Tattvamasi ('that
you are')
in
the Upanishads
by Octavian Sarbatoare (BA USyd)
- Perhaps the most celebrated
existential affirmation in the Hindu tradition is the expression Tat Tvam
Asi (Tattvamasi), as foundation stone of the Upanishads. The religious
context of this expression and its part in the entire Hinduism is the
subject of the present work. Issues of spiritual liberation within the
context will be mentioned.
-
- It is widely accepted that the Vedic writings
that are part
of Hinduism
Scriptures are divided into two major
sections (Kandas), which recommend distinct spiritual paths for
accomplishing the goal of the human existence. The
Karma Kanda section is that part in which the ritual action (Karma) is
prevalent, whereas the Jnana Kanda emphasises on knowledge
(Jnana) as being of the greatest importance. Karma Kanda section of the Vedic scriptures is represented mainly
by Samhita and
Brahmana kinds of literature, while the Jnana Kanda is emphasised in Aranyaka and Upanishads
kinds of scriptures (Eliade, 1992, Vol. 1, p. 243-
244). The present work will draw attention to the multidimensional
contents as well as the literature and spiritual messages of the
Upanishads.
-
- The Upanishads (Lit. 'sitting
by the side') are a class of philosophical works expounding a secret spiritual
doctrine by emphasising on a monistic approach to knowledge. Behind the literal significance of
the words as 'sitting
by the side' there is that secret spiritual knowledge that is acquired by a disciple,
by sitting near an accomplished master. Traditionally there are 108 Upanishads,
although about 10 to 14
are considered to be authoritative. The Upanishadic literature is regarded as
the source of the six Indian orthodox schools (Shad
Darshana) of salvation, which were developed during the classical
period of Hinduism. However, during the later periods of Hinduism, the Upanishads
played a
significant role in the development of Hinduism until
the modern era.
-
- Two major Upanishads stand
apart as being well elaborated and rich in spiritual content: the Brihadaranyaka and
the Chandogya. The other major
Upanishads like Katha, Ishavasya (Isha), Prashna,
Mundaka, Mandukya, Shvetasvatara, Kena, Taittiriya,
Aitareya, tend to focus on single main ideas. Although various major
ideas are developed within the Upanishads, the entire philosophy
has a quintessence on its own. The consensus of most scholars in Hinduism
is that the whole philosophy of the Upanishads has a common ontological
concept that could be summarised by the four great sayings (Mahavakyas), i.e.
Tattvamasi ('that you are'),
Ahambrahmasmi ('I am Brahma'),
Prajnanam Brahma ('the ultimate truth is
consciousness'), Ayamatma Brahma ('the
extension of the Self is Brahma').
It should be noted here that the term Brahma within the above sayings is
equated with Brahman, the Supreme Reality. However, the consensus is that
the Tattvamasi
great spiritual saying leads supreme. Numerous
central arguments leading to such a conclusion are being
extensively used within the Upanishads.
-
- One of these central ideas is the ontological nature of
Brahman (Supreme Soul/ Self) and Atman (Individual Soul/ Self).
Brahman, the Supreme Reality is a central theme well elaborated in many of the
Upanishads, including some minor Upanishads as well. The relevant descriptions
are like the followings: "The
Self is one, motionless, faster than the mind, beyond the
reach of the senses" (Ish.,4).
Furthermore in Ish.,5 the Self encompasses both the
Macrocosm and Microcosm, thus being both transcendent and
immanent: "It moves and It moves not. It
is far and It is near. It is within all this, and It is
also outside all this". Overall, the
multitudes of descriptions of Brahman do take into consideration the opposing
duality of attributes or
lack of attributes from three perspectives those of time, space and
causality.
Brahman without attributes is being known as Nirguna Brahman, whereas Brahman
having attributes is named Saguna Brahman. However, above all, Nirguna Brahman is seen as the causal aspect
behind the manifestation entirely named Saguna Brahman. These two concepts
evolved
gradually from the more ancient layers of Hinduism as shall be
explained.
-
- Basically, the philosophy of the
Upanishads comes
as a natural development of previous parts of the Veda like Samhitas and
Brahmanas.
During the Vedic Samhita period, the sacrifice (Yajna) was
overall an outer expression of enhancement of consciousness. Overtly, the
future beneficiary of the sacrifice (Yajna) asked gods for personal benefits.
The external approach to sacrifice characterising the Rig Veda Samhita emphasized on the macrocosmic
world.
-
- Relevant deities like Prajapati (Lit. 'lord of creatures'), a god having a
prominent position in the Karma Kanda section of Hinduism, was the embodiment of
the sacrifice per se. In Bri.,1.2.7 Prajapati desired "May
this body of mine be fit for sacrifice"
in order to create the world. In a total approach to reality, Prajapati identifies
himself with the causal, subtle as well as the gross compositions of the
universe. Specific names are pertinent to the forms taken by Prajapati.
