UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS

The Self, or Atman, is an essence of Universal Consciousness. It is also Paramatman, Brahman, or the Supreme Self.  According to Kaushitaki Upanishad (1.2), during the conversations between Sage Aruni and his son Svetaketu with King Chitra Gargyayani, "I am You" denotes "I" because "Atman" is the same as "Paramatman". The Upanishad expresses the Vedantic idea of Atman and Brahman being one. The route to Brahman serves as the scene. After leaving the phenomenal frame in the worldly dimension, Atman, or Self, travels to the moon, where it may either continue its journey to higher elevations of consciousness up to the highest level of Consciousness, or Brahman, or be reborn in this world, according to Kaushitaki Upanishad (1.2). As one becomes more detached from the sense-perceived attachments of the phenomenal world, there is an increase in the ability to recognise Oneness, as expressed in various texts: "I am awareness" (Ashtavakra Gita, 1.13-1.14); "I am He, the Purusha within thee" (Isha Upanishad, Verse 16); "I am Brahman" (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 1.4.10); "Consciousness is Brahman" (Aitareya Upanishad, 3.3); "I am that" (Ashtavakra Gita, 2.1-2.3); "I am you" (Kaushitaki Upanishad, 1.2); and "This Self is Brahman" (Mandukya Upanishad, 1.2). Self-luminous, unattached, unbounded, unconditioned, unfathomable, uncaused, spotless, eternal, self-effulgent, pure consciousness, and the eternal, imperishable, and pure essence of the Supreme Self are all attributes of this Self. I am you; it is at last here. It is the final phase of Atman's elevatory journey. At this point, Brahman encounters and tests Atman by posing the question, "Who are you?" according to Kaushitaki Upanishad. By accurately responding to the questions, "I am You," Atman exhibits its understanding of the Highest Truth. This demonstrates how Atman and Paramatman, or Brahman, the Supreme Self, are fundamentally inseparable and one. 

1. Outline 

Kaushitaki Upanishad (1.2), while delving into ‘I am you,’ elucidates in the following manner: "O seasons, from the Resplendent (moon), the seed has been gathered as it was falling from the fifteen-fold (the half lunar month) from the home of the fathers. Therefore, please consider me as a man who can act as an agent. With the man as an agent, a mother infused me. I am born, being born forth as the twelfth or thirteenth succeeding month by means of the twelvefold or thirteenfold father (the year). In the knowledge of that am I; for the knowledge of the opposite am I. So strive, O seasons, to make me immortal; by that truth, by that austerity, I am a season. I am of the season. Who are you? ‘I am you.’ He lets him go further. Brahman, or the Supreme Self, responds, "Who am I?" Atman replies, "Satyam," or "Truth" (Kaushitaki Upanishad, 1.2). In the conversation, Atman progresses to higher states of consciousness and eventually reaches Supreme Consciousness, which is also referred to as Brahman, Absolute Existence, or Ultimate Reality. As one reaches the pinnacle of Consciousness, or Brahman, the dialogue continues. As a manifestation of its enlightened understanding of its actual nature, Atman responds with a string of affirmations that end with the statement, "What you are, that am I." "I am you." It encapsulates the core Advaita Vedanta (non-duality) Upanishadic teaching. It emphasises Brahman's Oneness by saying, "I am you." Brahman, the Universal Self, is the one with whom Atman identifies. This signifies the soul's understanding that the seeming separation between God and themselves is a delusion. The ability of Atman to respond to "The Truth" is ultimate knowledge, signifying its achievement of Moksha, or liberation. This knowledge is a direct, experiential realisation of its fundamental identity as an eternal, unchanging reality that transcends intellectual comprehension. The dialogue expresses that the true self is not the body, senses, or mind, but rather Consciousness that underpins all existence, transcending the individual's psycho-physical structure. Atman has realised his connection to the universal consciousness by overcoming his embodied limitations. "I am the season, and the child of the seasons..." is an additional example. Self is the light, which stands for all elements and living things. "What thou art, that am I." You are self. After that, Brahman asks, "Who am I?" "Satyam", or "The Truth", is Atman's response. The deeper significance of the discussion demonstrates a change in perception from false beliefs to reality, from transient to permanent truths, from ephemeral to eternal, and from changing to constant, including all-knowing, all-powerful It acknowledges that existence is indivisible and one. Overcoming the duality of "I" and "you" and realising their common, non-dual nature is the goal. Self-awareness, self-consciousness, and ultimately self-realisation are all components of self-knowledge. Realising that the Self and Supreme Self are inseparable is the goal of all these elevated senses of self. It all comes down to Moksha, or liberation, once that is understood. Its release from the cycle of birth and death, or the Samsara Chakra, is signified by the realisation of Atman. According to Kaushitaki Upanishad, Atman serves as the foundation or unifying factor for all beings and non-beings. that a man is nature's season, grows from it, emerges from a cradle, and is reborn as splendour through his wife. A conversation between Man and Brahman is then presented in the text. "Man is the Self of every living being," asserts Brahman. Every being's self is you. I am what you are. "Who am I then?" a man asks. In response, Brahman says, "The Truth."

