Chapter 2 - Knowledge of the Self

‘The infinite and eternal truth, Brahman, pervades the whole universe, the visible and the invisible. If the visible be taken away, (if the perceptible phenomena be destroyed) that which will be left is the Infinite. May we realize the Infinite in this life; may we attain to that truth and enjoy peace for ever.

Peace, peace, peace to all living creatures’.—(A Hymn to Peace of the Upanishads, Isha and Brihadaranyaka.)

The knowledge of God is not so commonly spoken of in India as the knowledge of the true Self. Self-knowledge reveals the knowledge of the real nature of the Absolute and of the supreme Deity. Ordinarily, we use the word ‘self’ in the sense of ego, but the term ‘Self-knowledge’ does not mean mere knowledge of the ego. The ego in us is the actor, thinker, and perceiver. That which performs all the functions of the body and mind, is generally known as ‘I’ or ego; but it is only the reflection of the absolute -Brahman, which is the source of all intelligence. The ego is the image of that divine spark within us, which gives it vitality and makes it do all works, mental and physical. So, when we speak of Self-knowledge, we do not mean simply the knowledge of the lower animal self or ego, but also of the higher Self.

The higher Self is the same as the Absolute which lies at the foundation of the phenomenal universe. The absolute Substance or Brahman is beyond space and time; consequently, it is formless and unchangeable. When it manifests itself as an individualized, self-conscious entity, it is known as the ego. It also appears as the object of consciousness; then it is called matter. The absolute Being, however, is neither matter nor is it the same as ego. It forms the background of our ego; therefore, it is our true Self. When we have realized it, we have known God as well as the relation which the phenomenal universe bears to Him; and the best method of becoming conscious of this absolute Being is through the realization of our true Self, or Atman, as it is called in Sanskrit.

Some people think that self-annihilation is the ideal of the Vedanta philosophy, but it is not so. The true Self, according to Vedanta, can never be destroyed. If self-annihilation were the ideal, then the Self would be subject to change and destruction; it could not be the same as tile absolute Being. The Vedanta philosophy on the contrary, teaches that the true Self is absolutely indestructible and unchangeable. How is it then possible for anyone to think of its annihilation? Destruction of Self is just as impossible as the destruction of the Absolute; therefore self-annihilation cannot be the highest aim and ideal of life.

Self-knowledge alone helps us to realize the absolute Truth and to attain perfection. It is considered to be the highest wisdom. When Socrates asked the Delphian Oracle: ‘What is the highest knowledge?’ the answer came: ‘Know thy Self.’ By the word ‘self’ here is meant not merely the ego, but the true Self. The same knowledge of the real Self has been glorified in India from the most ancient Vedic period. Vedanta, the rationalistic portion of the Vedas, describes this Self-knowledge as the highest ideal of life. If we wish to know God, we must first know our true Self; we must ask within ourselves, who and what we are in reality, where we have come from, and what becomes of us after death? These questions are of vital importance. Ordinary people cannot solve such problems, their minds are too busy with the affairs of the phenomenal world. But an earnest seeker after Truth, who is discontented with the knowledge of material objects, wishes to go below the surface of phenomenal appearances and does not stop until the ultimate goal, the Reality, which underlies all phenomena, is discovered. His aim is to find the correct solution of these problems by knowing the true nature of his ego as well as of the universe. He may start with the objective world, but gradually, as he advances step by step and reaches farther and farther in his search after Truth, he comes back in the end to his own Self. Because the true Self is the centre of the universe. The phenomenal world, which consists of the objects of senseperception, may be compared to a grand circle, the circumference of which lies in the gross material forms and the innermost centre of which is Atman, the true Self.

