One Source, Many Faces: Seeing the Self in All - You Are in Everyone, and Everyone Is in You
When we see only through our eyes, mind and senses, we see
difference. There is “me” and there is “the other”. But Hindu scriptures say
this is only the surface view. Look a little deeper and you will find the same
Self in everyone.
Bhagavan Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, Verse
29, that the one who is steady in yoga sees the Self in all beings and all
beings in the Self. He sees the same everywhere.
The Isha Upanishad, Verse 6, says the same thing. The person
who sees all beings in the Self, and the Self in all beings, does not hate
anyone. Verse 7 then asks a simple question: for the one who sees oneness,
where is confusion and where is sorrow?
The Chandogya Upanishad, Chapter 6, gives the famous words
“Tat tvam asi”, which means “That thou art”. Here a father teaches his son
Shvetaketu that the subtle essence in all things is also his own Self.
All Forms Come From One Source
The Mundaka Upanishad, Chapter 2, Section 1, Verse 1, gives
a beautiful example. Thousands of sparks come out of a blazing fire, and they
are of the same nature as the fire. In the same way, many beings come out of
the imperishable Brahman, and they go back into it.
This is the meaning of “everything began from a spark”. The
spark is not far from the fire. It is the fire in a small form. The universe
rests in that source, expands from it and contracts into it. The Nasadiya Sukta
of the Rig Veda, Book 10, Hymn 129, also speaks about this one source before
creation, when there was neither existence nor non-existence, and only That One
breathed without breath.
Importance, Symbolism and Meaning
The idea is very important in Hindu philosophy because it is
the base of Advaita, non-duality. It says the separation we feel is a result of
ignorance, not the final truth.
The spark and the fire is the symbol of this teaching. A
wave looks different from another wave, but both are the same ocean. A gold
ring and a gold bangle have different shapes and names, but the material is one
gold.
The witness is also important. The Shvetashvatara Upanishad,
Chapter 6, Verse 11, calls the Self the sakshi, the witness. When we go beyond
the senses and the mind, we find we are only the witness. The witness does not
belong to one body. That is why the other is “not different from me”. At the
deepest level there is only silence and infinite emptiness, which is full of
energy.
An Anecdote
There is a well-known story about Adi Shankaracharya in
Varanasi. One day, after his bath in the Ganga, he met a man of a so-called low
caste on the road, with four dogs. Shankaracharya asked him to move away. The
man asked a deep question: “You say Brahman is in all. Do you want the body to
move away from the body, or the Self from the Self?” Shankaracharya understood
the point and bowed to him. The five verses he composed after this are known as
Manisha Panchakam.
Life Lessons
First, we should treat others with respect, because the same
Self is in them. Hurting another person is a kind of hurting oneself. Krishna
says in Gita Chapter 6, Verse 32, that the best yogi feels the pain and
pleasure of others as his own.
Second, hatred and jealousy become weak when we see oneness.
It is difficult to hate a person when you know he is not different from you.
Third, we should not identify ourselves only with body,
name, job or status. These are changing. The witness inside is not changing.
Fourth, silence is important. Daily meditation and quiet
time help us to look beyond the senses and the mind.
Modern Day Relevance
Today people are divided by religion, language, country,
politics and even social media opinions. Everybody is connected by technology,
but many people still feel alone and angry. This teaching gives a simple
solution. When we see the same life in others, we become more patient and kind.
It is also important for the environment. If all living and
non-living things come from one source, then we cannot treat nature as only a
resource. Trees, rivers, animals and people are all part of one family. The
Sanskrit phrase “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, the world is one family, is a good
expression of this thought.
Finally, this teaching gives peace to the mind. When we know we are the witness and not only the doer, we can face success and failure with balance.
The eyes show many, but wisdom shows one. The spark is not separate from the fire, and you are not separate from the people you see. When you look a little deeper, you find the same silence in everyone.