Chaitanyam Ātmā – Consciousness is the Self
- Sadhguru
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Sadhguru says Nigam Tantra does not reject; it integrates – this is the Tantra of Chaitanya. Through Sodhoshi, the infinite touches the finite and dissolves it. I am One – the proclamation of Shambhu echoes through every breath of existence.
Article | Shree Siddhashram | April 12, 2025
Sadhguru: The Eternal Inquiry – Who Am I? Since time immemorial, human beings have pondered the fundamental question: "Who am I?" The answer has eluded ordinary comprehension, philosophical discourse, and scientific analysis. The Shiv Shambhu first uttered this to Sodhoshi Mahakali in the pre-Vedic era under Nigam Tantra. Shambhu declared in one voice through the Nigam Tantra: "Chaitanyam Ātmā" – Consciousness is the Self.
This sublime statement is more than a philosophical proposition; it is the seed of spiritual realisation and liberation. It encapsulates the non-dual essence of the Advaita in Nigam Tantra, which sees consciousness not as a product of the mind or brain but as the very substratum of existence itself — infinite, unchanging, self-effulgent.
This article explores the profound depth of this Vedic proclamation by unfolding its philosophical, metaphysical, Tantric, and experiential dimensions.
1. Etymology and Meaning of Chaitanyam Ātmā
Let us begin by understanding the two terms:
Chaitanyam (चित्त + अयम्) means pure consciousness or pure awareness. It is that which illumines all experiences, but itself remains untouched.
Ātmā (आत्मा) refers to the Self – not the ego, not the personality, but the innermost essence, beyond the body and mind.
Thus, the phrase “Chaitanyam Ātmā” means:
The essential nature of the Self is consciousness. The Self is not a thing; it is awareness itself.
This declaration comes from the Nigam Tantra, where, after giving Shambhabi to Sodhoshi Mahakali, Shambhu explains to Mahakali, which forms the backbone of the Advait Philosophy of Nigam Tantra.
2. Consciousness – The Unchanging Witness
In daily life, we experience a stream of thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. These are fleeting, ever-changing, and often contradictory. But behind this ever-changing play lies an unchanging witness – the drashtā, the seer.
The Upanishads call this seer Sākṣī Chaitanya – the witnessing consciousness. It does not act, it does not react. It merely is.
"As the sun, though one, illumines the entire world, so does the Self, the indweller of all beings, illumine all of them." – Katha Upanishad 2.2.15
This witnessing consciousness is:
Not limited by the senses or body
Not dependent on external objects
Not created, nor can it be destroyed
Not part of the mind, though it illumines the mind
When we sleep, dream, or wake up, our mental states change, but that which knows all these changes remains unchanged. That is the Ātmā, and its nature is Chaitanyam.
3. Neti Neti – The Path of Negation
The Upanishads offer a unique way of discovering the Self. Instead of defining what Ātmā is, they declare what it is not. This method is called Neti Neti — "Not this, not this."
By systematically negating all that is not the Self — the body, breath, mind, ego — what remains is the Self: pure consciousness.
"Yenāśrutaṃ śrutaṃ bhavati, amatam matam, avijñātam vijñātam – That, by which the unheard becomes heard, the unknown becomes known – that is Ātmā." – Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.21
The very fact that we can observe our thoughts proves that we are not our thoughts. Similarly, the body is known to us, so we are not the body. This leads to the realization that the Self is the knower of all, the light of all lights, as the Bhagavad Gītā describes.
Nigam Tantra never allowed Neti Neti. The main principles of Nigam Tantra are Dharma, Artha, Kam, and Moksh.
4. Ātmā is Not the Jīva (Ego-Self)
In ordinary language, people use "self" to refer to the jīva — the individual personality consisting of body, mind, intellect, and ego. But Vedānta makes a sharp distinction between the jīva and the Ātmā.
Jīva (Individual Ego-Self) | Ātmā (True Self / Consciousness) |
Changes, ages, dies | Eternal and unchanging |
Bound by karma | Beyond all action |
Subject to joy and sorrow | Pure bliss (Ānanda-svarūpa) |
Limited and finite | Infinite and boundless |
Identifies with body-mind | Witnesses the body-mind |
The ignorance of our real nature causes us to identify with the jīva. This ignorance is called avidyā, and the process of removing it is jnāna (knowledge) – the knowledge that we are Chaitanyam Ātmā.
5. Chaitanyam is Non-Dual (Advait)
According to the Advait Philosophy of Nigam Tantra, Chaitanyam is non-dual. There is no your consciousness and my consciousness. There is only One Consciousness, appearing as many.
"Ekameva Advitīyam" – “That which is One, without a second.” – Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.1
In Nigam Tantra, the Shambhu says,
আমি এক, আমি পরমাত্মা, আমি-ই সর্ব ভূতে বিরাজিত। আধার ও শক্তি একত্রিত অবস্থাই পরম চৈতন্য।
I am one, I am the Supreme Soul, I am the one who has conquered all particle. The state of unity of base and power is the supreme consciousness.
This means:
The Self in me is the same as the self in you.
The Consciousness behind all beings is one.
Just as one sun is reflected in many pots of water, the One Chaitanya appears to be many due to the presence of many body-mind containers.
This teaching dissolves all boundaries – between self and other, God and devotee, subject and object. The realization of this non-duality is mokṣa, liberation.
