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The Self that is not a product of time || Acharya Prashant, on Naryana Upanishad (2016)
Scriptures and Saints
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2 years ago
Aham
Ego
Aham Brahmasmi
Upanishads
Wisdom
Self-realization
Consciousness
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that the term 'Aham' or 'I' is used by everyone, but its meaning changes significantly based on one's level of consciousness. Initially, an individual identifies with the body and external roles, leading to suffering. Through wisdom, one moves toward 'Na Aham' or 'not I', which involves recognizing the falseness of these identifications. He clarifies that the 'Aham' used in the Upanishadic declaration 'Aham Brahmasmi' is dimensionally different from the egoistic 'I' used in daily life. The ego is essentially an incompletion seeking completion through objects of its own projection, which is a self-defeating process. Wisdom for the ego lies in recognizing its own stupidity and the fruitlessness of its attachments. When the ego's movement ceases, it dissolves into its source, which is not an object or a point in time but a state of total submergence. He emphasizes that once the false 'I' disappears, what remains is the Truth, which is beyond the comprehension of the idea-driven mind. He concludes that one should not utter 'Aham Brahmasmi' as long as they remain a specific, limited 'somebody'.