Mahavakyas – the big claims

Mahavakias – the great statements are procedures of jnana yoga, part of traditional nondualistic yoga practice.

It is understood similarly but slightly differently in Advaita Vedanta and in Kashmiri nondualistic Shivaism.

Kashmiri Shaivism integrates life as a spiritual path, it does not consider it an illusion.

Shaivism affirms its value as reality (being formed by the mind of the Supreme Being) but specifies its great “defect”.

Namely, the fact that life is fleeting.

1. Neti neti

“Neither this nor this”

It is the statement of denial, nothing that is external is real (Advaita Vedanta) or – nothing is impassable (Abheda)

2. Aham brahmasmi

“I am Brahman”

We know that we are the individual immortal Atman Self, but here a supreme truth is emphasized: All of us, each of us – are God or the only Supreme Being.

3. Tat tvam asi

“You are the One”

that is, “you, the being, or, especially, the man in front of me, you, even you are the Supreme Being, whoever or however you are”.

4. Sarvam khalvidam brahma

“Allthese things (outer) are Brahman”

This mahavakias pushes the understanding even further, even things, meaning everything in the Universe is brahman or the Supreme Being.

5. Ayam Atma brahma

“Atman and Brahman are identical”

That is, the Supreme Individual Self and the Supreme Being are One.

6. Brahman Prajnanam

“Brahman is the supreme wisdom” is one of the 9 Mahavakias – the great statements.

7. Ekam evadvitiyam brahma

“Brahmanis One without a second (like Him)”

In the Universe there cannot be two omnipotent and perfectly free beings because the omnipotence of one would limit the omnipotence of the other.

8. Brahma Satyam Jagan Mithya

“Brahmanis real, the world is unreal”

or, more correctly, from a Abheda’s perspective

“Brahman is eternal, the world is fleeting”

9. Mahavakia Abheda synthesizes

all 8 Mahavakias – the great claims

“There is an identity at an essential level between man,

the outside world

and Brahman (God or Supreme Being)“

Or

“Man, the outside world and God are essentially identical “

These are great non-dualistic statements or maxims from Advaita Vedanta.

On them we can reflect or even meditate, to help us intuit their reality in our hearts.

It is not enough to repeat them mechanically (much less to repeat them in Sanskrit).

The important thing is to seek to realize their true meaning.

Even the simple knowledge of them, however, can help us when we have an inner search, when we seek to realize the Self, or when we tend to fully identify ourselves with the Supreme Atman Self.

For example, the famous atma vichara “of Ramana Maharishi” – Who am I ?

What is Atma Vichara?

• An introspection
• a concrete inner search that culminates in a “retrieval” with a “evrika!” of our true nature
• an inner “debate” on the nature of the Supreme Atman Self
• a state, an unifying dissolution of the ephemeral personality of the ego into the Supreme Atman Self, or Totality – Completeness

What is not Atma Vichara?

• Atma vichara is not a question
• is not a discursive answer, in words

It is not effective just by repeating the question. It is possible to repeat this question all your life without progressing!

It is therefore recommended:

• Keeping a Mahavakia in mind (even repeating it)
• to reflect, to meditate
• to carry out various techniques of relating to the ultimate inner Reality (for example, the Turtle Gesture) finally realizing the Truth.

Even the mere repetition of these “maxims” or Universal Truths expressed in words can make our description of these truths more familiar.

And when the true inner search takes place, even if we stop thinking about affirmations, they help our spiritual intuition to make the final click.

It is preferable to repeat the Mahavakias – the great statements in both Sanskrit and Romanian.

Then, when the Romanian meaning is clear to us, we can sometimes repeat them only in Sanskrit.

We seek to savor their meaning in our mother tongue and strive for the reality they express.

Leo Radutz