6. The Role of Chaitanyam in Experience
Every experience – whether of sound, thought, emotion, or pain – is illumined by consciousness. But Consciousness itself cannot be experienced as an object because it is the very subject of all experience.
Try to see your eye without a mirror. It cannot be done. Similarly, we cannot see Chaitanyam with the mind because the mind functions through it.
"It is that which the mind cannot think, but because of which the mind thinks." – Kenopanishad 1.4
So, even while we are ignorant of it, we are never separate from it. We live in consciousness, and it lives through us.
7. Consciousness and the Three States (Jagrat, Svapna, Sushupti)
The Mandukya Upaniṣad divides human experience into three states:
Jagrat – Waking
Svapna – Dream
Sushupti – Deep Sleep
In all three states, there is a common thread — the experiencer. In the waking state, we experience the outer world. In dreams, we experience inner projections. In deep sleep, there are no experiences, but on waking up, we say, “I slept well.”
Who is this “I” that knows waking, dreaming, and sleep?
It is not the waking mind, for that is absent in deep sleep. The one who witnesses all three states is Turiya – the fourth, the transcendental consciousness. That is Chaitanyam Ātmā.
8. Consciousness is Brahman: Aham Brahmāsmi
Vedānta takes the realization further by identifying Consciousness as Brahman, the Ultimate Reality.
Chaitanyam Ātmā
Ātmā = Brahman
Therefore, Chaitanyam = Brahman
This culminates in the great mahāvākya:
Aham Brahmāsmi – “I am Brahman” – Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.4.10
Here, Brahman is not a person, not a God sitting in heaven, but the infinite field of Being-Consciousness-Bliss (Sat-Chit-Ānanda).
Realization of this truth means that:
You were never born.
You do not die.
You are not limited by this body-mind.
You are the eternal substratum of all existence.
This is not a belief; it is the result of deep inquiry, meditation, and experiential realization.
9. Chaitanyam and Yoga: The Path to Realization
The purpose of all spiritual disciplines – be it Jnana Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, or Karma Yoga – is to reveal the truth of Chaitanyam Ātmā.
In Jnana Yoga:
Through self-inquiry (ātma-vichāra), one negates all that is not Self and arrives at the pure witnessing consciousness.
In Raja Yoga:
Through meditation and stilling the mind, the fluctuations of thought are calmed, and the seer abides in his true nature — as Patanjali says:
"Tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe avasthānam" – Then the seer abides in his Self.
In Bhakti Yoga:
The bhakta sees the Self as Ishvara dwelling in the heart. The boundary between devotee and God dissolves as the lover becomes the Beloved.
In Karma Yoga:
By acting without attachment to results, the ego dissolves, and the awareness of being the witness of action arises.
10. Misidentification and the Veil of Avidyā
The root cause of human suffering is avidyā – ignorance of our true nature. This ignorance causes identification with the body, emotions, thoughts, and the ego, leading to attachment, fear, pride, and sorrow.
When we know ourselves as Chaitanyam, the ever-free Self, all suffering falls away. The veil (māyā) is lifted, and the truth shines forth as self-evident.
"Just as when the sun rises, darkness vanishes; when the Self is realized, ignorance is destroyed." – Shvetāśvatara Upaniṣad.
11. The Practical Implication of Knowing 'Chaitanyam Ātmā'
Knowing that you are pure consciousness does not make you indifferent to the world. On the contrary:
You act in the world with full awareness.
You engage without attachment.
You love without fear.
You serve without ego.
It is not escapism but full presence.
This is the state of the Jīvanmukta – one who is liberated while living. Such a being moves in the world like a lotus in the water – untouched, untainted, yet nourishing the world.
12. Chaitanya in Tantric and Nath Traditions
In the Nath Yoga tradition, Chaitanya is the pulsating energy behind Kundalini, the divine Shakti that rises to unite with Shiva. The union of Shiva (pure consciousness) and Shakti (pure energy) is the realisation of the Chaitanyam Ātmā.
Tantric texts often refer to Spanda – the subtle throb of consciousness. Even this movement is born from the stillness of the pure witnessing Self.
13. Consciousness in Modern Science and Limitations
Modern neuroscience tries to locate consciousness in the brain. But even leading scientists admit that consciousness remains a "hard problem."
Vedānta flips the perspective. It says:
Consciousness is not in the brain. The brain is in consciousness.
This statement cannot be proven scientifically because science depends on the mind, and the mind operates within consciousness.
Hence, the realization of Chaitanyam Ātmā is not intellectual; it is existential. It is seen not by the eye but by the inner eye of wisdom (prajñā chakṣus).
14. Final Words: The Silent Flame of Awareness
You are not what you think you are. You are not the story of your past. You are not your name, your nation, or your religion. You are that in which all these arise and dissolve. You are Chaitanyam Ātmā – ever pure, free, untouched.
Silently abide as the witness. Observe the body, the mind, the world. Watch without grasping. In that clarity, something awakens. That is you — the real you.
"You are the light of Consciousness. You are That" – Tat Tvam Asi
From Knowledge to Realization
This journey from ignorance to realization is not physical, but a subtle inner turning. The goal is not to become something new but to recognize what has always been.
When the identification with the limited self drops, what remains is the infinite Chaitanyam Ātmā – the undivided, self-luminous awareness that is the source of all existence.
Realize this, and be free — not in some distant future, but here and now.
