Aham Brahmasmi - Super Ego or Self Realization ?

One of the Mahavakyas from Vedas is “Aham Brahmasmi” from Yajur Veda. This is supposed to be the highest form of meditation. This also resonates with the Advaita Vedanta preached by the great spiritual leader Adi Sankara

This means “I am Brahman”, which loosely means “I am God”. It requires clarification here that God in Hinduism means the supreme divine being that is referred to by many names, not the one distinct God different from all other Gods referred by all other religions as defined by Christianity or Islam.

Back to the point, this does not seem quite acceptable to many as it sounds like the most egotistic statement a man can make. This explains why we have a more popular Dvaita school of thought which clearly distinguishes man from God.

So, is this super ego really a way to self-realisation? More importantly, is this super ego really dangerous?

Thinking superficially, the answer seems No and Yes to the questions respectively. Because, when man thinks he is above others he believes that he has a license to do anything. There is no limit to what he would do if he thinks he is God. It would become the ultimate rationalisation.

The problem here is we do not understand the concept of God correctly. The reason is that most later religions define God as the one person who created everything and who can do anything he wants with his creation.

But when we define God as the ultimate Divine Energy that pervades the entire universe, the same thought becomes one of the most expansive experiences a man can have. There is also another problem this belief system solves - the identity crisis. We are driven to many slight to serious harmful behaviours, both to self and others due to this. Identity crisis is the primary reason behind alcohol addiction to drug addiction to even murderous behaviour.

Sounds extreme? Think again. People get started on alcohol and smoking mostly when they join a social group whether at school or work. We want to gel well with a group or be accepted by the leaders of the group. Gangs, drugs and violence all come from wanting to join a group. So, when one accepts himself as God or the Ultimate Divine Energy, he does not really need to look for any other meaning to his life. And over time his actions start reflecting the core self identity, meaning that person would take part in so-called divine activities and reflect divine attributes like compassion, non-violence and truth.

It is a need of the hour for every country to create individuals with this level of divinity and this kind of self identity if humanity is to be saved from the deteriorating moral values and increasing greed. May this be part of the education system right from the beginning so that humanity reaches its ultimate potential.

Just a thought I had on my mind.