Tat Tvam Asi

For the last two days, I am plagued with just one thought in my head - Tat Tvam Asi. Oh well, it started innocuously - I was looking for books to buy at Cafe Turtle at Khan Market. Along one shelf, this was written in big bold type on one book and just caught my eye.

Tat Tvam Asi - I first heard of this Mahavakya (literally, it means "very important sentence" in Sanskrit) when I was probably in my 8th grade. Was part of a small history lesson on Adi Sankaracharya, Ramanuja and Madhvacharya. Didn't mean much then. But, today, I feel like I found a new meaning in life, a true revelation.

Let me explain. Tat Tvam Asi is a very important philosophical statement that has origins in Hindu literature. Originating in the Chandogya Upanishad as a father's words of wisdom to his arrogant know-it-all son, Tat Tvam Asi explains some core beliefs of Hinduism. In simple terms, Tat means - that, Tvam - You, Asi - are. "THAT THOU ART!" It is generally taken to mean that your soul or consciousness is wholly or partially the Ultimate Reality. Tat - refers to The Supreme One, or Brahman, the Ultimate Reality or God. Tvam - is the person, the soul, the consciousness, the physical presence.

Now, this sentence can be interpreted in 3 different ways to explain 3 different paths (or belief systems) in Hinduism. Dvaita, Visishtadvaita and Advaita.

1. Dvaita philosophy starts with Atat tvam asi - A-TAT (not Brahman) tvam (you) asi (art) - That thou are not. This clearly distinguishes between the Brahman and the souls and between souls. Thus it believes in "twoness" as in one set apart from another. The world around us, we as individuals and the Brahman are all distinct.
2. Visishtadvaita philosophy believes in "Almost twoness" as in with ultimate self-realisation, you become united with the Brahman while still retaining your identity, thus only becoming a part of the Brahman but not fully integrated.
3. Advaita philosophy believes in "Not twoness" as in - there are no two separate identities, the Brahman and the soul are one and the same. One does not become Brahman, rather, one already is and just needs to come to this realisation.
   

Confusing? In the beginning, it was to me as well. But slowly, the true purport of these statements dawned on me. I am an atheist. I don't have any firm belief in a Supreme Creator - I don't really care to know. Why then would "Tat Tvam Asi" mean anything at all to me? It does and here's why.

If I take "That Thou Art" literally, what it means is that I am that, that everything outside of this physical body and soul of mine. I am the person I see on the road, I am the dog that is whimpering, I am the coral reefs and the Amazon civilization under threat, I am the criminal inflicting pain and suffering on my brethren and I am the one fighting for peace and harmony in some of the world. If I am all that - is "Tat Tvam Asi" really a statement of compassion, love and equality of being? That too, not only within man kind but of all living beings. Does Tat Tvam Asi really stand for empathy, the ability to see yourself in the other and vice versa?

Whether you are a Hindu or a Christian, it really does not matter. Even Jesus said in Psalm 82, I say, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, you shall die like men, and fall like any price." (verses 6 & 7). Sounds a lot like Visishtadvaita to me. In Buddhism, Bodhi means enlightenment and anybody who has attained Nirvana (the state of awakening or enlightenment) becomes a Buddha. Tat Tvam Asi again?

Whether you see it as a God-fearing person or not, you can just say Tat Tvam Asi is all about universal brotherhood. When you see God is in you and if God is omnipresent, he is present in everything around you. If you don't believe in God, but just believe That Thou Art, it is merely your ability to see yourself in everything around you and see everything in you. For me, now it is Tatvam Asi (Tatvam - philosophy) and that is - We are part of the whole and the whole is just us - ALL OF US!