Tat-Twam-Asi by Annaji Rao from Sivananda Bharathi, November issue.

[Guest guest]

While I am going to the Ryot Bazar, I saw fleet of pots, chattis,

etc., made of clay, for sale, of course. Then I thought it would be

better to give Tatwamasi Upadesa to a certain small pot which is

having pure and at the same time open mind to receive my upadesa,

instead of persons with disturbed and pre-occupied minds. I saw a

small pot and started conversation:

 

Myself: Hellow, How are you? (addressing a small pot)

Pot: Me, Oh! I am Sad!

Myself: Why are you Sad?

Pot: Because I am wretched small pot.

Myself: Who told you that you are small and wretched pot?

Pot: Look at me! I am so small and he is so Big

Myself: Did you look at yourself keenly who are you?

Pot: Who am I?

Myself: You are not small, but you are clay.

Pot: Myself, clay!

Myself: Yes, You are clay.

Pot: No, I am pot only!

Myself: Yes, You are a pot and clay also!

Pot: How can I be both?

Myself: You can be both.

Pot: What are you talking? This is flower, this is myself. How can I

be a flower?

Myself: You cannot be a flower, but you can be clay.

Pot: How?

Myself: Because you are born of clay!

Pot: I am born of clay? Is it?

Myself: Yes, you are born of clay and also, you are sustained by

clay.

Pot: Clay sustains me! Where is clay? I have not seen! How does it

sustain me?

Myself: Yes. Because it is not away from you, it lives and pours its

existence in you.

Pot: As if I have no existence?

Myself: Yes, you have no separate existence but drawing existence

from clay. What will happen to you when you die?

Pot: I will disappear!

Myself: Where you will disappear?

Pot: I don't know!

Myself: You are born of clay, you are sustained by clay and after

death you will merge in theclay.

Pot: Oh! So I will be clay after death!

Myself: Not that you will be clay after death, but you are clay now

itself!

Pot: Now I understand that I would be clay, and I am not small pot,

but how can I become clay?

Myself: You need not become clay. " You are already that, Tatwamasi " .

You are the Realilty in the pot! Pot is only your form's name but

your true nature is clay only. You are never born like a snake on

Rope, which is born in your mind out of your ignorance only, remove

the ignorance, the snake will disappear, so it never born and never

dies; in the same way pot is also never born but a form of clay only

which is the substance. You are the substance and pot is your form.

You are always that! You are Jeevan Mukta!! So please remove from

your mind the notion of small pot (Jeevonaham), but keep always the

notion of " I am clay " (Brahmaivaham).

Pot: Oh! Now, I am clay, always clay but not Pot. (Remove your

notion of Jeeva born out of your ignorance and realise that you are

Brahman itself).

 

In the above discusssion, " Janmadyasya Yathaha " the Second Brahma

Sutra is revealed in its true sense of figuratively stated in

Chandogya Upanishad where Uddalaka Maharshi gave Tatwamasi Upadesa

to Swetaketu, and told pot is for name's sake, but the Reality is

clay only.