The nature of this true Self, according to Vedanta, is infinite. It is neither limited by time nor conditioned by space relations. The scriptures describe God as the centre of the universe, but Vedanta says that Self or Atman is also the centre of the universe, and that the true Self is one with Divinity. The moment that we realize the divine Self within us, we understand that the realm of the same Atman extends to the sun, moon, stars, and even to the most distant planets, the light from which takes hundreds and thousands of years to reach us. Wherever there is existence, whether on the physical or mental plane, there is also the manifestation of this divine Self. That by which we know the existence of the external world, by which we are conscious of our bodies, sense, and mental powers, is our true Self. It is not far from us, yet it is beyond the reach of mind and intellect. The Self is thus described in the fourth verse of the Isha Upanishad: ‘It (the Self) is beyond all vibration and motion. It is one, and swifter than mind. The senses never reached it, it transcended them all. Though standing still, it overtakes the mind and sense which are running fast. It is the source of all mental activities, sense-powers and the various forces of nature’.^[1]

Modern science tells us that the whole world is the product of matter and material forces. Matter, again, as we have seen in the first chapter, is nothing but a certain state of motion or vibration of some substance, the true nature of which is unknown and unknowable. Every particle of the universe is in constant motion or vibration. That which we call heat or light, sound or taste, odour, touch or any object of sense-perception, is nothing but a state of vibration of the same unknown substance. Sir William Crookes says: ‘At thirty-two vibrations per second, it is shown that we have the first beginning of audible sound, and that sound ceases to be audible when it reaches to something less than thirty-three thousand vibrations in a second. The vibrations of heat and light rays are almost inconceivably more rapid. They are expressed in no fewer than fifteen figures, whilst the vibrations within a single second of the recently discovered radium are expressed in more than nine millions of millions of millions.’ The whole world consists in the vibration of atoms, or the most minute particles of material substance, but, above and beyond all this vibration, there exists the absolute Reality, the true Self, which is the source of knowledge, intelligence and consciousness. It is through this Self that we know that there is such a thing as vibration.

Here the question rises: Who is it that knows that the world is a mass of vibration? Does vibration know itself? It cannot. ‘Motion produces nothing but motion.’ This is one of the laws of nature which has been confirmed, by modern scientists. Motion cannot produce knowledge. Knowledge is something which is not the effect of motion or vibration; but it is that which enlightens our minds and makes us see and understand that there is such a thing as motion or vibration. Therefore, the Upanishad says: ‘That which does not vibrate is our true Self’. Search within and see where is that which does not vibrate, but which is the Knower of all vibrations and actions.

‘It goes faster than mind’. We know that mind is the fastest thing in the world; thought travels faster than electricity, or any other current that exists on the physical plane. Sir William Crookes reasons that ‘the thought vibrations which issue from the brain may really have their beginning at a point where it becomes no longer possible to estimate the vibrations which are caused by the most subtle forces of physical nature.’ Further-more, he adds: ‘If we can any way realize the concept of a force which is capable of creating thousands of trillions of vibrations in a second, and if we add to this idea that the velocity of these vibrations is equalled by their rapidity, we see easily enough that thought may put a girdle about the earth in an infinitesimal fraction of time’.

We can exchange messages by wireless telegraphy between here and England or any other part of the world, but thought transference is quicker than wireless telegraphy. The mind of a person who is sitting here can go straight into the sun, or beyond the sun into the infinite space where the ordinary force of electricity will not reach perhaps—even there the mind can run in the shortest interval of time. Time exists in mind. What is time? Time means succession in thought.^[2] When one thought rises after another, the interval between them is what we call time, so it is subject to mental activity. That which is swifter than mind is the true Self. Our real Self can go quicker than thought-current and even where mind cannot reach. It travels everywhere. Self or Atman forms the background of the mind, therefore the Self is quicker and faster than the activity of the mind. Mind can go nowhere without depending upon the Self, the Knower. It remains absolutely inactive when it is separated from the Self.

‘The senses never reached it, it transcended them all’. The senses cannot reveal it; sense-powers cannot express the true nature of the Self, because they are limited by time and space, while the knower of time and space must necessarily be beyond the reach of the senses. When we see the sun, the very sight depends upon self-consciousness; that is, we must be conscious of the fact that we are seeing something, and that consciousness must depend upon our true Self. The sun will not be seen, if our mind and eyes are separated and cut off from Self, the source of knowledge, intelligence and consciousness. Depending upon that source of consciousness and intelligence, our mind works, our senses perform their functions, and the body moves. Therefore, the Isha Upanishad continues: ‘It (Self) moves and it moves not; it is far and likewise near. It is inside and also outside of all this’.^[3] When the body moves, the source of intelligence, or our true Self, appears as moving, but in reality it does not move. Where will it go? It cannot go anywhere. When we move a jar from one place to another, the space within the jar appears to be moving; but does the space move in reality? No. What is it then that moves? We do not know; the form appears to be moving, but the form again is limitation in space. It may be said: ‘If space does not move, then the form cannot move’. It seems to be like a puzzle; when we try to answer it, at every step, we meet with insoluble problems.

