Do not compare yourself to others. If you do so, you are insulting yourself.
Adolf Hitler
Tag: Self
Janaka and Ashtavakra
In ancient India there was a King called Janaka, who was also a sage. One day Janaka was taking a nap
on his flower-strewn bed with his servants fanning him and his soldiers standing guard outside his door.
As he dozed off, he had a dream in which a neighboring King defeated him in battle, took him prisoner,
and had him tortured. As soon as the torture began, Janaka woke with a start to find himself lying on his
flower-strewn bed with his servants fanning him and his soldiers on guard.
Once again he dozed off and had the same dream. And once again he woke up to find himself safe and
comfortable in his palace.
Now Janaka began to be disturbed by several thoughts: While he was asleep, the world of his dreams
had seemed so real. Now that he was awake, the world of the senses seemed real. Which of these two
worlds is the real one, he wanted to know.
None of the philosophers, scholars, and seers he consulted could give him an answer. And for many
years he searched in vain, till one day a man called Ashtavakra knocked at the door of the palace. Now,
Ashtavakra means “entirely deformed or crooked,” and he got that name because that is exactly what his
body had been from birth.
At first the King was not disposed to take this man seriously. “How can a misshapen man like you be the
carrier of a wisdom denied to my seers and scholars?” he asked.
“Right from my childhood, all avenues have been closed to me – so I avidly pursued the path of wisdom,”
was Ashtavakra’s reply.
“Speak, then,” said the King.
So this is what Ashtavakra said: “O King, neither the waking state nor the dream state is real. When you
are awake, the world of dreams does not exist and when you dream the world of the senses does not
exist. Therefore, neither is real.”
“If both the waking and the dream states are unreal, then what is real?” asked the King.
“There is a state beyond these two. Discover that. It alone is real.”
aham brahmāsmi I am Brahman or …
aham brahmāsmi – “I am Brahman”, or “I am Divine”
Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 , Yajur Veda
A Mahâvâkya from the Yajurveda
Brhadâranyaka Upanisad 1.4.10
- brahma vâ idam agra âsît, tad âtmânam evâvet, aham brahmâsmi iti; tasmât tat sarvam abhavat.Olivelle (p. 15): “In the beginning this world was only brahman, and it knew only itself (âtman), thinking: ‘I am brahman.‘ As a result, it became the Whole.”
Hume (p. 83): “Verily, in the beginning this world was Brahma. It knew only itself (âtmânam): ‘I am Brahma!’ Therefore it became the All.”
Radhakrishnan (p. 168): “Brahman, indeed, was this in the beginning. It knew itself only as ‘I am Brahman.‘ Therefore it became all.”
A variant of this mahâvâkya is so ‘ham, “I am that,” which in its inverted form hamsa has connections with the goose used as a symbol of the Srngeri monastery founded by the nondualist master Sankara, and with the Paramahamsa line of ascetics tracing their lineage to him and including nondualist teachers such as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
tat tvam asi – That Thou art
tat tvam asi – “Thou art That”
Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7, Sama Veda
A Mahâvâkya from the Sâmaveda
Chândogya Upanisad 6.8.7, etc.
- sa ya eso ‘nimâ aitadâtmyam idam sarvam, tat satyam, sa âtmâ. tat tvam asi, Svetaketo.
- Olivelle (p. 152): “The finest essence here—that constitutes the self of this whole world; that is the truth; that is the self (âtman). And that’s how you are, Svetaketu.”
Hume (p. 246): “That which is the finest essence—this whole world has that as its soul. That is reality (satya). That is Âtman (Soul). That art thou, Svetaketu.”
Radhakrishnan (p. 458): “That which is the subtle essence (the root of all) this whole world has for its self. That is the true. That is the self. That art thou, Sv
How do I know who am I
When I first saw Rabbi Shergill’s video for the song Bulla ki jaana main kaun, I knew instantly that I would be spending more time on it.
After researching the lyrics for 8 hours and listening to it several times to firm up the lyrics, I found my own translation to be the most convincing. Come on folks, I’m not even Punjabi. I even found the guitar tabs here
Baba Bulleh Shah (1680-1758), has surely been an excellent writer of songs. No other song in an unknown langauage would have impressed me more. Though he lived during the time before the printing press, most of what we know about him has come to us through unreliable anecdotes and folklore. The limited authentic historical record, based on sporadic references to events of his life in his poetry and in the writings of his contemporaries, is barely enough for a brief sketch of his life.
I’ll read more – if only I find time. Anyways, here is my translation of the song:
Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Na main moman vich maseetan Neither am I believer in a Mosque Na main vich kufar dian reetan Nor a pagan practising false rites Na main pakan vich paleetan Nor am I the Pure amongst impure Na main andar bed kitaban Neither am I in any Holy Books (Vedas) Na main rehnda phaang sharaban Nor high on any drugs or alochol Na main rehnda mast kharaban Nor am I an idle delinquent Na main shadi na ghamnaki I am neither happy union nor lonely misery Na main vich paleetan pakeen Nor am I pure or impure Na main aaabi na main khaki Nor am I water or earth Na main aatish na main paun Nor am I fire or air Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Na main arabi na lahori I am neither an Arab or a Lahori (Pakistani) Na main hindi shehar Nagauri Nor am I from the (Indian) town of Nagaur Na hindu na turk pashauri Nor am I a Hindu or a Peshawari Turk Na main bhet mazhab de paya I did not create any differences in faiths Na main aadam hawwa jaya Nor do I know of any Adam or Eve Na koi apna naam dharaya I did not name myself Avval aakhar aap nu jana I know only of the Self Na koi dooja hor pacchana and recognise no Other Mai ton na koi hor syana There is nobody wiser than I Bulle shah kharha hai kaun? Bulleshah, who is standing (in your place)? Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Na main moosa na pharaoh Neither am I Moses nor the Pharoah Na main jagan na vich saun Neither am I awake nor asleep Na main aatish na main paun Neither am I am fire nor wind Na main rahnda vich Nadaun Nor do I live in Nadaun Na main baitthan na vich bhaun Neither am I at rest nor in a storm Bulle shah kharha hai kaun? Bulleshah, who is standing (in your place)? Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I