" THATHWAMASI " (തത്വമസി )

Swami Sharanam !

If you are in search of god or spiritual fulfilment, try to visit Sabarimala once, you will find the answer !

I try to visit Sabarimala every year and Lord Ayyappa is kind enough to grant Darashan to me year by year... When I started going to Mala in my childhood days I used to notice and think about a blue board which placed on top of the temple which has written the word  - "തത്വമസി " (Thathwamasi ) .

Once you turn towards the holy sanctum of Sabarimala temple after standing in queue for long time, you will see the Holy 18 steps.Near to Holy Dhwajam you will find this words..... This scene of holy 18 steps and thathwamasi word used to give me immense pleasure from bottom of the heart which will lead to flow of tears automatically.

So What is thathwamasi ? What is the meaning of it? Once you start searching of it, you will find a great thinking and definition of God...

The term Thathwamasi appears in the Samavedha - in the Chandogyopanishat.

It’s a combination of three words

Tat - Twam - Asi

Tat is matter, twam is you, asi is are ! You are the matter means you are the sole force of life on earth or in the universe!

Tatvamasi is the fulfillment of spiritual knowledge. There is no second - "I’m that Supreme Entity"

Once you wear Mala after the fasting you purify yourself to become God. And that’s the whole idea of this hard religious observance. Once you wear Mala - you become Swami ,ie God.(എല്ലാം അയ്യപ്പന്‍ )

Then you treat yourself as swamy , you practice the standards of being a supreme being in your life till you remove the Mala after darshan of Lord Ayyappa.

Just imagine the situation if it is in reality... "Every being is Ayyappan" "Every Devotee is Ayyappan" "Every piece of rock and mud is Ayyappan"...  Now there is no question of "I" here... because even "Iam Ayyappan..." ie  "Iam that Supreme Entity" ie "Thathwamasi"

Actually this (Thathwamasi and other) Mahavakyam is given as upadesham only while taking Sanyasam... Kanchi maha Swamigal said:

"It is to attain this highest of states in which the individual self dissolves inseparably in Brahman that a man becomes a sannyasi after forsaking the very karma that gives him inward maturity. When he is initiated into sannyasa he is taught four mantras, the four [principal] mahavakyas."

Ayyappan is in Yoga Peetam at Sabarimala; He is a gurunathan there. Thats the reason he explicitly teaches this Maha Vaakya Saaram ie Thathwamasi with his Chinmudra...

Mahayogapeeto jwalantham mahantham

Mahavaakya Saaropadesham Sushaantham

Maharshi Praharsha pradham gnana kaantham

param jyoti roopam bhaje bhoothanatham

Swamiye Saranamayyappaa

സ്വാമിയേ ശരണമയ്യപ്പാ