-
- When identified with the causality
of manifestation Prajapati was known as Hiranyagarbha (Lit. 'the
golden womb'), the causal aspect of reality.His
identification with the subtle and the gross he was known as Viraj. Later on
in a more broader view the concept evolved such that both Hiranyagarbha and Viraj were
identified with Brahman as the integrative concept of causal, subtle and gross
natures of the same underlying reality. Prajapati was the master of the
external sacrifice, however, in subsequent eras, the outer Yajna evolved
in a different direction.
-
- A gradual metamorphosis
took place by replacing the external way of sacrificing by an internal one.
Here the human body and its instrumentality became the most relevant microcosmic world.
Subsequently, the theophany
was thus internalised. This was a fundamental development of the Vedic
lore. Conceptually the Vedic gods (Devas) were brought down to become
homologous with the psycho-physiological functions of the
human body as shall be explained.
-
- The humanised hierophany is relevantly
described thus: "The organ of speech (Vak) (of
the sacrificer) is looked upon as Agni (fire)"
(Bri.,3.1.3), "the eye (Cakshus) of the
sacrificer is Aditya (sun)" (Bri.,3.1.4)
, "the vital force (Prana) (of the
sacrificer) is looked upon as Vayu (air)"
(Bri.,3.1.5), "the mind (Manas) of the
sacrificer is Candra (moon)"
(Bri.,3.1.6). Consequently, the essential conclusion could not be
missed: the sacrificer, as an aspirant
to the knowledge (Jnana) of reality, was the embodiment of an imago
mundi. Not only that gods were present at the level of human bodily
instrumentality, but also the correspondence went further in an inverted
manner of expression when man's internal world itself reflected the external
one such that "the
organ of speech (Vak) itself is the earth, the mind
(Manas) is the sky and the vital force (Prana) is
heaven" (Bri.,1.5.4). In a broader sense, a sacrificer is able
to take over the three
worlds (Lokas) expressed by Gayatri Mantra, as earth, shy and heaven. The
central point of sacrificer's Self that was of the essential nature of Hiranyagarbha
is identified
(in Bri.,2.1.17) as residing in the heart. That Self is indeed
crucial to the understanding of the nature of reality as perceived by
humans.
-
- It is in Chandogya Upanishad
chapter six, where the importance of the Self becomes fundamental. The
Self is thus described as: "that which is this
causal essence, all this has got That as the Self. That
is Truth. That is the Self. Thou art That
(Tattvamasi)". This central point is most important of all, for
the Self of a human
being is none else but
Atman (Individual Soul) which is indistinguishable from
Brahman (Supreme Soul). The Brahmopanishad concludes the importance of the knowledge of Atman
and the analogy
Brahman-Atman in
its last Sloka (Lit. 'verse') "This
is the Brahmopanishad, of the supreme wisdom of Brahman,
in the form of a unity of the Atman of all, founded on
the spiritual discipline (Tapas) which is (nothing but)
the Vidya or science of the Atman". This analogy connection is
worth to elaborate further.
-
- The Brahman-Atman analogy takes a more anatomical approach
with the effective penetration of the
human body by the Soul that is done in a specific manner. Thus, the Self "returns to the
body along the seventy-two thousand nerves called Hita,
which branch of from the heart to all parts of the body
and stays in it" (Bri.,2.1.19). The Soul's diffusion into the human
body is no less that the causal
reality taking effect within such a body. Consequently, Brahman in its
triple aspects as
gross, subtle and causal penetrates a human body and rests there as
Atman. The new axis mundi is therefore shifted allowing the human body as the new templum
to take over the new affairs of the world as instrument of creation. Such
a spiritual penetration and empowerment of human beings, although appears to be a physical act, it is primarily a
qualitative act of conscious experience in which knowledge (Jnana) becomes
the key to help the dispersion
of illusion of the world of manifestation known as Maya.
-
- It is on the account of
the illusion of the world of manifestation where the spirituality of the Upanishads
rests paramount. The Upanishadic vision sees Maya (illusion) as the major obstacle
for the acquisition of knowledge of Brahman.
Essentially, this illusion, Maya is described as a veil covering the
access to the knowledge of the ultimate reality as Brahman. The realm of
Maya containing both negative and positive kinds of actions (Karmas) like suffering, misery, joy,
etc., is seen as a powerful illusion. Maya
is thus believed to keep us trapped into the world of Samsara, the life
of transmigrations in which there is a cyclical birth-death rotations over
a considerable period of time.
-
- Maya, the illusion appears thus to be a kind of
mental prison
in which most of the humanity is trapped thus rendered unable to
see the true reality of Brahman that is existent beyond the veil of the phenomenal world. The
Upanishadic literature is consistent to affirm that only by removing
the veil of ignorance, the human true nature
can be accessed, so that Brahman be experienced at personal level. Thus spiritual liberation
(Mukti) becomes available hic et nunc once the access to the real knowledge (Jnana)
occurred.
