The enquiry into the nature of the self is of prime importance to every jivatma and if one does not make an attempt to know the self, one’s lifetime is spent in vain is the learned view of scriptures. In a lecture, Sri R. Krishnamurthy Sastrigal drew attention to the dialogue between Gargi and Sage Yagnyavalkya when the sage is able to explain the truth of Brahman and the self in the most brilliant and precise manner.
Once Janaka performed a sacrifice and many Vedic scholars from far and wide had assembled in Mithila on this occasion. The learned Gargi, who was well-versed in philosophical enquiry, put forth a couple of questions on the nature of the Brahman to Sage Yagnyavalkya.
The first question ran thus: “What pervades the whole cosmos and whatever is, was and shall be?” The sage answered thus: “The unmanifested ether.” Satisfied with this, she launched her next question: “What pervades the unmanifested ether?” Yagnyavalkya’s inspired answer revealed his realised state: “It is pervaded by the immutable Brahman which is neither gross nor subtle, neither air nor ether. Brahman is the self within all and is beyond all relative attributes such as hunger etc. Brahman is the ultimate goal and the highest truth.” Gargi accepted this as the answer and claimed in the assembly that none could understand Brahman as well as this sage.
Brahman is beyond thought and word. At best the only understanding that is possible for the jivatma is grasping the truth that the Brahman cannot be fully understood at all. The Kenopanishad states that the self is the seeing power for the eyes, the hearing capacity for the ears. The self is not attainable to the senses, but the senses function because of the self. Brahman is Nirguna, but sees through the eyes of all created beings — from an ant to Brahma. Brahman is the ‘antaryami’ in every aspect of creation. Krishna tells Arjuna: ‘The Lord who is the ruler over all abides in the heart of every being, spinning them round and round, as if mounted on a wheel, by His power.’
