Knowing Self

We keep hearing this 'Know yourself/know thyself/knowing self' at every turn in spirutuality. What is this 'knowing self'? What do I/we mean by that? Why should I/we know about it? What do I/we get by knowing about I/self?

Let us first consider another set of question. "Know your body". What do we mean by it? By it we obviously mean how the human body is externally and internally; that is how the human body is as a whole. In short it can be said that the human body is present as vyaktha avayktham. That is as Vyaktham (external appearance/that which can be seen) it is with head, trunk, and limbs; as avyaktham (the part that cannot be seen) it is as internal organs. So, when one says know one's body what is meant is to know how the body is externally and internally; as a whole; vyakta avyaktham. Although we use words like "external and internal", in reality is there any line which will seperate these two from one another. the external and internal is humanbody. Actually there is no external and internal . These terms are only there for convience of talking. If people start fighting that only external exists as it is the thing that is only seen and if some say only internal is true and if both fight then is there any sense.



Similarly, by knowing self what is meant is to know how "I" is as vyatha avayktham. Its so called divisions. The human body has always been whole even before those names were given to its parts. Stone age people were using it as a whole thing and even they did not think of human body as a part. Similarly with the self. By knowing self, we are trying to know how it is vyaktha avyaktham ga. Even if one does not know the answer or even if one does not try to find the answer, one is always like that using one's various characteristics wholly.

Some say "I" is matter; some say "I" is intelligence; then there are learned (enlightened few) who told the whole answer that "I" is Intelligent matter (chidanu).

So, to know I is to know how I is as a whole (Poornam ga). What do we get by knowing this? Well, what does one crave for; what is it one searches for in every act one does; happiness. By knowing self we realize that there is no such thing as 'getting' happiness. One realizes that one's nature is silence/bliss/happiness. One realizes that the so called happiness/satisfaction one is deriving from various acts (work/play) is nothing but remembering/glimpsing one's nature. We work for happiness; the enlightened realizes that his nature is silence/happiness. So, unlike us they do not search or work for happiness.