Tat Tvam Asi

How one of the greatest philosophies in Hinduism changed my outlook

There is an old temple in India called ‘Sabarimala’. It is on top of a hill and hence the name because ‘Mala’ in the Malayalam language means ‘Hill’. Its exact location is in Kerala, a southern state in India known for its greenery.

Every year ~50 Million devotees do a pilgrimage to this holy hill, making it one of the world’s largest pilgrimage events. People from all over the nation visit the temple every year, to get a peek of ‘Ayyappan’, the deity of the holy temple.

Because of the history related to the temple, menstruating women cannot enter the temple. It has been disputed many times in court and the latest court rule allows the entry of anyone regardless of gender. However, attempts to enter the holy place made by activists of gender equality have been dealt with physically by the devotees. Another interesting aspect of this pilgrimage is a tough ‘Vrata’ that all the devotees must adhere to for 41 days. ‘Vrata’ is a Sanskrit word, and it roughly means ‘Devotion’. For 41 days before the pilgrimage, the devotees must not have non-vegetarian food, must not masturbate, must not involve in sex, must walk in barefoot, must wear a holy bead necklace, must wear black clothes and more. And at the end of the pilgrimage, you can go back to doing whatever you were doing or are planning to do!

I have been to this temple nine times, means one time each year for nine years, but not continuously. And it was during the ninth pilgrimage that I came across something special and ever since finding that something special, I have stopped going back.

The temple is often very crowded at peak pilgrimage seasons, crowded so much that you might have to stay in long and tiring queues on steep hills for more than a day! After a day of waiting and pushing through a crowd of devotees, I finally reached in front of the temple facade, and for the first time in my nine pilgrimages, I noticed the writing on the facade. It was written ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ in Malayalam. It kind of stuck with me, so I searched more on it after reaching back.

Tat Tvam Asi

Tat Tavm Asi is one of the four ‘Mahavakyas’. ‘Mahavakyas’ is a Sanskrit word that refers to four major philosophies under the ‘Advaita Vedanta’ philosophy of Hinduism. These are ‘The Great Sayings’ or non-dualistic school of philosophy as found in the ‘Upanishads’, a sacred Sanskrit book of Hindu philosophies.

Tat Tvam Asi is the third of the four ‘Mahavakyas’ and it translates to ‘Thou Art That’. In simple English, it means ‘You are it’. You are the ‘Paramatma’ or the ‘Ultimate Reality’. You are what you are seeking. You are God!

I was blown away by this knowledge that I had gathered. I thought about the incredible crowd of devotees that storm the temple during the peak pilgrimage seasons. What are they seeking? A place of religious practice is telling its devotees that there is no need for you to come to me because what you are seeking is within you. For me, this was the ultimate realization of the whole concept of Hinduism. Because apart from all the commercial opportunities attached to the religious places, what else is special with it? I don’t think anything is. At least concerning the temples, I can confidently say that they have been turned in to revenue making institutions by the administrations.

I stopped visiting Sabarimala after what I have discovered. Tat Tvam Asi. It is one of the greatest philosophies I have ever come across in my life. I hope that more devotees will realize what they are seeking, and not just flock to the temple for the sake of it. Keep your beliefs real, and not let it succumb to commercial and societal influences.