The whole of life is a mystery. We endeavour to find some explanation by studying nature, but nature puts us into more confusion. Science does not help us; she takes us up to a certain point and there she leaves us without showing anything beyond, without telling us what to do and where to go. Such is the condition of our relative knowledge. When properly analysed, it appears to be a partial expression of the absolute knowledge, which is the real nature of the true Self. Relative knowledge, however, will not help us in solving the riddles of the universe. If we wish to know the ultimate Truth of the world, we must go beyond nature and seek the explanation in the realm of the Absolute. Nature is called in Sanskrit maya, She deludes us, yet we are living in nature, and our body, senses, and mind are parts of nature. The more we study nature, the more we are deluded; we do not come to any final solution.. Scientists have arrived at certain conclusions, which are like conclusions, in which nothing is concluded. Science tells us that ultimate goal of everything is unknown and unknowable. Here Vedanta comes and advises its students to study not merely nature, but our Self or Atman; then, all confusion will be removed and the absolute Truth will be reached.

Nature makes us see that the Self moves—when the body is in motion, but in reality the Self is immovable. Nature makes us feel that Self is very far from us, but it is the nearest thing that we have, nearer than this body and mind, which we consider to be the nearest; our true Self, however, is in reality the nearest of all. ‘It dwells in everything as its soul or inner nature, yet it is outside of everything’.^[4] How can that be? If it dwells inside, how can it dwell outside? Space exists inside as well as outside. Take the space within this room which is confined by its walls. This space appears as inside the room; but what are the walls, are they separate from space? No. They exist in and through space, they are nothing but space. The space of the walls limits the space that is inside the room; but does it limit in reality? No. It is outside also. Can we limit the infinite space? By no means. Similarly, if we try to limit our Self by our mind, we fail, because mind is not large and strong enough to keep the Self out; sense-powers cannot limit it; physical forms can never divide it; because each one of these exists as related to the Self. The Self or Atman, when properly realized, appears as unlimited and infinite. We say that we are finite beings, but in reality we are not finite. There is only one infinite Existence which expresses itself through finite forms. As finite forms, existing in space, cannot live outside of it, so all these various individuals live in and through that infinite space of Reality which is called the absolute Self.

‘He who realizes all beings in the Self, and the Self in all animate and inanimate objects of the universe, never hates anything or any being’.^[5] Hatred proceeds from imperfect relative knowledge, which makes us perceive objects as separate from one another. But, when we see our true Self in others, how can we hate another without hating our own Self. As it is impossible to hate our true Self, so it would be impossible to hate the Self of any being. This is one of the results of Self-knowledge. Where Self-knowledge is, there can remain no feeling of hatred. When hatred is gone, jealousy and all other selfish feelings, which we call wicked, disappear. What remains? The ordinary love, which stands in opposition to hatred, vanishes; but divine love begins to reign in the heart of the seer. True love means the expression of oneness. As love for body makes us feel one with the body, so love for the true Self makes us feel one with the true Self; and, if we see that Self in others, we cannot help loving them as we love our Self. Now we understand the meaning of ‘love thy neighbour as thyself.’ It is not an extraordinary teaching. Vedanta has always taught this truth. People of the Western world say that Christ was the only one who ever taught in this way, but they do not know that this is the very foundation of the ethics of Vedanta.

