Mahāvākyas

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The Mahavakyas (sing.: mahāvākyam, महावाक्यम्; plural: mahāvākyāni, महावाक्यानि) are "The Great Sayings" of the Upanishads, as characterized by the Advaita school of Vedanta.

The four principal Mahavakyas

Though there are many Mahavakyas, four of them, one from each of the four Vedas, are often mentioned as "the Mahavakyas".[1] According to the Vedanta-tradition, the subject matter and the essence of all Upanishads is the same, and all the Upanishadic Mahavakyas express this one universal message in the form of terse and concise statements.[citation needed] In later Sanskrit usage, the term mahāvākya came to mean "discourse", and specifically, discourse on a philosophically lofty topic.[web 1]

According to the Advaita Vedanta tradition the four Upanishadic statements indicate the ultimate unity of the individual (Atman) with Supreme (Brahman).[citation needed]

The Mahavakyas are:

  1. prajñānam brahma - "Prajña[note 1] is Brahman"[note 2], or "Brahman is Prajña"[web 3] (Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)
  2. ayam ātmā brahma - "This Self (Atman) is Brahman" (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)
  3. tat tvam asi - "Thou art That" (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda)
  4. aham brahmāsmi - "I am Brahman", or "I am Divine"[5] (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Yajur Veda)

People who are initiated into sannyasa in Advaita Vedanta are being taught the four [principal] mahavakyas as four mantras, "to attain this highest of states in which the individual self dissolves inseparably in Brahman".[6]

Other Mahavakyas

Prajñānam Brahma

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See also: Prajna

Several translations, and word-orders of these translations, are possible:

Prajñānam:

  • jñā can be translated as "consciousness", "knowledge", or "understanding."[7]
  • Pra is an intensifier which could be translated as "higher", "greater", "supreme" or "premium",[8] or "being born or springing up",[9] referring to a spontaneous type of knowing.[9][note 3]

Prajñānam as a whole means:

  • प्रज्ञान, "prajJAna",[web 7]
    • Adjective: prudent, easily known, wise[web 7]
    • Noun: discrimination, knowledge, wisdom, intelligence. Also: distinctive mark, monument, token of recognition, any mark or sign or characteristic, memorial[web 7]
  • "Consciousness"[2][web 2]
  • "Intelligence"[3][4]
  • "Wisdom"[web 3]

Related terms are jnana, prajna and prajnam, "pure consciousness".[10] Although the common translation of jnanam[10] is "consciousness", the term has a broader meaning of "knowing"; "becoming acquainted with",[web 8] "knowledge about anything",[web 8] "awareness",[web 8] "higher knowledge".[web 8]

Brahman:

Most interpretations state: "Prajñānam (noun) is Brahman (adjective)". Some translations give a reverse order, stating "Brahman is Prajñānam",[web 3] specifically "Brahman (noun) is Prajñānam (adjective)": "The Ultimate Reality is wisdom (or consciousness)".[web 3]

Sahu explains:

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Prajnanam iti Brahman - wisdom is the soul/spirit. Prajnanam refers to the intuitive truth which can be verified/tested by reason. It is a higher function of the intellect that ascertains the Sat or Truth in the Sat-Chit-Ananda or truth-consciousness-bliss, i.e. the Brahman/Atman/Self/person [...] A truly wise person [...] is known as Prajna - who has attained Brahmanhood itself; thus, testifying to the Vedic Maha Vakya (great saying or words of wisdom): Prajnanam iti Brahman.[11]

And according to David Loy,

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The knowledge of Brahman [...] is not intuition of Brahman but itself is Brahman.[12]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Consciousness",[2][web 2] "intelligence",[3][4] "wisdom"[web 3]
  2. ↑ "The Absolute",[2][web 2] "infinite",[web 2] "the Highest truth"[web 2]
  3. ↑ Compare Radhakrishnan's notion of "intuition". See [web 4][web 5][web 6]

References

  1. ↑ Saraswati 1995, p. 4.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Grimes 1996, p. 234.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sivaraman 1973, p. 146.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Braue 1984, p. 80.
  5. ↑ Baue 1984, p. 80.
  6. ↑ kamakoti.org, The Upanisads
  7. ↑ See, e.g., Monier-Williams (1899), "jña," p. 425 (retrieved 14 Aug. 2012 from "Cologne U." at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/MWScanpdf/mw0425-jehila.pdf).
  8. ↑ See, e.g., Monier-Williams (1899), "prā," p. 652 (retrieved 14 Aug. 2012 from "Cologne U." at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/monier/serveimg.pl?file=/scans/MWScan/MWScanjpg/mw0659-prajalpana.jpg)
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Loy 1997, p. 136.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Raṅganāthānanda 1991, p. 109.
  11. ↑ Sahu 2004, p. 41.
  12. ↑ Loy 1997, p. 62.

Sources

Published sources

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Web-sources

  1. ↑ Sanskrit Structure
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Jiddu Krishnamurti, Saanen 2nd Conversation with Swami Venkatesananda 26th July 1969
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Encyclopedy of Hinduism, Mahavakyas
  4. ↑ Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888—1975)
  5. ↑ Ashok Vora, Radhakrishna's notion of intuitive knowledge: a critique
  6. ↑ [DR. SIR S. RADHAKRISHNAN, Intellect and Intuition in Sankara's Philosophy]
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Sanskrit Dictionary, prajnanam
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Sanskrit Dictionary, jnanam

External links

pl:Mantra#Mahawakja

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