-
- Once Jnana is acquired, the perception of the manifestation of the
world around us takes a different dimension. With the removal of the veil
a new perspective of life opens. Brahman as the ultimate reality is
directly experienced. Such an experience takes pantheistic forms as the
enlightened person known as
Jivanmukta (Lit. 'liberated while still alive') arises. In a
total Anthropo-cosmic experience, a Jivanmukta person is described in Ish.,6 as "the wise man
who perceives all beings as not distinct from his own
Self at all, and his own Self as the Self of every being
...".
-
- This state of being comes
after great efforts in which various psycho--physiological techniques of Yogic nature are
employed in order to acquire Tapas, the inner heat as a result of Agni
(fire) penetration within the body
(Eliade, 1992, Vol 1, p. 244). To obtain
it, the human psycho-physiological
instrumentality is used for discovering the Atman ultimately. A certain
code of conduct is being conducive to knowledge. An aspirant gets recommendations
as described in various
Upanishads. Ka. 1,2,24 for example says: "One who
has not kept himself aloof from doing sinful acts, nor
controlled his senses, and has not a peaceful and
one-pointed mind, can never attain the Atman through
knowledge". Furthermore in Ke. 1,2 the
wise aspirant attains success "when he
abandons the Ego and rises above the senses, he achieves
immortality". And again "The Atman,
subtler than the subtlest and greater than the greatest,
dwells in the heart of every living being. One who is desireless and free from anxiety realizes the glorious
Atman through the purity of senses and mind and becomes
free from sorrow" (Ka.,1,2,20).
-
- It can be easily seen that such an aspirant has to adopt a
certain code of conduct and employ certain yogic techniques or control of the mind methods in order to reach the goal. The
state of Jivanmukti as a high state of life experience is certainly not
easily available, but does follow the persistent efforts to practice body and
mind catharsis. Such an accomplished practitioner (Sadhaka)
is described in Ai.,3,1,4 as "One who has
experienced Atman in this way, having gone beyond this
world and having fulfilled all his desires in the world
of bliss, attains immortality." The
goal is thus reached and the great Tattvamasi saying be fulfilled.
-
- To conclude this paper is to
mention the two main section of Veda as being Karma Kanda and Jnana Kanda
having a different emphasis, the former being linked to an overt
expression of deity-human relationship, whereas in the later this
expression is internalised as in the case of the Upanishads. The essence of the Upanishads rests on its four great
sayings, the Upanishads' focus being on Jnana. The great
saying Tattvamasi, is the major expression of the four Mahavakyas although
the understanding of anyone of them is conducive to spiritual liberation.
-
- By employing intellectual
introspection in a proper manner, a
practitioner (Sadhaka) is
able by access the nature of Brahman, the underlying ultimate substratum
of reality. Thus, various Yoga techniques using the psycho-physiological
instrumentality of the
human body are employing in order to facilitate the perception of the
higher reality. The goal is to place the aspirant on a specific qualitative
experience. The imitatio dei, is gradually obtained by knowledge (Jnana),
thus the metamorphosis
human-god be achieved. Maya as the major obstacle could be ultimately dispersed
thus allowing the
Brahman-Atman identification to be realized within the body and mind of
the spiritual seeker. The Jivanmukti state comes as a fulfilment
of the Tattvamasi great saying after persistent and constant effort.
-
- The Upanishads define in
essence the
ultimate nature of existence by the conclusion of the four great sayings
(Mahavakyas) in which Tattvamasi appears to be their own conclusion. By
transforming the transcendent into immanent, the conscious experience of gods becomes a sentient experience
at the human being level, thus salvation (Mukti) be obtained by absorbing
the macrocosm into the microcosm. The Tat Tvam Asi ('that you are') soteriological
conclusion of the Upanishads is that 'that'
Brahman (Supreme Soul) 'you' as
Atman (Individual Soul) 'are'.
- REFERENCES AND RECOMMENDED
READING MATERIAL
-
- Eliade, M. Istoria
credintelor si ideilor religioase,
Universitas, Chisinau, 1992
- Gambhirananda, S. Chandogya
Upanishad, Nabajiban Press, Calcutta, 1992
- Gambhirananda, S. Eight
Upanishads, Vol. 1, Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta,
1972
- Gambhirananda, S. Eight
Upanishads, Vol. 2, Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta,
1973
- Gambhirananda, S. The
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Sri Ramakrishna Math
Printing Press, Madras, 1992
- Hinnells, J. A Handbook of
Living Religions, John R. Hinnells and Penguin
Books Ltd, 1994
-
-
- LIST OF ABREVIATIONS
-
- Ai. Aitareya Upanishad
- Bri. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
- Ch. Chandogya Upanishad
- Ish. Ish/ Ishavasya Upanishad
- Ka. Katha Upanishad
- Ke. Kena Upanishad
-
- Copyright © 1997 and
subsequent years by Octavian
Sarbatoare (Australia)
This article is copyright-protected. The author grants
the right to copy and distribute this file, provided it
remains unmodified and original authorship and copyright
is retained.
-
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