Love means the expression of oneness in thought, word and deed. ‘Where all beings have become one with the Self, what delusion, what sorrow can there be to him, who has once realized this unity?’^[6] Self-knowledge leads to realization of oneness with all beings. When all beings appear as parts of one universal Self, there is neither delusion, nor fear, nor sorrow, because there can exist no other thing outside of Self or Atman for which one can grieve or from which one can suffer. Sorrow and fear arise so long as there is the sense of duality or multiplicity. If all objects of fear and sorrow become one with the all-pervading divine Self, then fear and sorrow must vanish. But so long as we think of other beings which exist outside of our Self, we cannot avoid grief and suffering which arise on their account. In absolute oneness, however, there cannot remain fear, sorrow, suffering, separation, or self-delusion. This is another result of Self-knowledge.

Some people may think that Vedanta teaches us to be selfish, but this is far from being true. The self becomes dead; the lower self vanishes, and, with its disappearance, all selfishness is destroyed. The word ‘Self’ must not be taken for lower self of selfishness. It stands for Atman, the higher Self, which is our divine nature. There is no other expression in English by which we can convey the real meaning of Atman. We shall avoid confusion, therefore, if we use the Sanskrit word Atman to express our true Self. Then, no one will mistake it for selfishness. ‘The Atman has pervaded all, effulgent, incorporeal, scatheless, untouched by brain or nerve centres, pure, sinless, a poet (kavi), wise, omnipresent, self-existent, he has disposed all things aright for eternity’.^[7] That Atman (Self), who is the centre of the universe, is all-pervading. Wherever our mind goes, there goes the Atman, It is the source of the light of intelligence; it is pure, spotless, sinless. Here you will notice that Vedanta teaches that we are not born in sin and iniquity, but that our Atman or true Self is sinless. By this it does not encourage us to do sinful acts, but it tells us that the moment one acquires Self-knowledge, from that moment one ceases to do anything wicked. The Atman is in the body, but it has no body. It is formless, that is, beyond gross and subtle forms. There are forms which we cannot see except through the most powerful microscope. Even such minutest forms do not affect the Self. It is absolutely beyond all forms; but at the same time it can appear in any form, and all forms exist in it.

Atman is beyond all nervous activity, or the function of the brain. The materialists maintain that, when brain and nerve centres vibrate, self-consciousness is produced. But Vedanta contradicts their statement by saying: ‘It is beyond the reach of nerve centres and untouched by brain powers.’ It is not affected by the changes of the body; there may be variations in the colour or form of the physical body, or the body may be diseased or have some part mutilated, but that disease or mutilation will not produce any change in the true Self or Atman. Therefore, Self-knowledge makes one free from nervousness and other physical ailments.

The word ‘kavi’ means poet, and also means the seer of things. Self is described as the greatest poet of the universe; this is one of the most beautiful expressions and attributes that can be given to Divinity—He is the poet, His poetry is the universe. He is also described as the greatest artist. His art we see in the sunrise and sunset. The sun, moon and stars are nothing but the paintings on infinite space by the hand of the almighty Artist.

True Self or Atman is above good and evil, beyond virtue and vice. Some people ask: How can it be above good and evil? Others say: It is only good. Good and evil, however, are two relative terms; evil exists in relation to good, and we cannot separate the one from the other. If we wish to take good, we shall have to take evil also. So with virtue and vice; one cannot exist without being related to the other. The absolute Self is above all relativity; therefore, it is above good and evil, beyond virtue and vice. ‘There is no other seer than this Atman, no other knower.’ Who can be the knower of the universe? There is one eternal Knower who knows the existence of all objects, and the knower in us is only a part of that eternal Knower or God. The vast majority of mankind do not know this great truth; the preachers do not teach it, because they themselves do not understand it. God is the Knower of all, then the Knower in us is a part of God. Vedanta tells us to realize the individual knower first; then will the Knower of the universe be known.

The Atman or true Self is never the object of knowledge, but it is always the subject. The cosmic or universal Knower is the same as that which people worship as God. Thus, by the light of Vedanta, we can see God close to our souls; but in the scriptures of special religions He is made remote, He is driven far out of our reach. Vedanta brings Him nearer than anything we possess. Although this Atman is all-pervading, yet it is beyond everything; it dwells in all things, still it is not the same as anything. It is never affected by phenomenal conditions. It transcends the changes of nature, yet it permeates nature. It is its own cause; in it cause and effect are identical. The Atman has no cause, yet it is the cause of all; and, at the same time, it is beyond the law of cause and effect. The Self has existed by itself from the beginningless past and will continue to exist throughout eternity; no one can see its beginning or its end, because beginning and end refer to time, and our search after them, being within the sphere of mental activity, is also subject to time. We may search for the beginning and end of the phenomenal universe, but as the Atman (Self) is above all thought and beyond time and space, it can have neither end nor beginning.

