Tat Tvam Asi

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Based on Chandogya Upanishad

 

Svetaketu was the grandson of Aruna, and the son of Uddalaka. His

father sent him to Gurukul (forest ashrama of a guru in ancient

India). His family had a long tradition of studying Vedic Lore and

intricacies of the knowledge contained therein. 'Without studying the

Vedas, a Brahmin remains merely a Brahmin for name,' the family believed.

 

Therefore, Svetaketu went to forest-retreat at the age of twelve, and

studied the Vedas, scriptures, science, grammar, etc. at the feet of

the Guru for twelve years, and returned home. He was proud of his

knowledge and scholarship.

 

However, when father, Uddalaka, saw that his son, Svetaketu, had

returned full with pride and arrogance, he was perturbed and

therefore, put this question to the son:

 

" Svetaketu, my dear boy, have you inquired about that Entity by means

of which even that which is not heard about becomes heard, even that

which is not reflected upon become reflected upon, and even that which

is unknown becomes known? "

 

Unable to comprehend the question, the son asked: " O father, I do not

know about That; will you please enlighten me, O revered one? "

 

Now begins the second phase of learning for the young Svetaketu. He

had missed the core of the Vedic teachings in his arrogance of taking

secular knowledge for wisdom, mere scholarship for the realization of

truth.

 

The father replies: " As one knows the characteristics of everything

made of clay by studying just a lump of clay, and realizes that the

name and form are just the play of words; just as by knowing a nugget

of gold all that is made of gold would have been known, the various

ornaments of gold are mere play of words concerning names and forms;

just as by studying a piece of steel everything made of steel would

become known, the differences being merely the play of name and form;

even so, my son, is this Entity, by knowing which everything in this

universe becomes known; the apparent differences are but the

multifarious names and forms. "

 

We can compare Svetaketu here with a university student: getting lots

of information about science, arts, literature, etc., but still

remaining essentially ignorant about the Final Truth - Final

Knowledge. The father is telling his son about the unifying principle

of all the knowledge his son has acquired, the metaphysical side of

unity in diversity, the one substratum lying hidden within every name

and form. Svetaketu accepts his father as second guru, and humbly

requests: " Sir, my first teacher probably did not know about this

basic truth, or else he would have definitely taught me about that. So

you, revered sir, may personally tell me about it. "

 

Thus requested, the father tells his son about all pervading Self or

Atman (same as Brahman) as the basic Reality of every being. " Listen,

my boy, in the beginning was one Being alone; one without second. "

 

The concepts of time, space, and causation did not exist then, and

these concepts could never evolve later as well; for the Being which

is described is without attributes, and is changeless, eternal,

all-pervading Consciousness. In order that the aspirant may get the

idea of his/her true transcendental nature, empirically, Atman is

presumed to have evolved as this universe; the cause giving rise to

effect of this multifarious world of name and form. Universe is

superimposed on the changeless reality of Atman, so that the

individual being - the jiva - can pierce through his ignorance of

believing this world to be absolutely real.

 

Therefore, the question: " How could changeless Being change or

transform Itself into this multifarious universe? " becomes illogical

or empirical at the best. The Brahman, Atman, is changeless from

within itself and from outside it, since there is nothing beside It.

That is, if we say that something can transform itself as something

else, we shall have to admit that that something itself is a

transformation of something antecedent and thus we shall be committed

to 'regresus ad infinitum'.

 

Therefore, what follows is to be seen or taken as empirical attempt to

explain the Absolute, by projecting this universe on It (and

subsequently proving the falsity of the projected universe). 'The

being desired to be many, and thus, though various modifications,

first the elements of Fire, Water, and Earth, and as a result of

various permutations and combinations of these elements the whole

universe of name and form came into existence with that Being as the

cause, and therefore, the essence of all these effects.'

 

Like the ocean-water is filled in many vessels of different names and

forms, but in reality the water is one with the ocean; and this is

proved when the vessels get destroyed and water merges with the ocean;

or, like space, apparently divided by containers of various sizes and

shapes, becomes one when the forms get destroyed; similarly the Self

appears to be divided in many 'individual self' (jivas) - but in

essence, the jiva is one with the Self, as can be proved when it is in

samadhi or is in deep sleep, or merges with It when the body dies off.

 

" Now it is this subtle Entity which all this universe has for its

essence. It alone is real. That is the Atman, That Thou Art, O

Svetaketu, " the father explains to his son.

 

And continues: " When the jiva merges with that Entity, or becomes one

with it, as in transcendent state, the jiva does not remember its

individual identity, or recognize having become one with the Self, as

the rivers lose their individual identity after merging with the sea;

or as one cannot separate honey of one flower from the honey from

another flower in a collected form.

 

" Now it is this subtle Entity which all this universe has for its

essence. It alone is real. That is the Atman, That Thou Art, O Svetaketu. "

 

Further, the father explains, as a spider brings forth the web from

within itself, and is capable of going anywhere on its strands; and as

the spider can dissolve the web into its own again, so O Svetaketu, is

this Atman. Or, as the sparks from a hot iron rod are essentially one

with the rod, so O Svetaketu is the relation between the higher Self

and the lower self.

 

" Now it is this subtle Entity which all this universe has for its

essence. It alone is real. That is the Atman, That Thou Art, O Svetaketu. "

 

Still further, the father explains: Like a small, very tiny, seed

which even after breaking it apart does not reveal anything of the

tree, but gives rise to a big tree all the same, likewise O Svetaketu,

is the subtlety of the Atman from which are born all the jivas.

 

As Uddalaka continues to explain: " O son, put this salt in the water, "

and Svetaketu does as directed. The next day, father asks him to bring

the pot, and asks the son to feel or look for the salt. The son says

he cannot see or feel the salt. Then father says:

" O son, taste the water from above. "

" Yes sir, it is salty, " says the son.

" Drink from the middle. "

" It is salty, " says the son.

" Drink from the bottom. "

" It is salty, " says the son.

 

" Here you could not see or feel the salt, but you could taste it all

the same; likewise O Svetaketu, by adopting the right method and means

of knowledge one can know the essence of Atman everywhere in this

universe; and Thou Art That Atman, my boy. "