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!

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

To define awareness, we can only use another word—Consciousness, for example. Awareness means you are aware of something; it is opposed to inertness or non awareness. What is opposed to inertness is that which is not inert—awareness.

Awareness, therefore, can be defined as what is manifest in all forms of perception, in all forms of knowing. Awareness is qualified by different objects. When I say “I am aware of the pot,” for example, there is pot awareness. Similarly when I say “I am aware of the cloth,” there is cloth awareness. 

Whenever you are aware of something, that something becomes the qualifying for awareness. This awareness can be defined in terms of knowledge as such. What is basic in all forms of knowledge is pure existence (satyam). Therefore, knowledge is defined as existence, and existence is defined as knowledge. One helps to define other. The basis for all forms of knowledge is what we mean by awareness.

When you are listening to me, you are aware of me and of these words. The fundamental principle in which these words are heard is awareness. 

The words, “I do not hear you,” are also said within the same principle. The not-hearing also takes place in the same awareness. What is common in all forms of perception is awareness: I hear that I don’t hear, I see that I don’t see, I think that I don’t think. All are nothing but awareness.

If, as we say, the mind is an object, what is it that is aware? The word “mind” means “thought.” What is it that is the awarer? You are the awarer. You are aware of thought. Opposed to the thought, therefore, there is subject—you.

In fact, both the subject and the object are awareness. But, in the beginning, to help you find out what are you are, I generally say that a thought is an object and you are the subject. Then, when you ask “what is this I that is the subject?” I reply, “You, the subject, are a witness.” And what is the nature of the witness? Awareness.

The witness, then, is awareness and the witnessed object cannot be away from awareness. Therefore, the witness and witnessed are both awareness. 

Even thewitness is not there, awareness remains. Similarly, thought is awareness and the thinker, the knower of the thought, is also awareness.

With reference to thought, however, awareness assume two statuses, corresponding to two types of thought in mind—subject thought and object thought. 

These two types of thought can be seen in the dream, where you are both the subject and the object of the dream. You are the object in that you are the one who participates in the dream world. 

And you are the subject, the one whose dream it is. The subject and the object are therefore one and the same. Both types of thought—Subject thought and object thought exist—in awareness and are, in fact, nothing but awareness.