A deeper exploration of consciousness as the unchanging witness, free from attributes, unaffected by the mind, and ever-present as one’s own nature.
Revealing the Self from a unique angle – Mahavakyas
How Swami Tattvavidananda masterfully unfolds the truth in his talks
Let’s complete the tapestry, by exploring how the other Mahāvākyas—Aham Brahmāsmi, Prajñānam Brahma, and Ayam Ātmā Brahma—fit into the same teaching arc as Tat Tvam Asi, Anvaya–Vyatireka, and Adhyāropa–Apavāda. Each one is like a different facet of the same jewel, revealing the Self from a unique angle
🪷 The Four Principal Mahāvākyas in Advaita Vedanta
| Mahāvākya | Translation | Source | Teaching Focus |
| Tat Tvam Asi | “That Thou Art” | Chāndogya Upaniṣad | Identity of Jīva and Brahman |
| Aham Brahmāsmi | “I Am Brahman” | Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad | Direct realization of Self as Brahman |
| Prajñānam Brahma | “Consciousness Is Brahman” | Aitareya Upaniṣad | Nature of Brahman as pure awareness |
| Ayam Ātmā Brahma | “This Self Is Brahman” | Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad | Immediate Self is the Absolute |
🔍 How They Fit Together
- Tat Tvam Asi – Identity through Negation
- Uses Adhyāropa–Apavāda to strip away conditionings (upādhis) of both Tat and Tvam.
- Applies Anvaya–Vyatireka to show that the essence of both is pure awareness.
- Reveals: You are That—not metaphorically, but literally.
- Aham Brahmāsmi – Direct Assertion of Unity
- No dialogue, no metaphor—just I am Brahman.
- Comes after deep inquiry, when the seeker no longer sees separation.
- It’s the culmination of Tat Tvam Asi—the realization becomes personal and experiential.
- Prajñānam Brahma – Nature of Brahman
- Defines Brahman as intelligence-consciousness, not a deity or force.
- Everything—gods, elements, beings—is rooted in awareness.
- This Mahāvākya is the ontological foundation: Brahman is not a thing, but knowing itself.
- Ayam Ātmā Brahma – Immediate Recognition
- Points to the Self within—not distant, not abstract.
- “This very Self” is Brahman—here and now, not after rituals or rebirth.
- It’s the starting point for inquiry and the final realization.
In Practice
Together, these Mahāvākyas guide the seeker through:
- Inquiry (Tat Tvam Asi)
- Recognition (Ayam Ātmā Brahma)
- Understanding (Prajñānam Brahma)
- Realization (Aham Brahmāsmi)
They’re not just statements—they’re meditative revelations. Many teachers recommend contemplating one Mahāvākya deeply until it becomes your lived truth.
🎙️Swami TV’s Approach: Vedantic Pedagogy in Action
(Swami Tattvavidananda unfolds them in his Upadesa Sahasri audio series on YouTube. Upadesa Sahasri – Swami Tattvavidananda (Chapter 19))
- Contextual Clarity Before Revelation
- Swamiji doesn’t rush to assert the Mahāvākya—he builds the seeker’s foundation by addressing the mistaken identity with the body, ego, and intellect.
- He emphasizes how the Mind wrongly assumes doership and suffering, and how Anvaya–Vyatireka and adhyāropa–apavāda clear those misconceptions.
“When you are asleep, where is your doership? That which remains is not the mind—it is awareness. That is the Self.”
- Tat Tvam Asi – The Structural Dissection
- He carefully distinguishes vācya-artha (literal meaning) from lakṣyārtha (implied meaning).
- “Tat” is not a distant God, and “Tvam” is not the ego-self. He helps the listener isolate the essence behind the terms.
- Once upādhis (limiting adjuncts) are negated, what remains is non-dual consciousness.
“The teacher says Tat Tvam Asi not to impose identity but to help you discard both labels and recognize essence.”
- Aham Brahmāsmi – Turning the Light Inward
- Swami TV unfolds this Mahāvākya as the culmination of the seeker’s journey.
- After negating false notions of self, what remains is the realization: I am That.
- He emphasizes that this isn’t poetic—it’s existential truth, born from inquiry.
- Prajñānam Brahma – Knowing as Being
- Swamiji often returns to this Mahāvākya to underscore that Consciousness is not a function—it is reality itself.
- He links this to direct experiences in deep sleep, meditation, and silence, showing how awareness is substratum, not byproduct.
- Ayam Ātmā Brahma – Immediate and Intimate
- He brings the teaching home by pointing to the Self within—not post-death, not in some heaven, but now.
- The seeker is led to recognize that the very awareness reading these words is Brahman.
The Special Human Mind
Basic “Life” even at the minute Microbe level, can function without a “Mind” organ, and has some capacity of understanding “presence, learning and adapting” to environment. The further evolution and development of the Human Mind / brain organ gives rise to infinite possibilities. However, while Mind is “Ignorant” (avidya), it constraints life to habitual (vasana) behavior and remain limited in transaction level “samsara”. With the glimpse of awareness of the spiritual being, the human Mind becomes a witness to activities of mind and body and the “Awakening” happens leading to enquiring into the unchanging “Self” and then desire to be totally free/”moksha”. It is mentioned that Swami Dayananda said that the “world of microcosm is more wonderous than macrocosm”. Spend time to contemplate on that.
My wonder and amazement continues to grow at this amazing Ishvara’s creation, in which the “universal intelligence” permeates and manifests in the minutest of organic “life forms” that have NO “MINDs” but display a sense of “presence, learning and adaptation”!! It is a wonder of interdependence of life forms worth contemplating on.
