animate beings and even in the so called inanimate objects like mountain, consciousness is dormant. In the Upanishad mahavakya it is declared "Atman is Brahman. five elements are Brahman; all animate and inanimate beings are Brahman; the eye of the prapancham is Brahman; Consciousness is Brahman." Atman is the vyashti bhavam and Consciousness is the samshti bhavam of that Absolute Brahman - the only Truth.


Aham Brahmasmi: This mahavakya brings in the term Aham instead of Pragnanam as in the first mahavakya. Aham is pragnanam only. Aham-pragnanam-bodham& Atma, are merged with Brahman. Here 'Aham' does not in any way denote 'ahamkara' i.e.ego. Aham meant here is the reflection of that Brahman in the individual. This pure Atman is covered by ego - ahamkara, a feeling of individuality putting an enclosure to atman, threby selfishness, narrowness etc., are reflected in our thoughts and action. Atman otherwise Aham is known by the names, Pragna, paramarithkan, pratyagatma, chitabhasan, avichinnan, kudasthan, jeeva. taijasan, prathibhasakan, swapnakalpithan, viswan, vyavaharikan etc.. As jeeva, it gives life-power to anthakarana without which man is dead. The problem arises when jeeva attaches itself to anthakaranam, (instead of standing as a witness and giving life power) with the result jeeva experiences pleasure and pain of the anthakaranam. The technique of reminding onself by meditating on the mahavakya 'aham brahmasmi' helps one to realise his real swaroopam and come out of the clutches of ego.In one of the saiva vedantic texts it is explained that Jeev's attaching itself to anthakaranam is not to be caught by it as is generally understood. In that case, we may have to consider jeeva as subordinate to anthakaranam. It is not so. Jeeva voluntarily attaches itself so that anthakaranam is purified and both jeeva and anthakaranam get merged in Atma and ultimately immerses in Brahmam. When more quantity of pure water is poured in a pot containing muddy water, the pot overflows and ultimately the muddy water disappears and only pure water remains in the pot. Jeeva's satwa guna dominates and the other gunas in the anthakaranam subsides.Jeeva being the reflection of Atma, is predominantly satwik whereas the anthakaranam and other indriyas are tamasic.


Tatvamasi: "Tat" means that and "twam" means you. In the ordinary sense these are two distinct and different identities. The mahavakya declares there is really no difference and no duality of you and that exists. In the analogy "are you not Devadatta whom I have seen long years back in Kashi a distant place?" Here you "Devadatta in front of me" and "Devadatta seen years back in another place" although at the first sight, appear to be different, ultimately when the knowledge dawns, realisation comes that Devadatta standing in front and Devdatta seen elsewhere, are one and the same person. Here once the realisation is attained, time, place and even name and form are relegated to the background to bring out the truth "Asi". With this analogy in mind if we analyse the mahavakya it would bring out the true meaning.. 'Tat' i.e Brahman and 'twm' i.e. you are one and the same. This mahavakya is explained by Saint Tirumoolar in his famous work Tirumandiram. "Siva and Jeeva are synthesised in "Asi". "Asi" is the truth and 'that' and 'you' are pointers, He says. Again it is explained that the mahavakya represents 'para thuriyam', 'jeeva thuriyam' and 'Siva thuriyam'. In the Lalitha Sahasranamam, Devi is praised "Tatwamartha swaroopinyai namah". Devi is the ultimate truth of 'tat' and 'twam'.


Ayamatma Brahman: This mahavakya finds place in the Mandukya Upanishad of Atharva veda. The upanishad is comparatively a small one with a dozen mantras only; but a detailed commentary has been written by sage Gowdapada for this Upanishad. known as Gowdapada karika. The upanishad deals with pranava mantra "OM" and the three stages of jagrat, swapna and susuhpthy and the substratum thureeyam on which these three stages appear, exist and dissolve.The three syllable "A" "U" and "M" and the unsound non-syllable that follows are connected to the three stages of waking, dream and sleep and thureeyam mentioned above. Thureeyam is the essence of Atma "Ekatma Pratyayasaram" and its swaroopam is "shantam, shivam and adwaidam". The mahavakya finds place in the mantra "sarvam ethath Brahmaayamatma Brahmasa ayamatma chathushpath.* Thureeyam is described as" that which does not cognise either internal objects or external objects (it has no outside or inside so as to recognise) which is neither cognitive nor non-cognitive, that which cannot be seen, which cannot be described, which cannot be grasped, which is the essence of the knowledge of the oneness of the Self, in which the world ceases to exist, peaceful, bnign and non-dual.