World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

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purport to teach the identity of the individual self and the supreme Self, what is called jiva-brahma-aikya. The role of the subsidiary texts is to explain the nature of Brahman, the cause-effect relation between Brahman and the world, the condition and constitution of the jiva, and so on, and prepare the ground for the work of the major texts, which directly teach the identity of the jiva and Brahman. There are four major texts representing the four Vedas: "Consciousness is Brahman" (prajñanam brahma), 16 “This Self is Brahman" (ayam atma brahma),17 "That thou art” (tat tvam asi),18 and "I am Brahman" (aham brahmasmi).19 The maha-vakya, “That thou art,” occurs nine times in the sixth chapter of the Chandogya Upanisad. It may be noted that the Upanisad adopts for the purpose of instruction the same technique which we follow in our discourse. We repeat an idea in order to reinforce it; and this is a wellknown experience. Likewise, the repetition of the text is for the purpose of emphasizing its importance. Uddalaka instructs his son how from Being (Sat), one only without a second, the world came into existence. After describing in detail the process of the objective manifestation of the Self of the universe, Uddalaka turns with a dramatic swiftness and says that the universal Self is identical with the Self of Svetaketu, his son, There is only one Self. The Self in the jiva is no other than the Self of the manifested world. Uddalaka expects his son to realize that he is not a finite being limited by the mindsense-body complex. To know the Self is to be the Self. Since one can attain the knowledge of the Self in this life itself, the Upanisads hold the view that liberation, which is the ultimate goal, can be attained here itself.
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