We have different states of mind called waking state, dreaming state, and deep sleep state. The waking state is different from a dreaming state, the dreaming state is different from a deep sleep state. Inspite of all the states, there is a continuity of ‘ME’. A waker goes, the dreamer comes. A dreamer goes, a deep sleeper comes and deep sleeper goes, waker comes. There are no 3 different beings. There is one single thing which is there, which is actually what I call as ‘Self’/’me’. The waking state is different from the dreaming state, the dreaming state is different from a deep sleep state. That Self we call as Sakshi, the witness, which is not changing in all the 3 states. One who is witnessing all the 3 states is called Sakshi.
This is from the empirical point of view, that is Jiva’s point of view, there is Sakshi. But, from a Brahman point of view, there is no Sakshi. From the point of view of Brahman, there is nothing else, no other. Everything is Consciousness. When everything is Consciousness, what is Sakshi, what is the meaning of witness there? There is no Sakshi from the point of view of Brahman. From the Jiva point of view, from the empirical point of view, I can say, there is Sakshi. There is a concept in the empirical Self. Empirical Self says, something beyond me, is watching me. That is why I am constant. But, that is from the empirical point of view. From Brahman’s point of view, there is no Sakshi and saakshyam. The witness and the witnessed is not there. It is pure Consciousness, infinity.
The moment we say, from the Brahman point of view there is Sakshi, Brahman is watching something, that means, there is an object, other than Brahman, which brings a duality. Brahman is advaitha, non-dual. There is no other. There is no concept of Sakshi possible. But then, many scriptures say, Brahman is a knower, all-knowing. So, this is possible only from the point of view of the empirical Self, individual Self. The concept that Brahman is all knower. Brahman is pure knowledge, shuddha chaitanya. There is no concept of Sakshi or saakshyam, witness or witnessed in Brahman. The witness concept is there for Jiva, to overcome its limitations and realize Brahman.
Now, the question comes…who realized Brahman? Can Self realize Brahman, because Brahman is all that is there.” The Self-realized Brahman”, we can say that. Because the Self is identified falsely with the body, mind, and intellect. When the ignorance goes, Self can say, ‘I realized Brahman’. The dropping of ignorance is called the realization of Brahman. When we realize Brahman, the Self becomes one with the Brahman. Like a salt doll, becomes one with the ocean, when it enters the ocean, the Self is one with the Brahman, it only realizes that I am one with Brahman, but earlier it had falsely identified itself with the body, mind, and intellect.
In reality, there is nobody who realizes Brahman. But, because the false identification is dropped, then he can say ‘I realized Brahman’. The false knowledge is gone. There is nothing called Sakshi or saakshyam in Brahman.
Pranams.