Universal
Aham Brahmasmi — a mahavakya
अहं ब्रह्मास्मि
Ahaṁ brahmāsmi
Simple reading: A-ham brah-maas-mi
About this mantra
The mahavakya of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad — the inward recognition that the self is not separate from the absolute.
Meaning
I am Brahman. The Brihadaranyaka places the sentence at the beginning of things — it is what reality said upon knowing itself, and the seeker's repetition is an echo, not a boast. The claim is carefully aimed: not this mind, this name, this story, but the I beneath them — awareness itself. Said rightly, it is the most humbling sentence there is: everything personal is exactly what it is not about.
When to recite it
Contemplated in mature practice — traditionally after study with a teacher; sat with at dawn, on retreat, and in the ripeness of a long sadhana.
Word by word
- अहंahaṁ
- I
- ब्रह्मbrahma
- the absolute
- अस्मिasmi
- am
Source: Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.4.10