‘It is all-knowing.’ All relative knowledge is only a partial expression of that wisdom which constitutes the nature of the Atman. Now, we see that the attributes which people generally give to God, such as, He is omniscient, omnipotent, all-pervading, eternal, infinite, are also given by Vedanta to the Atman or true Self. True Self is the soul of our souls. Self-knowledge reveals that the attributes of God are also the attributes of the Atman. ‘Those who do not realize this true Self, dwell in the darkness of ignorance and go through the misery and sufferings which exist in that darkness’.^[8] They are always fearful and unhappy. They fear death and everything that threatens their earthly existence, and they make their life miserable by attaching themselves to a particular form of manifestation which they are afraid of losing. They love senseenjoyments and worldly pleasures, they feel disappointed and discontented, if they do not find these, and they consider that this earthly life has no other higher aim or ideal. The life of such persons is nothing but a continuous chain of fear and unhappiness. Those who are rich, fear loss of fortune; those who have reputation and high position, are afraid of losing them; while every man or woman suffers from the fear of disease and death. Do you suppose that these people will ever enjoy true happiness on this earth? No. They alone are truly happy, who have become absolutely free from fear. Perfect happiness comes and all fear is conquered when Self-knowledge is gained. For this reason each one of us ought to make constant efforts to acquire it in this life. The light of Self-knowledge dispels the darkness of ignorance and frees us from fear, sorrow, misery, birth, and death, as also from bondage, imperfection, and delusion, which proceed from ignorance.

This ignorance is likewise the mother of selfishness. It has the power to veil the divine and absolute Atman and to make us identify our true Self with the material body. Thus, when forced by the inscrutable power of ignorance (avidya), we forget our real Self, think of ourselves as the sons or daughters of mortals, we become finite and subject to such limitations as are understood by the term ‘selfishness’. Self-knowledge destroys ignorance and makes one absolutely unselfish. Blessed is he who lives in the sunshine of Self-knowledge, having risen above the clouds of fear and selfishness, which gather in the night of ignorance. What is this world? It is produced by ignorance and bound by fear. Knowledge of the Self destroys all worldliness, brings spiritual strength, and makes one fearless, as God is fearless. Does He fear anything? How can He? The moment we realize that God dwells in us, how can we fear? How can we have fear of death, when we know that death merely means a change from one body into another, and that our true Self or Atman is unchangeable? Those who do not possess Self-knowledge are miserable, and will be born again and again on this plane of ignorance until they have learned to realize their true Self.

Self-knowledge is the only source of happiness; it will lead to perfection and freedom. You may seek freedom, but how can you obtain it when you have become a slave of fear and earthly conditions? You are a part of Divinity. Feel it, realize it, and all these ties will drop away, and you will be free. The attainment of this freedom through Self-knowledge will bring to you the realization of your oneness with Divinity. Then, you will be able to say: ‘That light which I see in the sun is in me; and that which is in me, is in the sun. I am the Lord of the body,’ senses, and mind, and I am also the Lord of all phenomenal objects’.

‘I am the light of the universe, through me shine the sun, moon, stars, and the lightening. I have realized my true Self. I have realized the true Self of the universe and therefore I am one with the Absolute’.^[9]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Isha-Upanishad, 1.4.

[2]:

Swami Abhedananda: Doctrine of Karma, p. 53, and Path of Realization, p. 14.

[3]:

Isha-Upanishad, 1.5.

[4]:

Ibid. 1.6.

[5]:

Ibid. 1.7.

[6]:

Ibid. 1.8.

[7]:

Ibid. 1.3 [1.9?].

[8]:

Ibid. 1.3 [1.19?] and Mundaka-Upanishad, 2.19.

[9]:

A hymn to Peace of the Kaushitaki-Upanishad.