Mahāvākyas Explained

The Mahāvākyas (sing.:, Sanskrit: महावाक्यम्; plural:, Sanskrit: महावाक्यानि) are "The Great Sayings" of the Upanishads, as characterized by the Advaita school of Vedanta with mahā meaning great and vākya, a sentence. Most commonly, Mahāvākyas are considered four in number,[1] [2] Like other Mahāvākyas, it also explains the unity of Brahman and Atman, which is the basic principle of Advaita Vedanta.

  1. (Sanskrit: तत् त्वम् असि) - traditionally interpreted as "That Thou Art" (that you are), (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda, with tat in Ch.U.6.8.7 referring to sat, "the Existent"); correctly translated as "That's how [thus] you are," with tat in Ch.U.6.12.3 referring to "the very nature of all existence as permeated by [the finest essence]"
  2. (Sanskrit: अहं ब्रह्मास्मि) - "I am Brahman", or "I am Divine" (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Yajur Veda)
  3. (Sanskrit: प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म) - "Prajñāna is Brahman", or "Brahman is Prajñāna"[3] (Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)
  4. (Sanskrit: अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म) - "This Self (Atman) is Brahman" (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)

Those statements are interpreted as supporting the insight that the individual self which appears as a separate existence, is in essence part and manifestation of the whole (Brahman).

The four principal Mahavakyas

Though there are many Mahavakyas, four of them, one from each of the four Vedas, are often mentioned as "the Mahavakyas". Other Mahavakyas are:

People who are initiated into sannyasa in Advaita Vedanta are being taught the four [principal] mahavakyas as four mantras, "to attain this highest of states in which the individual self dissolves inseparably in Brahman".[4] According to the Advaita Vedanta tradition, the four Upanishadic statements indicate the real identity of the individual (jivatman) as sat (the Existent), Brahman, consciousness. According to the Vedanta-tradition, the subject matter and the essence of all Upanishads are the same, and all the Upanishadic Mahavakyas express this one universal message in the form of terse and concise statements. In later Sanskrit usage, the term mahāvākya came to mean "discourse", and specifically, discourse on a philosophically lofty topic.[5]

Tat Tvam Asi

See main article: Chandogya Upanishad.

Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7, in the dialogue between Uddalaka and his son Śvetaketu. It appears at the end of a section, and is repeated at the end of the subsequent sections as a refrain:

In ChU.6.8.12 it appears as follows:

Etymology and translation

Tat Tvam Asi (Devanagari: तत्त्वमसि, Vedic: tát tvam ási) is traditionally translated as "Thou art that", "That thou art", "That art thou", "You are that", "That you are", or "You're it"; although according to Brereton and others the proper translation would be "In that way [=thus] are you, Svetaketu", or "that's how you are":

In Ch.U.6.8.7 tat refers to Sat, "the Existent", Existence, Being.[7] Sat, "the Existent", then is the true essence or root or origin of everything that exists,[7] and the essence, Atman, which the individual at the core is.[8] [9] As Shankara states in the Upadesasahasri:

While the Vedanta tradition equates sat ("the Existent") with Brahman, as stated in the Brahma Sutras, the Chandogya Upanishad itself does not refer to Brahman.

According to Brereton, followed by Patrick Olivelle and Wendy Doniger, the traditional translation as "you are that" is incorrect, and should be translated as "In that way [=thus] are you, Svetaketu." That, then, in ChU.6.8.12 refers to "the very nature of all existence as permeated by [the finest essence]", and which is also the nature of Svetaketu. Lipner expresses reservations on Brereton's interpretation, stating that it is technically plausible, but noting that "Brereton concedes that the philosophical import of the passage may be represented by the translation 'That you are', where tat as 'that' would refer to the supreme Being (sat/satya)."

Interpretation

Major Vedantic schools offer different interpretations of the phrase:

Aham Brahma Asmi

Aham Brahmāsmi (Devanagari: अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि), "I am Brahman" is in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Shukla Yajurveda:Aham Brahmasmi is the core philosophy in advaita vedanta, indicating absolute oneness of atman with brahman.[10]

Etymology

Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi then means "I am the Absolute" or "My identity is cosmic",[11] but can also be translated as "you are part of god just like any other element".

Explanations

In his comment on this passage, Sankara explains that here Brahman is not the conditioned Brahman (saguna); that a transitory entity cannot be eternal; that knowledge about Brahman, the infinite all-pervading entity, has been enjoined; that knowledge of non-duality alone dispels ignorance; and that the meditation based on resemblance is only an idea. He also tells us that the expression Aham Brahmaasmi is the explanation of the mantra

He explains that non-duality and plurality are contradictory only when applied to the Self, which is eternal and without parts, but not to the effects, which have parts.[12] The aham in this memorable expression is not closed in itself as a pure mental abstraction but it is radical openness. Between Brahman and aham-brahma lies the entire temporal universe experienced by the ignorant as a separate entity (duality).[13]

Vidyāranya in his Panchadasi (V.4) explains:

Prajñānam Brahma

See main article: Aitareya Upanishad.

Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rigveda:

Etymology and translation

Several translations, and word-orders of these translations, are possible:

Prajñānam:

Prajñāna as a whole means:

Brahman:

Meaning:

Most interpretations state: "Prajñānam (noun) is Brahman (adjective)". Some translations give a reverse order, stating "Brahman is Prajñānam", specifically "Brahman (noun) is Prajñānam (adjective)": "The Ultimate Reality is wisdom (or consciousness)". Sahu explains:

And according to David Loy,

Ayam Ātmā Brahma

See main article: Mandukya Upanishad.

Ayam Atma Brahma (Sanskrit: अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म) is a Mahāvākya which is found in the Mandukya Upanishad of the Atharvaveda.[15] [16] According to the Guru Gita, "Ayam Atma Brahma" is a statement of practice.[17]

Etymology and meaning

The Sanskrit word ayong means 'it'. Ātman means ‘Atma’ or 'self'. Brahman is the highest being. So "Ayam Atma Brahma" means 'Atma is Brahman'.[17]

Source and Significance

The Mahavakya is found in the Mundaka Upanishad of the Atharva Veda.[15] [16] It is mentioned in the Mundaka Upanishad 1-2,

In Sanskrit:

The Mundaka Upanishad, in the first section of the second Mundaka, defines and explains the Atma-Brahma doctrine.

It claims that just as a burning fire produces thousands of sparks and leaps and bounds in its own form, so the living beings originate from Brahman in its own form.[15] Brahman is immortal, except the body, it is both external and internal, ever generated, except the mind, except the breath, yet from it emerges the inner soul of all things.[16]

From Brahman breath, mind, senses, space, air, light, water, earth, everything is born. The section expands on this concept as follows,[15] [16]

In the Upanishad, verse 2.2.2, the Mundaka Upanishad claims that Atma-Brahma is real. Verse 2.2.3 offers help in the process of meditation, such as Om. Verse 2.2.8 claims that the one who possesses self-knowledge and has become one with Brahman is free, not affected by Karma, free from sorrow and Atma-doubt, he who is happy.[18] [19] The section expands on this concept as follows,

Etymology and translation

While translations tend to separate the sentence in separate parts, Olivelle's translation uses various words in adjunct sets of meaning:

The Mandukya Upanishad repeatedly states that Om is ātman, and also states that turiya is ātman. The Mandukya Upanishad forms the basis of Gaudapada's Advaita Vedanta, in his Mandukya Karika.

See also

Sources

Web-sources

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Meditation on Mahavakyas. www.sivanandaonline.org. 2016-12-02.
  2. Web site: Mahavakyas: Great Contemplations of Advaita Vedanta. www.swamij.com. 2016-12-02.
  3. http://hinduism.enacademic.com/479/mahavakyas Encyclopedy of Hinduism, Mahavakyas
  4. http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part5/chap30.htm kamakoti.org, The Upanisads
  5. http://www.lisindia.net/Sanskrit/Sanskrit_struct.html Sanskrit Structure
  6. Sanskrit Dictionary, tvam
  7. Shankara, Chandogya Upanishad Bhasya - Chapter 6 (Tat Tvam Asi)
  8. Max Muller, Chandogya Upanishad 6.1-6.16, The Upanishads, Part I, Oxford University Press, pages 92-109 with footnotes
  9. Dominic Goodall (1996), Hindu Scriptures, University of California Press,, pages 136-137
  10. Book: Dalal, Roshen . Hinduism : an alphabetical guide . 978-0-14-342317-1 . 176 . 885369022.
  11. Web site: Meaning of Aham Brahamasmi . 2018-06-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180627144406/https://iskcondesiretree.com/group/krishnaconsciousness/forum/topics/q-what-is-the-meaning-of-aham-brahmasmi . 2018-06-27 . dead .
  12. Book: The Brhadaranayaka Upanishad. 1950. Advaita Ashrama. 98-105,557, 559.
  13. Book: Raimundo Panikkar . Mantramañjari . 1994 . Motilal Banarsidass . 978-81-208-1280-2 . 742–743.
  14. See, e.g., Monier-Williams (1899), "jña," p. 425 (retrieved 14 Aug. 2012 from "Cologne U." at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/MWScanpdf/mw0425-jehila.pdf).
  15. Robert Hume, Mandukya Upanishad, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press, page 370-371
  16. Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Mandukya Upanishad, Oxford University Press, page 34-35
  17. https://www.classicyoga.co.in/2019/02/ayam-atma-brahma/amp/ MAHAVAKYAS, Ayam Atma Brahma: Self is Absolute Entity
  18. Eduard Roer, Mundaka Upanishad Bibliotheca Indica, Vol. XV, No. 41 and 50, Asiatic Society of Bengal, pages 142-164
  19. https://archive.org/stream/upanishadssrisan00sita#page/138/mode/2up Mundaka Upanishad
  20. Sanskrit Dictionary, ayam