June 13, 2010: Tvam - The Knower

Even though we are currently aiming to understand the meaning of the word 'tvam' in the statement, "tat tvam asi," primarly we have so far only negated all the things that are not meant by this word. The reason for this is simple: understanding what 'tvam' means is relatively straightforward; but it is our constant misidentification with everything we are not that causes confusion. This is why śāstra dwells upon the levels of misidentification by means of upāsanā.

Upāsanā literally means 'sitting near'. Physical upāsanā, like pūjā, involves staying near a form of Bhagavān. Mental upāsanā is dwelling upon a particular subject matter. In the Taittiriīya Upaniṣad, an upāsanā is described, in which one contemplates on all the levels of one's individual identity as being part of a total order. For example, one's physical body is part of the 'food world' that makes up all the bodies in the world, and the prāṇa is part of the cycle of air and energy that sustains all beings. By doing upāsanā like this, the mind is made to dwell upon these different levels of misidentification as being part of the objective universe and different from the subject.

This brings us, finally, to the basic 'I': the core individual who takes on all the roles we saw, from our association with the mind and body, to our relationships with the external world. There are three words we can recall from Tattva-Bodha that will point us to this 'I':

1. स्थूल-सूक्ष्म-कारण-शरीरात् व्यतिरिक्तः : The one who, being 'apart' from the body and mind, objectifies them.
2. पञ्चकोशातीतः : The one who is 'beyond' the levels of identification, in the same way that clay is 'beyond' a pot. Just as there is no pot without the clay, there is no possibility of identification without this 'I'. When this 'I' is present, the rest of the individual comes to life.
3. अवस्थात्रय-साक्षी : We undergo three distinct experiences: waking, sleep, and dream. The very fact that we can recall having experienced all three means that we are separate from them. This 'I' is the one who is not associated with any one state, but knows all three.

From this, we can see that this basic 'I' is simply a knowing individual. Whatever object is placed before it, whether the body, mind, or anything external, this 'I' objectifies it. Even when there is no object present, like in sleep, this 'I' knows at the very least that 'I exist'. In Sanskrit, we say, "Asmi, bhāmi - I exist and I know." Although the existence of the entire personality, as defined by the body and mind, depends on this 'I', 'I' exist independent of anything else. In fact, as we will later see, only when I exist does anything else have an existence. It is this 'knowing I' to which upaniṣad is referring when it says, "Tat tvam asi." In the coming classes, we will take a closer look at this 'I', and of course see how it is equated to that 'tat', the cause of everything.