Microbes, often invisible to the naked eye, are remarkable living beings that play crucial roles in the balance of ecosystems. These tiny organisms, which include bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa (protists) and virsuses, thrive in almost every habitat on Earth—from the depths of the oceans to the human body. Despite their small size, microbes are incredibly diverse and adaptable, capable of surviving extreme conditions like high temperatures, acidity, and pressure. While some microbes are responsible for diseases, the vast majority are beneficial.
They are vital for processes such as decomposing organic matter, cycling nutrients , and even producing oxygen (50% of our needs!). In the human body, microbes contribute to digestion, immunity, and overall health. Their ability to interact with and transform their environment makes microbes fundamental to life as we know it.
All living beings have DNA code. However, Viruses which can have either DNA or RNA codes are not accepted as Living, because they need a Host cell to execute their functions of metabolism and duplication.
Humans have studied and applied Microbes in many ways (and more to come). They are used in food production, such as fermentation of yogurt, cheese, and bread. In biotechnology, microbes are employed to produce pharmaceuticals (e.g penicillin, DNA analysis), biofuels, and other valuable compounds. Furthermore, they are utilized in environmental remediation to clean up pollution and in the development of new diagnostic tools and therapies for human diseases (e.g. targeting cancer cells).
If curious and amazed, see this document for more info.
However, due to AVIDYA (not knowing about the “Self” ). The Veiling (“Awarna”) power of Maya leading to deluded Projections (“Vikshepa”) power that lead to insecurity and entrapment in the world of Names and Forms.
Then the Body and Mind’s presence and activity become major obstacles to spiritual growth. Assumptions such as:
- I am the physical BODY, My strength, my health etc taken as Me.
- IMAGE of a “personality” in the mind.
- “Role” assumed, Father, Boss, Master (all changing),
- holding onto Name and Fame
- capability of Memory, Intellect (scholarships) etc
- “Becoming” something is wasted energy
- not “happy” with some aspect, or “bored” and so wanting to “change”
- invokes minds activity in new process and subsequent bodily actions and commitments
- keeps one “busy” in side-ways activities, not making progress
- scholarship in history of spirituality, or sanskrit is wrong direction
- Karma and Bhakti (in triangular format) assume relegation to be a limited being
- “Contradicting” behavior, makes feel guilty, sad etc, and waste more energy and will power
- Wanting to become spiritual but still engaged in hobbies, and clubs and not progressing
- Habitual / Mechanical behavior in thinking and acting based on learned Impressions (Vasana) just because “reacting” is easier than “acting” with attention. This leads to likely inappropriate actions leading more consequences (more karma).
- Indifference – Treating Spirituality as just another task. e.g. Vedanta club.
- Not appropriate Value – Relegating spiritual learning as background, and in the future at old age.
Humans have been blessed with a “powerful” mind capable of many specialized tasks for interactions and transactions. AND also, to just be “silent” and “reflect” like a clean mirror, the “Light of Awareness” within. This is key to spiritual development and Discovery of the Self. This quality of the human mind distinguishes itself from all other life forms known in creation.
For the purpose of Transactions and Samsara the mind functions are very essential and all can be fine tuned to facilitate better transactions.
a) Memory capacity and quickness – short and long term memory of “names and forms”
b) Intellect helps learn accumulated knowledge of fact, figures, events that have occurred in the past. it also helps in discernment/Viveka between facts.
c) Emotions substantiates “knowledge” with “feelings” to helps deeper “experiencing” of knowledge and events.
d) Observation and Recollections helps analyze the repeated/habitual actions of the body and thoughts in the mind for “improvement” of interactions and relationships.
e) Commitment and Goal pursuing keeps focus and passion towards improvement.
f) Confidence in Self worth (image) to remain confident in easy and difficult situations.
All the above (and more) skills developed positively can help in ‘Samsara/interactions of worldly transactions”.
However, on the spiritual journey of Self-discovery (and Human minds have the unique property), to WITNESS oneself that, I am NOT the MIND (and I AM not the BODY), I AM (beyond the Body-Mind), a spiritual being as the center/ ground, embodied in a body-mind complex. For that understanding, many of ” transactional capabilities” of mind become a hinderance as well as stumbling blocks or even total obstacles that some cannot get over!
For spiritual progress we need to discover and abide in, I AM –
- I am the Witness (Sakshi) to the functioning of my body and mind
- Beyond SPACE (Body space, makes one limited in space). I exist (sat) is all that is needed
- Beyond TIME Any Minds activity (thoughts) creates a sense of movement in TIME. I am Light of Awareness (Chit)
- Beyond opposites (Happy/unhappy) I am Fullness (diminished Raga/Dwesha), Completeness, Fearless. In synch with Thoughts, actions, and speech.
- I am Alert, in the present moment unaffected by any Habitual behavior (Vasana, or past Karma)
- I am FREE always. Nothing/no one can stop me.
- Expression of life as LOVE and Compassion. See the spiritual beings in all things, and interact at that level primarily
- Silent Mind, Abiding in the Self, in the Light of Awareness and PEACE
The means/sadhana to discover the above Truth requires the Mind to have the following steps as described in the Sadhana Chatustaya
- Viveka – Clarity of the mind to discern between Atma (non-changing) from Anatma (changing substances e.g. body, mind, nature)
- Vairagya – Dispassion towards the changing material world to focus on the unchanging
- Sad Sampat – Developing the 6 fold mental qualities of Shama (tranquility), Dhama (sense control), Uparati (withdrawal of outer), Titiksha (forbearance, endurance), Shradda (firm faith), Samadhana (concentration)
- Mumukshutvam (strong longing for liberation).
