Swami Dayananda Saraswati

There is only one source of knowledge and that is you. Quoting Sankara, “being a conscious being there are only two things one is ‘I’ and the other is ‘This’.” What you objectify is not you then what are you? The one who objectifies using the senses to presume, infer and illustrate.

Quoting the Keno Upanishad that, ‘I objectify my sense organs I am the eye of the eye the ear of the ear and through these sense organs I perceive and learn.’ To know is a conscious phenomenon and unlike all activities there is no will involved.

You open your eyes you see. Knowing is a peculiar action, as all action requires will except knowing. All the senses involve consciousness, if there is seeing there is form consciousness, hearing there is sound consciousness, for everything there is consciousness.

Even galaxies and black holes are within consciousness and objects of consciousness. Who is the one who is conscious it is ‘I’. ‘It is therefore very obvious that the meaning of the word ‘I’ is nothing but jnanam consciousness, jnaptih. Any conclusion about you is a conclusion based upon what you objectify.’

The verse further defines Brahman as satyam jnanam anantam brahma. You are existence and everything that exists depends upon you to exist, you are all knowledge and all the laws of the universe come from you and you are limitless. Yet, you see yourself as a wanting being inadequate in shape form and content. 

It is an error born of ignorance a mistake for if you are consciousness what separates, a thought from thought consciousness, or an object from object consciousness?

You are evident to yourself you are self- evident and the Sastra tells us that Brahman is self-evident and is Atma!