2. Scriptures 

According to Kaushitaki Upanishad 1.2, you can climb the ladder of elevation by doing good deeds and knowing yourself. It says that everyone who leaves this world ends up on the moon. They thrive on their vital breaths in the first half of the lunar month, which leads to their reproduction in the second half. The moon is, in fact, the portal to the celestial realm. The person who correctly answers it is released to continue. However, precipitation occurs here because the individual who does not respond has transformed into rain. Here, depending on his actions and self-awareness, he transforms into a worm, an insect, a fish, a bird, a lion, a boar, a snake, a tiger, a person, or something else in this or that state (Kaushitaki Upanishad, 1.2). Liberation, or moksha, depends on self-awareness and actions. Humans are made up of Atman, the eternal core and inseparable essence of Paramatman, or the Supreme Self, rather than their body, mind, and intellect. The main focus of the Upanishad is the unmanifest force that underlies the manifestation, not the manifestation itself. The vital breath, or life force, as this Upanishad refers to Atman, is indeed the unifying force behind all manifestations, according to the Kaushitaki Upanishad (Chapter 3) (Kaushitaki Upanishad, 3.2). Instead of wanting to understand the speech, one should want to know who speaks, smells, sees, hears, tastes, feels pleasure and pain, and thinks and opines. If there were no components of consciousness, there would be no components of material being. Consciousness requires material components. This is because the existence of one phenomenon is contingent upon the existence of the other. Because the life force, or Prana, is also the Self-knowledge, or Prajnatman, which is bliss, ageless, and immortal. One should be aware of this since it is my Atman. Oh! One should be aware of this since it is my Atman. According to Kaushitaki Upanishad 1.6, Atman is the Self and is distinct from Tvam, which consists of non-Self elements such as sense organs and vital breath. That is Tvam, which is made up of non-Self or sense organs, such as vital breath. Self as Truth: Brahman is the Self of all. "The Real", he ought to say. "What is the Real, exactly?" Apart from the vital breaths and the gods (sense organs), what else is there? The Sat (what is) is that. The Tvam (you) are the gods and life-giving breaths. The word 'Satyam' expresses this. It is as vast pas all of this. This world-all is you. He therefore addresses him. A verse from the Rig Veda expresses exactly this:

With Saman in his head and Yajus in her belly

It is imperishable to have Rik in his form.

Brahman—he must therefore be recognised.

The Vedas make up the great seen.

"Where does one acquire many masculine names?" he asks him. "With the vital breath" is how he ought to respond.

"Where does one get the feminine names from?" "With speech."

The neater ones are where? with the intellect.

"Where are the smells?" "With the scent."

"What happened to the forms?" "With the eye. "Where are the noises coming from?" With the ears."

"Where is the food's flavour?" "With the tongue."

"Where with actions?" "With two hands."

"Where are pain and pleasure?" "With the body."

"Where are happiness, joy, and reproduction?" "With the organ of regeneration."

"With whom is it going?" "With both feet."

"What desires and thoughts need to be understood?" "With intelligence," he ought to add. "The waters, indeed, are my world," he tells him. Is that yours? Who knows this, who knows that, whatever victory Brahma has, whatever achievement he achieves, who knows that?

 3. Remarks 

The Supreme Self, or Brahman, is inextricably linked to the embodied Jivatman, or individual self. "I am That", "I am He", "I am You", and "I am Brahman" all denote universal consciousness, non-duality, and inseparability. The assertion made by Ramana Maharshi that one should recognise and adhere to their true nature—which he characterises as pure awareness or consciousness—is known as "Be as you are" (Be As You Are, Ramana Maharshi). Realising what is already there within, concealed beneath the veil of ignorance or Avidya, is the goal of this journey rather than achieving a new state. He emphasises the need to "be as you are" in order to experience one's actual nature as pure awareness and to let go of ego, ignorance, and identities that are based on fleeting bodily, mental, and sensory phenomena. Maharshi suggests that in order to be with the Self, one must ask oneself, "Who am I?" This process entails overcoming the ego-driven sense perceptions associated with the body-mind-intellect complex in order to attain consciousness of the self. Universal Consciousness, another name for Brahman, is both transcendent and immanent. It is all-powerful, all-present, and all-knowing. Maya, or Brahman's illusionary energy, is what appears.

-Asutosh Satpathy