The Real Identity Of 'I' (Opinion) Poem by Varanasi Ramabrahmam

The real identity of ‘I’ according to Upanishads:

The term ‘I’, denotes human consciousness. Human consciousness is awareness of human mind.

‘I’ is not a term denoting any of an individual, individual’s body, self-consciousness, the social status, age, gender etc.,

‘I’ is the unoccupied awareness or pure consciousness in the individual in the Jagrat Sushupti (wakeful sleep) consciousness state when peace, bliss, silence and oneness or non-duality is experienced.

‘I’ is not a person, a thought, a sense, an experience or an understanding. ‘I’ is a consciousness which transcends all these and is a non-transforming seer and witness to all these and is revealed and experienced as peace or bliss or silence in wakeful sleep conscious state- the mind-transcending phase when all mental activities in the form of thoughts and senses etc, -cease to be. And one has to refer to this natural mental state when one refers to ‘I’.

‘I’ is unceasing, undivided continuous blissful conscious awareness.

‘I’ or Atman is consciousness present always (in all phases of mind) and is super-imposed but untouched by mental functions during wakeful (Jagrat) and dream (Swapna) conscious states and becomes sense/mood or thought or expression. Self-consciousness arises in these two states and then ‘I’ is identified with individual’s body, sense and thoughts about I, me, mine, mental capabilities, gender, social status, age etc, and masks pure consciousness.

In deep sleep (Sushupti) conscious state (like zero in number system without value but is essential and significant) there is no awareness of the body, the within or without of the body. No ‘I’ expression, thought, feeling or sense or experience relating to individual exists in this mental phase.

‘I’ or Atman is an eternal consciousness transcending the three conscious states – wakeful, dream and deep sleep- and observes all the mental activities or cessation of such activities taking place in these three mental phases. ‘I’ is also present during these phases as continuous consciousness/awareness to happenings within and without of the body.

Upanishadic awareness uses the terms Atman, Brahman, Sat (Being) , Chit (Pure Consciousness) , Ananda (Bliss) , Prajnanam (mental time-space – Unoccupied Awareness) , Santhi (Peace) , Maunam (Silence/Quietude/Mental Solitude) synonymously