I am Brahman - Aham Brahmasmi
“AHAM BRAHMASMI” – I AM THE BRAHMAN. This term is quite familiar to many people. How does this term relate to us and our outlook.
The seeker for liberation always asks “Who am I” ? This question is to be asked by all. The following story can give one the answer he is searching for.
The names of persons, occupations etc. are just imaginary and it has nothing in relevance to any person dead or alive. These are used just to create a better awareness for the devotees of Sanatana Dharma.
A well learned man searching for Salvation goes to a great Seer. The all knowing Seer asks him:
“Who are you” ?
Man - “I am Anand”
Seer - “That is only your name, what you are identified with. Who are you” ?
Man - “I am a man”
Seer - “That is your gender. Who are you” ?
Man - “I am Anand from Mumbai”
Seer - “That is again your name with the name of the place you are currently from.
Who are you” ?
Man gets confused…….
Man - “I am a Software Engineer”
Seer - “That is the name of your job. Who are you” ?
Man - “I am the son of Mr Srivatsa and Mrs. Janaki”
Seer - “That are the names of your parents. Who are you” ?
Man - “I am the CEO of XYZ Co. Ltd., a well reputed software company”
Seer - “That is the name of the place of your job. Who are you” ?
The forehead of the man starts seeing the droplets of sweat………
Man - “I am the brother of Mr Eshwar, the current Planning Commission Chairman”
Seer - “That is your relation. Who are you” ?
The man’s confidence starts waning……………..
Man - “I am the husband of Mrs. Janaki, who is the Chairperson of Women’s Commission”
Seer - “Again you are saying the relation. I am asking you, who are you” ?
The man admits his ignorance and ……………
Man - “Oh! Great Guruji, pl enlighten me who I am ? I cant find an answer. As you
say, I find only names, positions, relations etc. Pl enlighten me who I am” ?
Seeing the man’s understanding what he thought was all his till today, turn out only to be the names, positions and relations, the Seer smilingly says……………
Seer - “I will again ask you a few questions. You answer them. At the end you will find
answer to the main question. If you don’t know the answers for the questions,
don’t, worry, I will help you out”.
The man now more relaxed than before says………………..
Man - “ OK Guruji. I will do as you say”
Seer - “Are you living “?
Man - “Yes. Sure”.
Seer - “How do you know it” ?
Man - “I am moving, I am seeing, I do everything a living man does. So I am living”
Seer - “Very Good. Where is your life in your body” ?
Man - “In my heart”
Seer - “In your heart? Now a days people cuts open the heart, replaces its valves,
keeps it in dead condition and operates, still you live with a mechanical heart.
So without your heart in your body, you still live. So how you say your life
is in your heart” ?
The man’s forehead again starts the sweat…………
He thinks that it is the brain that controls the whole body. So the life should be there.
Man - “It should be in the brain”
Seer - “Even brain is operated upon. People live when their brain is dead, in a comatose
state. So it is not there. Where is it?
Man - “Then, it should be all over the body”
Seer - “Yes. The life is in every cell of the body. It is spread out through out the body.
Good. Now pl tell me has any of your friends died recently” ?
Man - “Yes. One of my friend. He died last year”
Seer - “And what happened” ?
Man - “His body was kept for 2 days for his family members to arrive and after that it was
cremated”.
The Seer nodded as the man was now coming nearer to the state of knowing how he is………..
Seer - “Can you say again?
Man - “My friend’s body was kept for 2 days. After his family members arrived it was
cremated”.
Seer - “Here, first you said “His body was kept…… It was cremated”, and on the second
occasion you said “My friend’s body……… it was cremated” right’ ?
Man - “Yes”
Seer - “Why did you use the term of an object like “My friend’s body” and “it was cremated”
Why did you did not say “your friend was cremated” ?
The man now seems to understand that he was somewhere near the answer to the great question………….
Man - “Because my friend is dead. His body does not live or talk like my friend. The body
has no life. It cannot function, so it becomes an object. So we use third party term as
“his body” or “it”.
Seer - “You are very correct. So in short you say your friend was the life. So when your friend
was in that body, you called that body as your friend. The moment your friend – the
life went away, you say his body is an object. Right” ?
The man thought for a moment and said……….
Man - “Right”
Seer - “So what was your friend? A body” ?
Man - “No. His body was there. But he was gone”
Seer - “You are right. So you understand your friend was different from his body. Right” ?
Man - “Yes”
The Sage understood that the man was very near to the Truth, as his eyes were now fully opened………
Sage - “So where did your friend go leaving his body and everything? So what was your
friend” ?
The man thought for a moment deeply and said……………………..
Man - “Yes…..May be to……… God”.
Seer - “Yes. So what was your friend in that body” ?
Man - “The life”
Seer - “So what is that life, if it can go away leaving the body it occupies”?
The man thought deeply again for a while and said………….
Man - “The…. Soul”
Seer - “Yes. You are now on the answer. You are not your name or your position or your
relation, but you are the Soul or the Spirit. Now do you understand”?
The tone of the man was now becoming softer with improved knowledge and …………
Man - “Yes Guruji”
Seer - “This Soul is called the Atman. The Atman is the form of the Ultimate – the
Brahman. So when the body is occupied by this Atman, the body becomes alive.
When the Atman leaves the body, it becomes an object, a thing. So when anyone say
“I”, it really means the Atman, not the body, because this “I” is different from the body.
The body is only a form, that was not there before, and that will not be there after.
But the Soul always lives on, going from one body to another until reuniting with the
Creator. Can you understand now”?
Man - “Very clearly Guruji”
Seer - "This Brahman is pure and untainted. So when we say “Aham Brahmasmi” meaning
“I am the Brahma – the Soul”, it means “I use the idendity my Creator. So I will
use the body that I dwell in a worthy way, so that my Creator is happy. I will do
all that He ask me to do”. This is the real Truth and the meaning behind saying
“Aham Brahamasmi”. Is it clear now that you are the Soul and belong to the Brahman”?
Man - “Yes. Guruji”
Seer - “Now you know that you belong to the Brahman. So please do that is required by you
and lead the life that you are worthy of it. May the Almighty God be always with
you and guide your intellect”.
The man having received the new revelations, paid his respects and all those necessary to seek his
Guruji’s blessings.
Hari Om !!
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