"Aham Brahmāsmi", meaning "I am Brahman", is one of the central declarations of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad, an ancient spiritual text from the Yajur Veda. It belongs to a group of phrases known as the Mahāvākyas, or “great statements,” revered for capturing the essence of Vedantic wisdom in just a few words. These statements serve as spiritual signposts, pointing seekers beyond surface identities toward the realization of their deeper, infinite nature.
Though it seems simple, "Aham Brahmāsmi" has been the subject of profound reflection by teachers like Adi Śaṅkarācārya, the great systematizer of Advaita Vedānta. Śaṅkara explains that the "I" here refers not to the ego or personality, but to the pure witnessing consciousness that underlies all experience. "Brahman" is not a being, but Being itself—limitless, formless, and eternal. In nididhyāsana—the meditative practice of deep contemplation—repeating and meditating on such Mahāvākyas helps dissolve the mistaken sense of separateness, leading the seeker to recognize their true identity as limitless awareness.
