The brihadAraNyaka Upanishad tells us,
ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्तदात्मानमेवावेत् । अहं ब्रह्मास्मीति । — 1.4.10, brihadAraNyaka Upanishad
Meaning: “This (self) indeed was brahman in the beginning. It knew only Itself as ‘I am brahman.’”
What appears before us in the world is not an independent material reality, but a reflection (ābhāsa) of brahman. brahman alone is the ultimate reality (vastu), and the universe is Its manifest appearance. Therefore, that which perceives is brahman, and that which is perceived is also brahman.
In daily life, the mind acts as the seer and the external world appears as the seen. The mind assigns labels and categories—spouse, family, rivers, trees—generating mental concepts (nāma) that are projected outward as solid objects (rūpa).
Recognizing that both the observer and the observed share the same source, a Self-realized person looks at the world with the immediate understanding: “In perceiving the world, I am beholding myself.” An ordinary mind, blinded by ignorance, sees only division—a fragmented world of separate objects: tables, chairs, walls, and other people.
आत्मानमेवावेत् … | — 1.4.10, BU.
Meaning “It knew only Itself.”
To experience spiritual health is to realize that all objective experience is self-cognition. So long as we view the world as something separate from ourselves, ignorance remains unhealed.
To understand how Consciousness perceives itself without dualism, consider a simple everyday experience: looking into a mirror.
When you look into a mirror, what do you see? You see a face. But where is your actual face located? It remains on your shoulders. The image appearing inside the mirror frame seems like a second entity, yet you instantly recognize it as yourself.
In physical mirrors, two conditions are required for a reflection to occur:
- An original object standing outside the mirror.
- A reflective surface inside which the image appears.
Now, apply this to Consciousness. Can there be an “outside” to Consciousness?
No. Unlike a physical glass mirror, Consciousness is infinite, dimensionless, and unbounded like space (cidākāsha). Because Consciousness has no boundary, nothing can exist outside It.
This leads to an apparent paradox: If nothing exists outside Consciousness, where is the “original object” being reflected?
If we hold strictly to the rule that no reflection can exist without an original object, we must conclude that the object cannot be outside the mirror. Both the object and its reflection must reside entirely within Consciousness itself.
How can both be inside the same locus? Consciousness simply assumes two simultaneous roles:
- As the Seer (Subject): It functions as the original object/Knower.
- As the Seen (Object): It functions as the reflection/Known.
Because the Seer and the reflection share the exact same space, whenever Consciousness perceives anything, It is simply seeing Itself.
For perception to take place, however, a functional distinction must arise between the Seer and the Seen:
- The Seen must possess a finite, boundary-defined form (rūpa).
- The Seer must remain entirely formless.
Why must the Seer be formless?
Consider the act of eyesight itself. Your physical eyes see objects, but what about the “power of vision” itself?
Vision itself has no color, shape, or weight. If your vision possessed a fixed form—say, if it were permanently blue or solid—it could not clearly perceive other forms and colors. Because vision is formless, it can accommodate every form. Similarly, because Consciousness is formless, it can shine upon and register every finite object.
Objects with fixed forms—tables, chairs, walls, bodies—cannot perceive; they can only be perceived. You, as the formless Knower, perceive all things; as the known form, you are perceived.
This brings us to the core non-dual realization:
- The Seer (the observer) is Consciousness (Ātmā).
- The Seen (the observed world) is Consciousness (Ātmā).
- The Mirror (the medium of awareness) is Consciousness (Ātmā).
All three are one indivisible Reality. In technical Vedantic terms, the division between subject, object, and process collapses:
- pramAtA (the Knower / Seer)
- prameya (the Known / Reflection)
- pramANa (the Means of Knowing / Mirror)
These are not three separate entities. They are the single, non-dual expression of pure Knowledge (pramā)—the undivided Self
This is the basis of the Advaita philosophy, and has to be assimilated thoroughly, whatever text one may follow.
तस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवत् । — 1.4.10, BU.
Meaning: “Therefore It became all.”
Because brahman perceived everything as Itself, everything became Itself. It became simultaneously the seer, the seen, and the act of vision. In this Non-dual state, all phenomena are recognized as ĀtmA; nothing exists apart from It.
Is there any historical precedent or evidence for such realization? The Upanishad confirms that there is:
यो यो देवानां प्रत्यबुध्यत स एव तदभवत्तथर्षीणां तथा मनुष्याणां तद्धैतत्पश्यनृषिर्वामदेवः प्रतिपेदेऽहं मनुरभवं सूर्यश्चेति । — 1.4.10, BU.
Meaning: “And whoever among the gods knew It as ‘I am brahman’ became That; and the same with sages and also with human beings. The sage Vamadeva, while realizing the Self as That, knew, ‘I was Manu, and the Sun.’”
तदिदमप्येतर्हि य एवं वेदाहं ब्रह्मास्मीति स इदं सर्वं भवति तस्य ह न देवाश्चनाभूत्या ईशते । — 1.4.10, BU.
Meaning: “And to this day whoever in like manner knows It as ‘I am brahman,’ becomes all this.”
This ultimate attainment is not restricted by cosmic status or era. It was realized by the celestial gods, by exalted sages like Pippalada—who became a brahmarṣi through this direct knowledge—and by human beings such as Emperor Janaka.
The sage Vamadeva experienced this immediate, intuitive realization (sarvātmabhāva) while still in the womb, directly knowing: “I am the Sun, I am Manu, I am all.” Crucially, the mantra assures us that this realization is not a relic of antiquity; anyone today who realizes “Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi” becomes all this.
To be brahman is to experience one’s own Presence everywhere—unconditioned by time, space, or substance.
Attaining this requires absolute commitment, unbroken attention, and unwavering resolve. Without these, the true depth of Non-duality remains an abstract concept rather than a lived reality. As Sri Krishna cautions in the Bhagavad Gita:
मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।
यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ — 7.3, Bhagavad Gita
Meaning: Among thousands of men, one perchance strives for perfection; even among those who strive and are perfect, only one perchance knows Me in truth. (Tr. A.M. Sastri)
Out of countless seekers, only a rare few commit to the relentless effort required to know Reality in truth.
The fundamental obstacle to this realization is dehātmabhāva — the habituated, instinctive identification of the Self with the physical body, its desires, and its transient relationships. We have rehearsed this delusion lifetime after lifetime, reinforcing it until it feels like our natural state.
Similarly, the physical body drops away when the life-force (prāṇa) departs. By itself, prāṇa is inert (jaḍa); it lacks independent sentience. But if during life that life-force becomes grounded in Pure Knowledge (jñāna—Consciousness), it breaks free from body-limitation and transcends death.
To break free from body-consciousness, one must undertake the contemplation (upāsanā) that “I am the all-pervasive Ātmā.” Understanding these words intellectually is simple; realizing their true import is profound work. The non-dual message must be heard (śravaṇa), reflected upon (manana), and continuously contemplated (nididhyāsana) without interruption until it settles as our natural, immediate experience.
The brihadAraNyaka Upanishad issues a stern warning to those who remain stuck in dualistic worship.
(To Continue … Part – 41 (briha 3))